Trust Not What Your Government Might Do To You
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
Over the past couple of days there has been a couple of items that have come to light with regard to the continuing project involving the University of Nevada System and their legislative mission of buying water rights from willing sellers in order for the water to be sent to the no-outlet Walker Lake (Desert Terminal Lake to use the more official language of a lake where the water comes in and then evaporates out, leaving behind the dissolved solids and making things too "salty" to sustain life). One of the items came in the form of a report that was sent by Yerington area reporter Jim Sanford. It draws attention to the changes in the water acquisition legislation working its way through Congress as part of the 2010 fiscal year appropriations bill.
Up until now the water acquisition program has dealt with just Nevada water right owners in the Walker Basin. The legislation that is being worked on to move another pot of money into water right buyouts (no longer needing to hide behind the cover of the University of Nevada System) doesn't have the word "Nevada" in the portions of where water might be purchased. Needless to say the folks on the California side of the border took notice and have started sounding the alarm about Senator Reid now looking to send his water right shoppers to see California water right owners too.
From the account we received from Sanford, Mono County Board of Supervisors (Mono County is a California County for our readers who might not be from around here) unanimously (5-0) adopted a formal resolution opposing “the expansion of the Walker River Basin Acquisition Program into the California portions of the Walker River Basin” and opposing “the inclusion of the California portions of the Walker River Basin in a water leasing demonstration project as proposed by H.R. 3183 at this time”.
These county leaders have good cause to take serious exception to now being included in the cross-hairs of Senator Reid's desire to use the unlimited funding of the federal government in order to take productive use of water out of a local economy and put it into a dead-end lake for evaporation.
Another one of the comments we received came from a local Walker Basin area reader who noted their concerns over trusting the new addition of the National Wildlife Foundation being named as the purchaser and water right owner for acquired water rights -- possibly (and probably) even those purchased by the University of Nevada System. Again, the mistrust of how this entire project is playing itself out is more than justified.
From the beginning of the project, going back to even before the $200 million being put into the 2002 Farm Bill for the Bureau of Reclamation's Desert Terminus Lake program, the wheels have been set in motion for a project that is destined to obtain as much water as possible (and maybe even all water) for the purpose of Walker Lake. Those involved really don't care what they do to agricultural water right owners or the communities which depend economically on that productive use of water.
Mistrust is and should continue to be the primary focus of the citizens and local areas in the sights of those seeking to acquire water rights. Hopefully, the dollars flowing from the coffers of the federal government won't provide a temptation that overrides this mistrust.
Over the past couple of days there has been a couple of items that have come to light with regard to the continuing project involving the University of Nevada System and their legislative mission of buying water rights from willing sellers in order for the water to be sent to the no-outlet Walker Lake (Desert Terminal Lake to use the more official language of a lake where the water comes in and then evaporates out, leaving behind the dissolved solids and making things too "salty" to sustain life). One of the items came in the form of a report that was sent by Yerington area reporter Jim Sanford. It draws attention to the changes in the water acquisition legislation working its way through Congress as part of the 2010 fiscal year appropriations bill.
Up until now the water acquisition program has dealt with just Nevada water right owners in the Walker Basin. The legislation that is being worked on to move another pot of money into water right buyouts (no longer needing to hide behind the cover of the University of Nevada System) doesn't have the word "Nevada" in the portions of where water might be purchased. Needless to say the folks on the California side of the border took notice and have started sounding the alarm about Senator Reid now looking to send his water right shoppers to see California water right owners too.
From the account we received from Sanford, Mono County Board of Supervisors (Mono County is a California County for our readers who might not be from around here) unanimously (5-0) adopted a formal resolution opposing “the expansion of the Walker River Basin Acquisition Program into the California portions of the Walker River Basin” and opposing “the inclusion of the California portions of the Walker River Basin in a water leasing demonstration project as proposed by H.R. 3183 at this time”.
These county leaders have good cause to take serious exception to now being included in the cross-hairs of Senator Reid's desire to use the unlimited funding of the federal government in order to take productive use of water out of a local economy and put it into a dead-end lake for evaporation.
Another one of the comments we received came from a local Walker Basin area reader who noted their concerns over trusting the new addition of the National Wildlife Foundation being named as the purchaser and water right owner for acquired water rights -- possibly (and probably) even those purchased by the University of Nevada System. Again, the mistrust of how this entire project is playing itself out is more than justified.
From the beginning of the project, going back to even before the $200 million being put into the 2002 Farm Bill for the Bureau of Reclamation's Desert Terminus Lake program, the wheels have been set in motion for a project that is destined to obtain as much water as possible (and maybe even all water) for the purpose of Walker Lake. Those involved really don't care what they do to agricultural water right owners or the communities which depend economically on that productive use of water.
Mistrust is and should continue to be the primary focus of the citizens and local areas in the sights of those seeking to acquire water rights. Hopefully, the dollars flowing from the coffers of the federal government won't provide a temptation that overrides this mistrust.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 9/12/2009 6:45 AM 
Categories: Walker River
Tags: Senator Harry Reid University of Nevada System Walker River
Categories: Walker River
Tags: Senator Harry Reid University of Nevada System Walker River
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