Water Rights Hearing

The Nevada State Engineer issued an interim order scheduling hearings for water rights applications associated with the project located in Snake Valley. Hearings are scheduled for Sept. 28, 2009.

Water Rights Decisions

On April 16, 2007, the Nevada State Engineer approved a major portion of the groundwater rights applications the SNWA submitted for the Spring Valley in White Pine County, enabling the SNWA to develop 60,000 acre-feet of groundwater annually from the basin. Under terms of the decision, the SNWA can pump 40,000 acre-feet annually from the basin for 10 years. At that point, the SNWA will be allowed an additional 20,000 acre-feet annually from the basin based on the results of monitoring and impact analysis.

On July 9, 2008, the Nevada State Engineer released a ruling granting the SNWA 18,755 acre-feet of groundwater annually from Delamar, Dry Lake and Cave valleys.

The water rights were granted subject to the development of monitoring and mitigation plans to be approved by the State Engineer, additional data collection and regular assessment of groundwater pumping.

Stipulated Agreements

On Sept. 11, 2006, SNWA reached an agreement, the Spring Valley Stipulated Agreement, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Park Service that resolved their protests on SNWA's groundwater applications in Spring Valley. The agreement established a cooperative process between the federal government and SNWA to develop and implement monitoring, management, and mitigation that would avoid unreasonable adverse effects to federal water rights and resources and avoid any effect on Great Basin National Park. Initial biological and hydrologic monitoring plans as required under the stipulation have been developed.

SNWA also finalized an agreement, the Delamar, Dry Lake and Cave Valley Stipulated Agreement, on On Jan. 7, 2008 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and National Park Service related to SNWA's groundwater applications in Cave, Delamar and Dry Lake valleys. The federal agencies withdrew their protests under the water rights process in exchange for monitoring, management, and mitigation. This agreement follows the collaborative process initiated under the Spring Valley stipulated agreement.