Virgin and Muddy Rivers Surface Water Development Project

SNWA has rights to surface water flows on both the Virgin River and Muddy River. The Water Authority has applied to the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for rights-of-way related to facilities and pipelines needed to divert the water to the Las Vegas Valley.

The Virgin River winds its way to Lake Mead.

Virgin River

The Nevada State Engineer has granted SNWA rights to Virgin River surface water. SNWA can divert from the river up to 190,000 acre-feet of water annually. SNWA's water rights are not to exceed a long-term annual average diversion of 113,000 acre-feet per year. (An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons of water.)

In 2000, SNWA entered into an agreement with the Virgin Valley Water District establishing provisions for sharing the river. This agreement ensures future municipal water supplies will exist for the Virgin Valley Water District.

SNWA agreed to limit the amount of Virgin River water it could purchase and transfer from Virgin Valley to 5,000 acre-feet per year (in addition to its 113,000 acre-foot average annual allocation). The Water Authority also has agreements with the Virgin Valley Water District related to any new surface water rights acquired and outstanding groundwater applications.

Muddy River

The Water Authority also owns shares of the Muddy Valley Irrigation Company. SNWA may access approximately 7,000 acre-feet of Muddy River water from the Moapa Valley each year.

SNWA acquired these water rights under requests for proposals to the Muddy Valley Irrigation Company shareholders between 1997 and 2003 under separate agreements.

Basin States Agreement impacts project

Due to an historic 2006 agreement among the seven states that share the Colorado River, the Water Authority has agreed to temporarily forego development of Virgin River water rights received after the Boulder Canyon Project Act (one of several documents that collectively govern the river) was enacted.

However, SNWA will continue with necessary environmental studies associated with receiving rights-of-way from the BLM.

Nevada still would be able to take Virgin River water granted prior to the Boulder Canyon Project Act. Those water rights can be withdrawn directly from Lake Mead without building a pipeline.