Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
How to watch, weigh in
All two weeks of the state hearing on the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s groundwater project will be heard each weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 1214 of the Legislative Building in Carson City and broadcast live through the Nevada Legislature’s website.
The video stream will be available starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday under the meeting calendar tab at www.leg.state. nv.us.
Friday afternoon has been set aside for public comment, though only from those who make the trip to Carson City.
Those who can’t appear at the hearing are being asked to submit their input in writing before the 5 p.m. Oct. 20 deadline.
Written comments should be no more than five pages long and limited to the subjects covered in the hearing. They should be addressed to: Deputy Administrator Susan Joseph-Taylor at the Office of the State Engineer, 901 S. Stewart Street, Suite 2002, Carson City, NV 89701. but a district court ruling in 2013 struck down that decision, effectively stripping the SNWA of the water it needs to fill its pipeline.
More fighting to come
It wasn’t the first time, either. A decade ago, the authority won permission to pump almost 79,000 acre-feet a year from Cave, Dry Lake, Delamar and Spring valleys, only to see the state engineer’s ruling overturned by the Nevada Supreme Court in 2010.
One acre-foot of water is enough to supply two average Las Vegas Valley homes for just over a year.
Joseph-Taylor, who will serve as hearing officer for the proceeding, said the water authority will present its case during the first week, followed by the project’s opponents during the second week.
As important as it is, Herskovits does not expect the hearing to settle the fight over the pipeline project.
“I think that no matter what happens, we’ll end up in court,” he said. Desert National Wildlife Refuge Las Vegas Ely Cave Valley Dry Lake Valley Henderson Spring Valley
Delamar Valley Pioche Caliente Baker
Great Basin National Park Mesquite Lake Mead National Recreation Area Dixie National Forest 10 miles
The authority is counting on the network of wells and pipelines to supply enough water for at least 170,000 homes, though the agency does not expect to need the water for at least 15 to 20 years.