The Nevada Supreme Court yesterday on January 25th issued a long awaited Opinion on State Engineer Order 1309 for the Lower White River Flow System. The Court found that the State Engineer has statutory authority to combine multiple basins into one hydrographic “superbasin” based on a shared source of water and to manage water conjunctively. The Court also remanded to the District Court a review of the evidence used by the State Engineer to determine the maximum amount of groundwater that can be pumped.
This is an important ruling that could have major ramifications for how water will be managed in Nevada, especially in the Humboldt River Basin.
Click here to read the Supreme Court Opinion.