A Good Reason To Not Trust Water Right Sales Through Walker River University Program
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
Although we doubt all the details are ready for public consumption, and the federal legislation which provides the funding for this possible Walker Lake water ownership scheme hasn’t gained final approval – the news story that Jim Sanford offers here should be a significant cause for pause by those contemplating the sale of water to the University of Nevada System.
The Walker River Acquisition Program is based on willing sellers participating and selling their water (currently to the University System of Higher Education, who got $70 million from Senator Reid to get around an earlier prohibition of using the federal dollars for purchase of land or water). In that move, “the plan” was to establish a “world-class research” facility, but as soon as the money was appropriated things changed to only having a virtual (as in let’s pretend it exist) research facility. This way the “research” could be done and there would be no reason for using the acquired water or land for the project…so let’s put it in Walker Lake! (Anybody else picking up on a theme of how this thing is working out?)
For some time it’s been an open question about who might be doing the owning, and it seems that the University System (having served their purpose) will now be turning things over to another player with even less accountability (although anyone considering the University System accountable to anyone but themselves and their mandates from Senator Reid should seriously reconsider).
On top of the University’s purchase then bait and switch approach exposed in the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation news, we are going to assume that the rest of the money that was in the 2008 Farm Bill (not having any limitations that caused the University to trade in whatever research integrity they might have wanted to give up) will now be available for the “full funding” alternative discussed in the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Walker River Acquisition Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Maybe BOR might now decide that they do have to cover their tracks with an actual completion of the purchase program Environmental Impact Statement? Maybe it really doesn’t matter because the forces in charge are going to do whatever they wish without trying to fool anyone any more?
For those who might be interested in selling their water for just the purpose of cashing in, I guess they will be willing to do so regardless of what next surprise might surface. Those who might have some sense of community might want to re-evaluate sales considerations for their water and pay closer attention to the possibility of participating in the Walker River Irrigation District’s Lease program, also in the federal appropriations legislation that turns the operations over to this non-profit outfit.
Although we doubt all the details are ready for public consumption, and the federal legislation which provides the funding for this possible Walker Lake water ownership scheme hasn’t gained final approval – the news story that Jim Sanford offers here should be a significant cause for pause by those contemplating the sale of water to the University of Nevada System.
The Walker River Acquisition Program is based on willing sellers participating and selling their water (currently to the University System of Higher Education, who got $70 million from Senator Reid to get around an earlier prohibition of using the federal dollars for purchase of land or water). In that move, “the plan” was to establish a “world-class research” facility, but as soon as the money was appropriated things changed to only having a virtual (as in let’s pretend it exist) research facility. This way the “research” could be done and there would be no reason for using the acquired water or land for the project…so let’s put it in Walker Lake! (Anybody else picking up on a theme of how this thing is working out?)
For some time it’s been an open question about who might be doing the owning, and it seems that the University System (having served their purpose) will now be turning things over to another player with even less accountability (although anyone considering the University System accountable to anyone but themselves and their mandates from Senator Reid should seriously reconsider).
On top of the University’s purchase then bait and switch approach exposed in the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation news, we are going to assume that the rest of the money that was in the 2008 Farm Bill (not having any limitations that caused the University to trade in whatever research integrity they might have wanted to give up) will now be available for the “full funding” alternative discussed in the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Walker River Acquisition Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Maybe BOR might now decide that they do have to cover their tracks with an actual completion of the purchase program Environmental Impact Statement? Maybe it really doesn’t matter because the forces in charge are going to do whatever they wish without trying to fool anyone any more?
For those who might be interested in selling their water for just the purpose of cashing in, I guess they will be willing to do so regardless of what next surprise might surface. Those who might have some sense of community might want to re-evaluate sales considerations for their water and pay closer attention to the possibility of participating in the Walker River Irrigation District’s Lease program, also in the federal appropriations legislation that turns the operations over to this non-profit outfit.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 8/12/2009 2:37 PM 
Categories: Walker River DEIS
Tags: Walker River Basin Acquistion Program University of Nevada Senator Harry Reid
Categories: Walker River DEIS
Tags: Walker River Basin Acquistion Program University of Nevada Senator Harry Reid
Have we looked into the legitimacy of a land grant university doing a study that justifies the purchase of a valuable resource? To me it seems like a conflict of interest (possibly illegal but most certainly unethical). As for a virtual laboratory. I suppose the economic part of any study could be done by plugging data other government entities collect but any crop viability or suitability would require the research to actually go into the fields and collect data or their "virtual modelling" is worthless. In my experience working for the government and my research experience doing graduate study if I wanted a good study I wouldn't rely on figures collected by a government agency. Those figures are not likely to have been collected with any type of uniform consistency since each government employee seems to have a different idea on how to collect the data even though they read the same manual.
I think it is about time that Farm Bureau found some legal expertise. Certainly farmers on the Newlands know what is is to spend a lot on legal consul. However, it may be the only way to get the university to do what it was originally founded to do and to save a value resource for the benefit of farming and the communities that rely on it.
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Dave Sanford, of the Mason Valley News, reported that the "National Wildlife Foundation" would be the water right holder of record for water purchased from Walker Basin users.
I Googled this organization, and I learned that its members include major multinational oil companies, insurance companies, and the like. What will THEY do with our water??
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