On March 3rd Round Mountain Gold Corporation presented their 2021 annual report to the Nevada Division of Water Resources. The report describes groundwater conditions and overall water management associated with mining, milling and ancillary activities in Nye County, Nevada as required by the terms of their current water rights permits and their approved Monitoring Plan. RMGC operates in the Big Smoky Valley-North hydrographic basin (Basin No. 137b). Click here to read the report.
NDEP issues permit for lithium brine pilot plant in Clayton Valley
The Administrator of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection has decided to issue new Water Pollution Control Permit NEV2020114 to Schlumberger Technology Corporation (STC). This Permit authorizes the construction, operation, and closure of approved mining facilities in Esmeralda
County, Nevada. The Division has been provided with sufficient information, in accordance with Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 445A.350 through 445A.447, to assure that the waters of the State will not be degraded by this operation, and that public safety and health will be protected. The Permit will become effective 2 March 2022. The final determination of the Administrator may be appealed to the State Environmental Commission pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 445A.605 and NAC 445A.407. All requests for appeals must be filed by 5:00 PM, 25 February 2022.
For more information, contact Michelle Griffin at (775) 687-9405 or visit the Division public notice website at https://ndep.nv.gov/posts/category/land
Final Nevada 2020-2022 Water Quality Integrated Report submitted to EPA
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Quality Planning (BWQP) announced that the final Nevada 2020 – 2022 Water Quality Integrated Report, prepared in accordance with Clean Water Act sections 303(d), 305(b) and 314, was submitted to EPA for approval today. The report documents the methodology used and assessment results of Nevada’s surface waters for the seven-year period October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2020.
The Final 2020-2022 Water Quality Integrated Report has been modified based on feedback from public and EPA comments and further review of the report and data. BWQP included all pertinent information (solicitation of data, public comments with NDEP responses, etc.) into the FINAL Nevada 2020-2022 Water Quality Integrated Report document as attachments to keep all the information in one package with the hope of making the Integrated Report process more accessible to the public.
All documents and the web map (under development) for the Nevada 2020 – 2022 Water Quality Integrated Report are available online at: https://ndep.nv.gov/water/rivers-streams-lakes/water-quality-standards/303d-305b-water-quality-integrated-report
Funds available for Drinking Water Projects
Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA, BIB, or BIL) are flowing to Nevada through the State Revolving Fund programs. The Priority List for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is now open. Capital Projects must be on the priority lists to receive funding from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. This is your chance to get on the list to be eligible for funding. Pre-applications are being accepted until May 11, 2022 through the Nevada Infrastructure Financial System (NIFS). Eligible systems are asked to sign up with NIFS and submit their applications as soon as possible. Click here for more information.
NRCS Offers New EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts to Support Climate-Smart Agriculture and Drought Mitigation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Nevada is announcing its first-round funding signup for Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC), a new option available through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). While applications for EQIP are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by April 15, 2022, to be considered for the 2022 ranking funding period.
EQIP-CIC expands resource benefits for Nevada producers through incentive conservation practices such as cover crops, transition to resource conserving crop rotations, and precision agriculture technologies along with a similarly broad suite of incentive practices for ranchers and nonindustrial private forest operators. Additionally, EQIP-CIC allows producers to target priority resource concerns on their property by offering incentive payments for a five-year contract without needing to enroll the entire operation into the program.
EQIP-CIC is designed to be a stepping-stone between EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program, to help producers improve their level of conservation and earn benefits of longer-term conservation enhancements. For more information about conservation planning and programs to help treat natural resource issues on your land, visit www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov or call the Nevada NRCS Service Center at (775) 857-8500
BLM invites the public to comment on Pine Valley Water Supply Project proposal
CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invites the public to review and comment
on a draft environmental impact statement and proposal by the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District.
The conservancy district proposes to develop water rights held in western Beaver County and to transport the
water to the existing water conservancy district system in Iron County. The BLM has issued the Pine Valley
Water Supply Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a 45-day public comment period ending February 22nd.
The CNRWA Board of Directors at their November 12, 2021 voted to authorize its Executive Director Jeff Fontaine to respond with comments in support of the Great Basin Water Network, White Pine County, and other interested parties by commenting on the draft environmental impact statement for this project.
The BLM will hold a public meeting at 6 pm MST on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, via Zoom. Click here to register for the meeting.