U.S. Water News Online
SALT LAKE CITY -- Negotiations between Utah and Nevada over Nevada's plan to pump water from an aquifer that straddles the two states for use in booming Las Vegas are again under way, the executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources said.
Mike Styler told a meeting of the Utah chapter of the American Water Resources Association that resource managers from Utah are working with their Nevada counterparts to discuss water in the Snake Valley area on the Utah-Nevada border. He said he was optimistic the states will reach an agreement.
"We're meeting to protect these water rights," he said.
Styler acknowledged water levels on the Utah side would be affected. It's not known how much. Studies, including environmental impact reviews, need to be done and will play a role in negotiations, he said.
"We're fortunate to have a federal law that says we get to talk to Nevada," Styler said.
Styler was referring to language Utah Republican Sen. Bob Bennett inserted into a 2004 Nevada land use bill sponsored by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada. The addition to the bill states that Utah and Nevada must come to an agreement over shared groundwater resources in the Snake Valley before the Southern Nevada Water Authority's project can start.
The SNWA project would involve a $2 billion pipeline to pump 200,000 acre-feet of water per year from east-central Nevada to Las Vegas -- an oasis quickly outgrowing its water supply.
As part of the project the water authority has filed for 50,000 acre feet of water from the Snake Valley, which surrounds the Nevada border town of Baker and includes parts of Utah. It is estimated that about 40,000 acre-feet of water per year drains into aquifers below the Snake Valley that are likely shared by Utah and Nevada. All the wells for the project would be located in Nevada but water rights holders on the Utah side are worried water piped from the Nevada side would draw down wells in Utah.
Nevada also hopes to take 91,000 acre feet of water from Spring Valley, located entirely in White Pine County, Nev.
Styler said Utah has agreed to exclude Spring Valley water from the negotiations over the Snake Valley water. However, the geology of the area suggests it's possible the Spring and Snake valley aquifers are connected.
A study is being made by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Desert Research Institute and the Utah Division of Water Rights to determine water levels, groundwater chemistry and the hydrogeologic properties of the aquifers in the area. The Utah Geological Survey is working on supplemental studies.
Once the studies are done, Styler said he's expects an agreement will be reached.
Styler said when there is a draft agreement with Nevada, it will be presented to interested parties in the Snake Valley.
"We don't want to gamble with Utah water rights," Styler said.
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