More Developing Water News – Utah and Nevada Joint Agreement
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
While the Walker River Basin on the western side of Nevada is working through the issues surrounding the purchase of water rights by the Nevada System of Higher Education in order to add to Walker Lake, a desert terminus lake where the water goes in and evaporates – Eastern Nevada is also dealing with their own critical water issues, namely the appropriations request by the Southern Nevada Water Authority for ground water to be exported and used in the Las Vegas Valley. On August 13th it was announced that Nevada and Utah had reached a tentative agreement on the establishment of a cooperative relationship between the two states regarding the allocation and management of the groundwater resources in the valley that straddles the boundary line for the two states.
The agreement, involving Snake Valley, was directed by Congress in 2004 and has been the subject of negotiations for more than 4 years. The intent of the agreement is to define the water resource management responsibilities of each state; create a framework for cooperation between the states on natural resource issues of mutual interest; and provide protections for existing water rights and the health of the aquifer.
This agreement is open for public review and comment with the deadline for receipt of comments scheduled for September 14th. Unlike the Bureau of Reclamation’s Walker River Acquisition Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the public comment which also happens to end September 14th – the “Agreement for Management of the Snake Valley Groundwater System” is a legitimate process with a meaningful outcome anticipated from the input that’s received.
Comments may be sent by email to:
snakevalley@utah.gov
snakevalley@water.nv.gov
Comments may be submitted in writing to:
Snake Valley Agreement
c/o Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Suite 5001
901 S. Stewart St.
Carson City, NV 89701
Snake Valley Agreement
c/o Utah Department of Natural Resources
Division of Water Rights
1594 West North Temple, Suite 220
SLC, UT 84114
To receive a copy of the agreement, you may obtain a download at this link… http://water.nv.gov/Hearings/waterhearing/snakevalley/documents/Utah-Nevada Snake Valley Agreement.pdf
Operating in a very narrow turn-around, there are also public meetings scheduled to discuss the agreement.
Public Meetings
Public meetings on the agreement will be held at the following locations:
While the Walker River Basin on the western side of Nevada is working through the issues surrounding the purchase of water rights by the Nevada System of Higher Education in order to add to Walker Lake, a desert terminus lake where the water goes in and evaporates – Eastern Nevada is also dealing with their own critical water issues, namely the appropriations request by the Southern Nevada Water Authority for ground water to be exported and used in the Las Vegas Valley. On August 13th it was announced that Nevada and Utah had reached a tentative agreement on the establishment of a cooperative relationship between the two states regarding the allocation and management of the groundwater resources in the valley that straddles the boundary line for the two states.
The agreement, involving Snake Valley, was directed by Congress in 2004 and has been the subject of negotiations for more than 4 years. The intent of the agreement is to define the water resource management responsibilities of each state; create a framework for cooperation between the states on natural resource issues of mutual interest; and provide protections for existing water rights and the health of the aquifer.
This agreement is open for public review and comment with the deadline for receipt of comments scheduled for September 14th. Unlike the Bureau of Reclamation’s Walker River Acquisition Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the public comment which also happens to end September 14th – the “Agreement for Management of the Snake Valley Groundwater System” is a legitimate process with a meaningful outcome anticipated from the input that’s received.
Comments may be sent by email to:
snakevalley@utah.gov
snakevalley@water.nv.gov
Comments may be submitted in writing to:
Snake Valley Agreement
c/o Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Suite 5001
901 S. Stewart St.
Carson City, NV 89701
Snake Valley Agreement
c/o Utah Department of Natural Resources
Division of Water Rights
1594 West North Temple, Suite 220
SLC, UT 84114
To receive a copy of the agreement, you may obtain a download at this link… http://water.nv.gov/Hearings/waterhearing/snakevalley/documents/Utah-Nevada Snake Valley Agreement.pdf
Operating in a very narrow turn-around, there are also public meetings scheduled to discuss the agreement.
Public Meetings
Public meetings on the agreement will be held at the following locations:
- August 17, Baker, Nevada, 1 p.m. at the community gymnasium
- August 17, Delta, Utah, 7 p.m. at the Millard County Fair Building, 81 Manzanita Ave.
- August 18, Salt Lake City, Utah, 10 a.m. to noon at the DEQ, Building #2, conference room 101, 168 North 1950 West
- August 20, Las Vegas, Nevada, 9 a.m., at the Southern Nevada Water Authority Board Meeting, Molasky Corporate Center, Southern Nevada Water Authority Board Chambers, 100 City Parkway, Suite 700 (7th floor)
Posted by Doug Busselman at 8/17/2009 10:03 AM 
Categories: Water
Tags: Southern Nevada Water Authority Nevada Snake Valley Water Management Agreement
Categories: Water
Tags: Southern Nevada Water Authority Nevada Snake Valley Water Management Agreement
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