LAND & WATER
State action: Three bills from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources propose to make changes to Nevada water law. State regulators say the legislation will provide much needed flexibility in how water is managed and appropriated. Opponents are likely to push back on the legislative package, arguing that the bills infringe on property rights or enable unsustainable development. Some rural officials and environmental groups worry that one bill, which allows water regulators to use mitigation plans, could enable the Las Vegas pipeline.
Overappropriation: In aquifers across Nevada, there are more rights to water than there is groundwater that can be pumped sustainably. This dynamic is known as overappropriation, and it’s an issue that has been the subject of several regulatory actions and court cases. A bill draft requested by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources looks to curb this problem in future aquifers. The bill, in its current form, would prevent state regulators from appropriating all of the water available in the aquifer by setting aside 10 percent of the available water as a reserve