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Water Authority scales back rural water request
Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 | 4:53 p.m.
CARSON CITY — The Southern Nevada Water Authority has scaled back its request for water rights in rural Nevada and suggested some water be set aside for growth in the four rural valleys where the water resides.
In its recommendation, the authority said 104,854 acre-feet should be allocated from Eastern Nevada for the needs of Southern Nevada. That's down from its initial request of 125,975 acre-feet.
The Water Authority recommends the state engineer set aside 450 acre-feet in the valleys to accommodate future growth or agricultural needs.
The authority submitted a proposed ruling Friday for state Engineer Jason King to consider when he makes his decision by the end of March.
The Water Authority has argued that it needs additional water to meet population growth in Southern Nevada. "There are simply no additional groundwater resources available in the Las Vegas Valley to meet Southern Nevada's water needs," said the authority.
The authority said King's ruling should state that the rural water "does not belong exclusively to the inhabitants of that basin. Instead, the water belongs to the people of the state of Nevada."
There were more than 100 protests to the applications, and the major players will submit their recommended ruling by Monday. There were 84 witnesses and more than 10,000 pages of exhibits at the public hearing last year.
Opponents suggested Las Vegas implement more water conservation measures. The authority said there are limits now on landscape watering and sanctions on those who permit water to run down the street or onto another property. Fines can be levied up to $5,000 for chronic violators. More than $400,000 in fines were collected in one year.
The authority says the state engineer must consider the public interest in making his decision. The state is heavily dependent on the economy of the Las Vegas area.
It says, "A 10.5 percent decline in water supply in Southern Nevada will result in a decrease of the economic output of Southern Nevada by $9.6 billion, a loss of 84,000 jobs and a decline in wages and salaries of $3 billion."
The authority suggests the state engineer reserve 50 acre-feet in valleys of Delamar, Cave and Dry Lake and 300 acre-feet in Spring Valley.
In Spring Valley, the authority wants the engineer to allocate 76,931 acre-feet but the water would be withdrawn in four stages. The authority is suggesting it be allocated 6,541 acre-feet in Delamar Valley; 9,785 acre-feet in Cave Valley and 11,584 in Dry Lake Valley.
The authority estimates the cost of a pipeline to bring the water to Las Vegas at $6.4 billion.
It suggests the engineer also require the authority to keep tabs on the withdrawals and whether it damages the environment or cuts into existing water rights.
Discussion: 6 comments so far…
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"The state is heavily dependent on the economy of the Las Vegas area."
They should thought of that before they decimated the SHOVELING jobs of YMP!
Why not process all that waste water on the STRIP through a grassland swamp to clean it and recharge the aquifers and provide irrigation water???
Those water resources cited in this article, are not dependable. Those who do recreational fishing can tell you that there are times when the levels are low. The water SNWA seeks is NOT SUSTAINABLE.
Billions of dollars for a finite water source. It does not make sense, nor is it an efficient way to spend money. Sure hope the Water Engineer can see through all this.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Hey Star, FYI but ALL FRESH WATER RESOURCES ARE FINITE! There is no such thing as an unlimited rive or lake that flows as much water as a city or town demands. That type of water only comes from desalination of the sea.
The SNWA says this vast area must be dewatered to support economic activity in Las Vegas. I agree that Las Vegas' economic vitality is critical. I don't agree that simply providing a limited additional supply of water will magically sustain that vitality.
And I especially note that SNWA's defoliation program would rob economic vitality in Las Vegas by diverting billions of dollars to lobbyists, lawyers and Wall Street! Keep our money in Southern Nevada. Let's be "Water Smart"!
105,000 acre-feet is nearly 25% of what is taken from the Colorado River. In another ten years, those valleys will look like Agent Orange hit them.
$60,000 in capital cost per acre foot does not sound like a wise use of money. If you figure 1/2 acre foot per house, $6 BN would provide water to 30,000 houses, or about 70,000 people. Making up the loss of water from the Colorado due to drought would take a whole lot more than that. This is a lot of debt (and interest on that debt) for not much water. (But I haven't like this plan for 20 years.)
Don't know if you all have been noticing, but Nevada has had almost no rainfall this year. This means that the mountains in Utah and Wyoming will be supplying little water to the Colorado river. So Pat Mulroy will be requesting more money for the agency to provide their high priced water. Someone has to pay for her +$300,000 salary, and her cigarettes. Guess it's us, guys...