NEW – Applications again open for voluntary water rights retirements in Diamond Valley
The application deadline is November 27, 2024
The Central Nevada Regional Water Authority (CNRWA) is opening a final round of applications to retire groundwater rights in Diamond Valley on November 14, 2024 using funding from the Nevada Water Conservation and Infrastructure Initiative (WCII). The WCII is meant to purchase and permanently retire groundwater rights from willing sellers in groundwater basins with insufficient water supply to serve all water rights and domestic wells.
After completing the retirement of groundwater rights from previously approved applicants, CNRWA anticipates having approximately $380,000 remaining to retire additional water rights in Diamond Valley. CNRWA will utilize the remaining funds to retire as much water as possible from willing sellers. In addition to the previous criteria adopted by the Board, CNRWA may prioritize applications based on the lowest cost per acre-foot of water to be retired in this final round.
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
Applications must be received by November 27, 2024. To get an application, go online at the links below or contact Jeff Fontaine at 775-443-7667.
The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) manages the program, which is supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. Funding for this final round of applications is subject to the approval of DCNR.
NEW – Applications again open for voluntary water rights retirements in Diamond Valley
The application deadline is Aug. 5, 2024 (This second round of applications has closed)
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.
Groundwater Rights Retirement Program
The Central Nevada Regional Water Authority (CNRWA) was recently granted $7 million to purchase and retire groundwater rights from willing sellers.
The program, the Nevada Water Conservation and Infrastructure Initiative, is meant to purchase and permanently retire groundwater rights from willing sellers in groundwater basins with insufficient water supply to serve all water rights and domestic wells. Click here for a list of over-pumped and over-appropriated groundwater basins in the Central Hydrographic Region and here for maps showing the location of these basins.
If your water right is in the Humboldt River Basin click here to submit an online application.
The deadline to apply is January 22, 2024. A list of prospective sellers must be submitted to the state by February 1, 2024.
Submission of an application does not bind the Seller or CNRWA. If the CNRWA approves an application, the purchase will be contingent upon a showing of marketable title for the groundwater right(s) to the satisfaction of the CNRWA in its sole discretion, execution of a binding purchase and sale agreement, a restrictive covenant, a grant bargain and sale deed, any forms required by the Nevada Division of Water Resources, and such additional documents that may be required to effectuate the purchase.
Applications can be submitted online or downloaded and mailed to:
CNRWA Groundwater Rights Retirement Program
P.O. Box 4270
Carson City, NV 89702
If you have any questions, please review the FAQ document. For any additional questions, please use the Contact Form.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal allocation number 36 SLFRP2634 allocated to the State of Nevada by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.