Central Nevada Regional Water Authority

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Lawsuit Filed to Stop Geothermal Project From Destroying Nevada Springs

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December 16, 2021

RENO, Nev.— The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wednesday over its approval of the Dixie Meadows geothermal energy project, which could dry up nearby springs and harm an extremely rare amphibian, the Dixie Valley toad.Dixie Meadows, a verdant desert oasis formed by springs in central Nevada, is an enormous wetland ecosystem and a sacred site for the Tribe. It is also home to the Dixie Valley toad, found nowhere else on Earth.Geothermal energy has been shown to dry up or alter nearby surface water sources. This happened recently, just a few dozen miles away from Dixie Meadows, on a project from the same developer also approved by the BLM.“We strongly support renewable energy when it’s in the right place, but a project like this that threatens sacred sites and endangered species is definitely the wrong place,” said Patrick Donnelly, Nevada state director at the Center. “The BLM’s inadequate analysis of this project and its potential harms endangers the future of this beautiful wetland and the creatures and people who depend on it.”For generations the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe has used the hot springs at Dixie Meadows, called Paumu, for healing and medicinal purposes. The springs are sacred in their undisturbed state. Allowing the project to move forward would irreversibly damage the Tribe’s connection to its culture and history, and risks consequences to the Tribe from the Creator.”The United States has repeatedly promised to honor and protect indigenous sacred sites, but then the BLM approved a major construction project nearly on top of our most sacred hot springs. It just feels like more empty words,” said Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribal Chairwoman Cathi Tuni. “This location has long been recognized as being of vital significant to the Tribe. There are geothermal plants elsewhere in Dixie Valley and the Great Basin that we have not opposed, but construction of this plant would build industrial power plants right next to a sacred place of healing and reflection, and risks damaging the water in the springs forever. We have a duty to protect the hot springs and its surroundings, and we will do so.”The Dixie Valley toad was described as a distinct species in 2017, around the time the geothermal project was first proposed.Recognizing the existential threat the project posed, the Center submitted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the toad under the Endangered Species Act. In 2018 it received a positive initial finding but has since languished. The Center sued to try to speed along the final endangered species determination.Documents obtained by the Center through the Freedom of Information Act show that other government agencies, including the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nevada Department of Wildlife, expressed significant concern to BLM officials about the geothermal project. Government hydrologists warned of the potential for the springs to dry up, harming the toad and the rest of the wildlife that live there.“The BLM rammed through approval of this project over the objections of government scientists and a tribal nation,” said Donnelly. “We’re asking a judge to right those wrongs, save Dixie Meadows for the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Tribe, and preserve biodiversity.”

Governor Sisolak signs proclamation affirming that climate change threatens Nevada with aridification

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
December 15, 2021  

LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed a proclamation recognizing the significant threats to the economy of the Sagebrush State and the livelihoods of Nevadans from reduced water availability as the outcome of increasing temperatures.   

“The fact higher temperatures would pose challenges to Nevada’s water availability is an inevitable consequence of the physics of climate. We are the driest state in the nation and while many stakeholders have done a tremendous job at improving efficiencies, we are all going to be dealing with less water,” said Governor Sisolak. “State agencies have been doing great work to address these challenges whether it is with our agricultural producers by the Department of Agriculture, wildfire fuel management projects by Division of Forestry or emergency water hauls by the Department of Wildlife to protect wildlife; the threat across the board is a changing climate.” 

This year all seventeen counties have seen federal designations as drought disaster areas with approximately 90% of the state currently facing severe to exceptional drought. According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 2020-21 drought in the Southwest is the worst since 1895. In July, over 40% of the State was designated in a state of exceptional drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Since 2015, the Nevada Drought Forum has convened to develop strategies to address the impacts of drought across Nevada and the State and the University of Nevada support Extension’s Living with Drought website that connects Nevadans with resources to support preparation, response, and recovery from drought. 

“Drought has become frequent across Nevada because of increasing temperatures. Less snow, drier landscapes, and changing water resources indicate a potential shift toward aridification,” said Dr. Kristen Averyt, Senior Climate Advisor. “It may snow and rain periodically, providing some relief, but our water budget is in the hole, and drought will come back.”     

The impact of drought is evident across the state with multiple agencies having to respond to changing conditions. With many of Nevada’s 256 hydrographic basins and sub-basins over-appropriated, climate change is complicating the work of the State Engineer in resolving already difficult adjudications of rights based on documentation that dates to the State’s founding. To prevent population loss among bighorn sheep, the Nevada Department of Wildlife conducted emergency water hauls. The State Water plan is also being updated by the Division of Water Resources. 

The proclamation coincides with the meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association Conference taking place this week in Las Vegas. Recent modeling by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that manages Lake Mead has triggered a federal declaration of a water shortage as the elevation of the lake has fallen to 1,075ft, the lowest since it was originally filled.  

The proclamation can be found here. 

Sign Up for Drought Alert Emails by Location

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Sign up to get automated email alerts when U.S. Drought Monitor conditions change for your location, or when NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center releases a new drought outlook, predicting whether drought will develop, persist, or improve. Want to track multiple locations? Once you sign up, there will be a link to subscribe to additional locations. You can unsubscribe or manage your preferences at any time. Click here to sign up for drought alerts.

Recap of California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System November Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar

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The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (CA-NV DEWS) November 2021 Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar is part of a series of regular drought and climate outlook webinars designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events (i.e. El Niño and La Niña).  Click here to read the summary/play the webinar.

NDEP to Host Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIB) Listening Session

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BIB is a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure for our communities. Funds that will benefit water or wastewater systems will flow through the State Revolving Fund programs. The Office of Financial Assistance (OFA) is working closely with EPA to understand amounts available, program requirements, and funding timelines. To stay current as the discussion changes, please subscribe to the email list at the bottom of this announcement.

The Office of Financial Assistance (OFA) will be conducting a listening session virtually on Thursday, December 9, 2021 from 1:30pm – 3:00pm PT. This will be an opportunity to hear what OFA knows about today and what you can do to be ready to receive funding.

How to access the listening session:
Join the meeting:https://call.lifesizecloud.com/4155018
Join the Lifesize meeting using Skype for Business:https://skype.lifesizecloud.com/4155018
Click to call from Mobile (audio only)United States: +1 (877) 422-8614,, 4155018#Call in by Phone (audio only)United States: +1 (877) 422-8614Meeting extension: 4155018#
Additional phone numbers:https://call.lifesize.com/numbers
Other ways to call:https://call.lifesize.com/otherways/4155018

Presenter: Jason B. Cooper, Administrative Services Officer of the Office of Financial Assistance
Cost: Complimentary. 
Who Should Attend: water utility managers, wastewater utility manager, storm water managers, municipal board members, government finance officers, elected officials, consulting engineers, fiscal advisors and others interested in clean and safe water for their communities!

For more information contact the Office of Financial Assistance at:

https://ndep.nv.gov/water/financing-infrastructure

(775) 687-9436

Airplane to Make Low-Level Flights Over Western and Northern Nevada and Part of Eastern California

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Residents and visitors may witness a low-flying aircraft over western Nevada and part of eastern California starting around November 1, 2021 and continuing into the summer of 2022. The airplane, operated under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey to study the geology of the Great Basin, will be making low-level flights over western and northern Nevada and part of eastern California. Click here to see the USGS press release and map.