CNRWA News and Updates

Assembly Bill (AB)5 and AB6 which were requested by the Division of Water Resources will heard by the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources on Monday March 1st. The Committee hearing begins at 4 p.m. AB5 makes  various  changes to provisions relating to judicial  review of orders and decisions of the State Engineer.  CNRWA is concerned that it would reduce affected water users’ ability to challenge decisions of the State Engineer in Nevada state courts.  AB6 revises provisions governing an application for a temporary change relating to appropriated water.  Specifically, AB6 makes the holding of a hearing on an application for a temporary change to the place of diversion, manner of use or place of use of water application discretionary which CNRWA does not oppose.

Information on how you can watch the Committee hearing and also provide testimony can be found here.

The Nevada Supreme Court will conduct a hearing on the petition filed by James W. Hardesty, Chief Justice requesting that the Nevada Supreme Court consider creating a Commission to Study the Adjudication of Water Law Cases in Nevada’s Courts. The public hearing will be held March 3, 2021 at 3:00 pm. Click here to see the Order and information on how to participate in the hearing and how to submit written comments. 

The Division of Water Resources’ legislative measures have been pre-filed and language is now available on the legislative website. BDR 48-339 relating to the water conservation credit program and BDR 48-340 relating to water rights banking and leasing program appear as “withdrawn,” however, NDWR is still pursuing these measures, but they will be assigned a new BDR number. Click on the following measures to see the language:

AB5 – Makes various changes to provisions relating to judicial review of orders and decisions of the State Engineer. (BDR 48-311) 

AB6 – Revises provisions governing an application for a temporary change relating to appropriated water. (BDR 48-309)

AB15 – Revises the membership of the Colorado River Commission of Nevada. (BDR 48-341)

SJR1– Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to provide that the Nevada Court of Appeals has original jurisdiction over certain cases relating to water. (BDR C-310)

The Division of Water Resources issued a Notice regarding Written Testimony on all Proposed Orders to Designate Hydrographic Basins on hearings held October 12 – October 26, 2020. The deadline for written testimony to be postmarked for mailing to the State Engineer has been extended to December 1, 2020. The new date replaces the dates stated in the Notice of Hearing and during the hearing.

Due to the interest expressed relating to the designation hearings scheduled by the Division of Water Resources in the month of October, 2020, the Division has established a Livestream of the hearings.  The Livestream may be accessed either through the Internet or by telephone.  The information to access the Livestream is available on the Division’s website at: http://water.nv.gov/Proposed%20Orders/Livestream_of_Hearings_on_Proposed_Orders_for_Hydrographic_Basins.pdf. 

A complete list of hearings on the proposed designations including due dates for written testimony can be found at: http://water.nv.gov/Proposed%20Orders/Notice_of_Hearing/Table_of_Hearings.pdf