News

The Nevada Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument on the Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan (GMP) for June 2nd from 9:30 am to 10:30 am in Las Vegas. The oral argument can also be viewed live on utube.

The Diamond Valley GMP was developed in response to State Engineers Order #1264, which designated Diamond Valley as a Critical Management Area (CMA) in 2015. This designation requires the development of a GMP within 10 years in order to remove Diamond Valley from this designation. If the GMP is not approved within this 10-year timeframe, the State Engineer shall order that groundwater withdrawals be restricted to conform to priority rights. The goal of the GMP is to stabilize the groundwater table by annually reducing the amount of water that can be
pumped by each shareholder under the GMP.

State Engineer’s Order# 1302 approving the GMP was appealed to the District Court, which found that the Order was unlawful. The District Court’s finding was then appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court. Click here for case information (#81224) and docket entries.

The Division of Water Resources has announced that it will hold a public workshops on June 16th to solicit comments from interested persons on proposed new regulations new relating to administrative hearings before the State Engineer and on June 18th on proposed new regulations relating to applications for extensions of time to file a proof of construction of works and proof of beneficial use.

Click here for the proposed regulations relating to administrative hearings before the State Engineer and how to participate in the June 16th hearing. Click here for the proposed regulations relating to applications for extensions of time to file a proof of construction of works and proof of beneficial use and how to participate in the June 18th hearing.

AB354 and AB356 will be heard by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Monday April 5th beginning at 4:00pm.  AB354 authorizes the creation of water banks and AB356 creates a water conservation program for water rights that are used for irrigation.  CNRWA is concerned that these bills could result in harm member counties as they undermine prior appropriation and facilitate out-of-basin transfers favoring development in urban areas at the expense of agriculture.  The State Engineer is working to prepare amendments to both of the bills to acknowledge the discussions and concerns expressed by stakeholders. However, the amendments have not yet been made available.

Click here for information on how to provide public testimony during the hearing and/or written comments.

Assembly Bill 354 and AB356 were introduced in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee on Monday March 22nd. Both bills were requested by the Division of Water Resources. AB354 authorizes the creation and sets forth the authority and duties of certain water banks and requires the State Engineer to submit a biennial report to the Legislature related to water banks. AB356 creates and sets forth the requirements for the Program for the Conservation of Water and creates the Account for Purchasing and Retiring Water Rights and authorizes the State Engineer to purchase and retire certain water rights with money from the Account. Neither bill has been scheduled for a hearing.

SB155 will be heard by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources on Thursday March 18th. The Committee hearing begins at 3:30 p.m. SB155 changes the title of the executive head of the Division of Water Resources from the State Engineer to the Administrator and the the name of the Office of the State Engineer to the Division of Water Resources. It also revises the qualifications for the executive head of the Division of Water Resources to require that the Administrator: (1) be experienced and competent in water resource management and conservation; (2) have the demonstrated ability to administer a major public agency; and (3) with limited exception, be a licensed professional engineer with skill and experience in water-related engineering. It further provides that the person appointed as Administrator is not required to be such a licensed engineer if: (1) a deputy administrator of the Division is a licensed professional engineer with skill and experience in water-related engineering; and (2) the person has the theoretical knowledge, practical experience and technical skills necessary for the position.

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