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The Nevada Independent

Investment in water protects Nevada’s future

Andrew Strain
Andrew Strain
Duane Coombs
Duane Coombs
Opinion
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Carson Lake Wetlands in Fallon on Sept. 7, 2022. (David Calvert/The Nevada Independent).

Nevada is a state of extremes, where floods and droughts are normal occurrences. We are also the driest state in the nation. This year we have a record snowpack along with flooding in our state as it melts. Does that mean we no longer need to worry about water?

The answer is a resounding no. According to the US Drought Monitor, parts of Nevada have experienced drought 95 percent of the time since 2000. So, we’re likely to be in drought again and it may not be far off.

Fortunately, we have groundwater as a buffer against droughts and hotter temperatures. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, half of Nevada’s counties received more than 80 percent of the water they used from groundwater in 2015, and Esmeralda, Eureka, Lincoln, Mineral and Nye counties received more than 95 percent of their water from groundwater. Our state’s groundwater also supports more than 25,000 springs, millions of acres of wetlands and groundwater-dependent forests and shrublands, and most of Nevada’s lakes, rivers and streams (see Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Fact Sheet and GDE story map). 

However, more groundwater is being used than estimated to be available in about 20 percent of Nevada’s 256 groundwater basins (NDWR 2020). Overuse of groundwater is already affecting Nevadans as well as our groundwater-dependent ecosystems and the species that depend on them.

The Nature Conservancy’s 2022 analysis of stressors and threats to groundwater-dependent ecosystems revealed that almost 40 percent of more than 6,500 water wells analyzed in Nevada had significantly falling groundwater level trends since 1984. More pressures on our water resources are coming with the push to extract mineral resources, develop infrastructure for renewable energy and build the state’s economy. This means that we need to be thinking wisely about how to manage and use our water for long-term water sustainability.

Nevada’s Division of Water Resources has a mission to conserve, protect, manage and enhance the state’s water resources but is consistently underfunded and understaffed. This group of skilled and dedicated professionals identify, manage and allocate the state’s limited water resources, but this lack of capacity is hindering their ability to manage water resources for all Nevadans at a time when we need it most. 

Fortunately, it seems that our state lawmakers are listening. Assemblyman Howard Watts from Assembly District 15 in Las Vegas recently received bipartisan support for his proposal to increase the division’s budget by $3.1 million. These funds will provide greater capacity to fulfill their mission. 

Sen. Pete Goicoechea from Senate District 19 in rural Nevada introduced legislation to address conflicts with existing water rights and impacts to natural resources, especially in groundwater basins that are overpumped. Senate Bill 176 would establish the Nevada Water Buy-Back Initiative to enable voluntary retirement of groundwater rights by willing sellers. This program could benefit our water-dependent ecosystems while easing the transition to using less water. It is a thoughtful tool to directly address overuse of groundwater as an alternative to curtailment, which can cut off water to junior water right holders, sometimes overnight, placing hardship on people’s livelihoods and communities.

For Southern Nevada, which relies heavily on the Colorado River for its water supplies, Assembly Bill 220 is aimed at conserving Colorado River water. The Colorado River is in crisis, facing an unprecedented challenge due to 23 years of prolonged drought and rising temperatures due to climate change. The provisions in AB220 will enable Nevada to do its part to conserve water across the system. 

It is imperative that in a water-limited state such as Nevada, we the people provide adequate funding, capacity and tools to plan and wisely execute the management and use of our precious water resources. We applaud these lawmakers for taking action to ensure adequate management of Nevada’s water resources.

Now is the time for us to act.  Not tomorrow and not the next day or next year. Our future depends on what we do today to be ready for tomorrow. We urge Nevada legislators and Gov. Joe Lombardo to support more funding for Division of Water Resources, Senate Bill 176 and Assembly Bill 220. 

Andrew Strain is vice president of development at Tahoe Beach Club. Duane Coombs is the managing partner of Cabal Cattle Co. LLC. They serve on the Nevada Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy.

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