Protecting Agricultural Water Rights (More Still)
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
While the challenge of protecting agricultural water rights from thirsty, humungous urban centers is one thing – it is even more difficult in trying to protect agricultural water rights from a United States Senator and his use of the federal checkbook, federal agencies and the state’s University System to pursue an agenda of destroying irrigation systems for the purpose of rerouting water away from agricultural production.
Our senior Senator’s on-going effort to acquire water rights from “willing sellers” is still in the beginning stages in the Walker River Basin, awaiting the completion of what is expected to be the final decision by the Bureau of Reclamation that the University of Nevada’s purchases for its “world-class research” effort will meet worthwhile goals. The Bureau of Reclamation is going the motions of their National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to “evaluate” the idea of transferring purchased water rights to go to the desert terminal Walker Lake.
Instead of using the water for agricultural production, sending the water to the lake to await evaporation “might” be found to be a better approach to water management. The NEPA process is proceeding a little slower than earlier expected, awaiting the hardly biased findings of the eventual purchaser of the water rights -- the same University System that’s been given the money to buy the water.
What this project may lack in integrity it more than makes up for in political motivation and financial inspiration. This phase was made possible by the $70 million earmarked dollars for the University of Nevada System to put in place and launch their “world-class” virtual research program. Those funds were originally in the 2002 Farm Bill and carried the limitation that they could not be spent to acquire land or water…which is why the University System was needed under the guise of a research facility.
The 2008 Farm Bill has another $200 million earmark for the Desert Terminal Lakes program, operated by the Bureau Of Reclamation for the possible benefit of lakes where water flows in, but only leaves through evaporation. This latest funding action does not require the need to use the University and their “research” as cover, since the prohibition from purchasing water or land isn’t restricted by the language of the law.
As opposed to purchasing water rights for Walker Lake and undermining the viability of the irrigation system, we support the proposal by the Walker River Irrigation District to establish a long-term leasing system, permitting water right owners to lease, but maintain ownership of their water, and effectively manage the delivery of the water for the maximum benefit of the system. Significant improvements are also required in order to get the water into the Lake with a much greater efficiency as well as improved quality.
Perhaps the “world-class research” findings of the hardly-biased-at-all University will have given this some thought in the not-even-compromised NEPA finding that will be out shortly.
Responding to the protection of agricultural water from urban use, working within the structure of state water law, is far preferred to the stacked-deck of predetermined outcomes we’ve covered here.
While the challenge of protecting agricultural water rights from thirsty, humungous urban centers is one thing – it is even more difficult in trying to protect agricultural water rights from a United States Senator and his use of the federal checkbook, federal agencies and the state’s University System to pursue an agenda of destroying irrigation systems for the purpose of rerouting water away from agricultural production.
Our senior Senator’s on-going effort to acquire water rights from “willing sellers” is still in the beginning stages in the Walker River Basin, awaiting the completion of what is expected to be the final decision by the Bureau of Reclamation that the University of Nevada’s purchases for its “world-class research” effort will meet worthwhile goals. The Bureau of Reclamation is going the motions of their National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to “evaluate” the idea of transferring purchased water rights to go to the desert terminal Walker Lake.
Instead of using the water for agricultural production, sending the water to the lake to await evaporation “might” be found to be a better approach to water management. The NEPA process is proceeding a little slower than earlier expected, awaiting the hardly biased findings of the eventual purchaser of the water rights -- the same University System that’s been given the money to buy the water.
What this project may lack in integrity it more than makes up for in political motivation and financial inspiration. This phase was made possible by the $70 million earmarked dollars for the University of Nevada System to put in place and launch their “world-class” virtual research program. Those funds were originally in the 2002 Farm Bill and carried the limitation that they could not be spent to acquire land or water…which is why the University System was needed under the guise of a research facility.
The 2008 Farm Bill has another $200 million earmark for the Desert Terminal Lakes program, operated by the Bureau Of Reclamation for the possible benefit of lakes where water flows in, but only leaves through evaporation. This latest funding action does not require the need to use the University and their “research” as cover, since the prohibition from purchasing water or land isn’t restricted by the language of the law.
As opposed to purchasing water rights for Walker Lake and undermining the viability of the irrigation system, we support the proposal by the Walker River Irrigation District to establish a long-term leasing system, permitting water right owners to lease, but maintain ownership of their water, and effectively manage the delivery of the water for the maximum benefit of the system. Significant improvements are also required in order to get the water into the Lake with a much greater efficiency as well as improved quality.
Perhaps the “world-class research” findings of the hardly-biased-at-all University will have given this some thought in the not-even-compromised NEPA finding that will be out shortly.
Responding to the protection of agricultural water from urban use, working within the structure of state water law, is far preferred to the stacked-deck of predetermined outcomes we’ve covered here.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 6/6/2009 5:10 PM 
Categories: Walker River
Tags: Nevada Protecting Agricultural Water Rights Water
Categories: Walker River
Tags: Nevada Protecting Agricultural Water Rights Water
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