Central Nevada Regional Water Authority

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Snow Drought Update: Winter Kicks Off With a Mix of Snowpack Conditions in the West

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Key Points

  • Substantial snow water equivalent (SWE) deficits emerged across areas in the Rocky Mountains, where above-average temperatures and drought persisted into the new water year.
  • Snow drought is most prevalent across Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, and southwest Montana. Low precipitation is driving snow drought across these states. 
  • An active weather pattern across the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada in November buffered snowpack conditions despite a recent multi-week dry spell. 
  • Temperature will play a key role in snow drought development. Current National Weather Service outlooks favor above-normal temperatures for all of the western states through December. 
  • Early season snow drought conditions can change rapidly, especially at lower elevations with increased variability in weather patterns during late fall and early winter. Early in the season, snow drought recovery can be rapid. Recovery from snow drought in late winter and early spring, when snowpack is typically near peak, can be slower. 

The rest of this snow drought update is available at: https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/snow-drought-current-conditions-and-impacts-west-2024-12-11

Applications again open for voluntary water rights retirements in Diamond Valley

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The application deadline is Aug. 5, 2024

The Central Nevada Regional Water Authority (CNRWA) is opening a second round of applications to retire groundwater rights in Diamond Valley on July 15, 2024. 

Due to strong interest in the voluntary water rights retirement program, CNRWA was granted an increase in funding from the Nevada Water Conservation and Infrastructure Initiative (WCII). The funding will enable the permanent retirement of over 10,000 acre-feet of groundwater in Diamond Valley from previously approved applicants and leave about $1.4 million remaining to retire additional groundwater water rights from willing owners in Diamond Valley. 

Applications will be accepted electronically at: https://cnrwa.com/grrp/or can be mailed or delivered to:

Eureka County Natural Resources, P.O. Box 682, 701 S. Main St., Eureka, NV 89316

The deadline to apply is August 5, 2024. To get an application, go online at the links above or contact Jeff Fontaine at 775-443-7667.

Water rights in the Diamond Valley Basin 153 are valued at $800 per acre-foot. An additional $50 per acre-foot of retired groundwater is available for mitigation.

New applications will be prioritized separately based on the priority system adopted by the CNRWA Board and will not affect the priority of applications that have already been approved for funding. Applicants who were approved in the initial round can submit a second application to retire additional water rights, which will be prioritized along with other applications submitted in the second round. 

For more information, contact Jeff Fontaine at ccjfontaine@gmail.com.

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources manages the program, which is supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Division of Water Resources proposes new regulations pertaining to hearing procedures

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The Nevada Division of Water Resources is proposing new regulations and amendments to existing regulations pertaining to hearing procedures set forth in Chapter 533 of Nevada Administrative Code (NAC). A workshop has been set for: Monday, June 24, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.

The purpose of the workshop is to solicit oral and/or written comments from interested persons on rules of procedure for hearings before the State Engineer and pre-hearing procedures including a meet and confer between the parties. This is building from the amendments first proposed under R125-20, and intended to have continued under R142-22.

Workshop materials are available on the Division’s website at: http://water.nv.gov/

Hearing on Exceptions to the Order of Determination for Jersey Valley Hydrographic Basin (No. 132) set for June 3, 2024

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Pursuant to NRS 533.165(1), the State Engineer has filed the Order of Determination in the Matter of the Determination of the Relative Rights in and to the Waters of Jersey Hot Springs, Butcher Canyon, Jersey Canyon (aka Old Town Canyon), Cedar Canyon and Home Station Wash and their Tributaries, and Springs Located Within Jersey Valley Hydrographic Basin (No. 132), Pershing and Lander Counties. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that a hearing on Exceptions to the Order of Determination, pursuant to NRS 533.165(6) and NRS 533.170, will be held on June 3, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. The location of the hearing will be 400 Main Street, Lovelock, Nevada, 89419. Exceptions to the Order of Determination must be filed pursuant to the provisions of NRS 533.170 at least five (5) days prior to the hearing on the exceptions to the Order of Determination.

Click here to Read the Order Setting the Hearing on Exceptions to the Order of Determination.

Nevada Supreme Court issues Opinion on the Lower White River Flow System

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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.

Nevada Supreme Court issues order related to specialty water law judges

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The Nevada Supreme Court on July 7th issued an order adopting rules that provide for the specialized education and designation of district court judges adjudicating Nevada water law cases in a fair, just, and timely manner. The rules become effective six months from the date of the order. Click here to read the order.