Defenders' Experts
Nevada Ground Water
Date Filed: 08/01/2006
Case Status: Active
Great Basin Water Network v. Taylor
Litigation regarding the Nevada State Engineer's refusal to provide for public participation in relation to groundwater development proposals in southern and eastern Nevada, the largest of which is the Southern Nevada Water Authority's (SNWA) Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project. Originally proposed in 1989, this project would authorize SNWA to pump approximately 200,000 acre-feet of groundwater from rural counties and convey that water to the greater Las Vegas area by a regional infrastructure threatening numerous Refuges and Parks in the area.
Related Documents
Supreme Court of Nevada Opinion (1/28/2010)
Updates:
01/28/2010
On January 28, 2010, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled for Defenders and for partner groups and individuals when it concluded that the Nevada State Engineer unlawfully failed to rule on decades-old applications to withdraw millions of gallons of groundwater from rural Nevada for use in Las Vegas. As a result, the Court sent the case back to the district court to direct the State Engineer to provide an opportunity for interested parties to raise issues in hearings on these water applications. This case is a terrific win for us and for all the plaintiffs, all of whom will now have an opportunity to protest the requested water withdrawals for their potential effects on the environment and existing water rights. This ruling is also another in a series of blows to the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plan to pipe billions of gallons of water from central and northern rural Nevada to the Las Vegas metro area.
