MobileRJ | RSS TwitterTwitter FacebookFacebook E-mail Alerts
Home manage Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

sponsored by
News
Sep. 06, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Utahans to have voice in LV water plan

Opponents will hold hearings this week

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALT LAKE CITY -- Opponents of a plan to pipe water from a desert aquifer that lies mostly in Utah to Las Vegas will hold citizens' hearings on the issue this week in Delta and Salt Lake City.

Millard County, the Utah Association of Counties and the advocacy group Great Basin Water Network have organized the hearings, citing dissatisfaction over the way state officials are handling a proposed agreement to pump Snake Valley water nearly 300 miles to Las Vegas.

Most Popular Stories
  • 'YOU DON'T BLOW A BUNCH OF CASH IN VEGAS ...': Obama remark reopens wound
  • NORM: Ad's Strip scenes raised eyebrows
  • LAUGHLIN EDGEWATER: Two dead in casino car crash
  • Shutting down the Ritz
  • Shutting down the Ritz
  • Former commander of USS Cole considers run against Reid
  • NORM: $1 million wager on Super Bowl approved
  • Tourist describes chaos as car plows into Laughlin casino, killing two
  • Tourist describes chaos as car plows into Laughlin casino, killing two
  • IMAGES FROM 1860S: Photos show historic Nevada
  • Fighter battles rare disease that shatters mixed martial arts dream
  • Flood advisory for Las Vegas Valley




    • Mike Styler, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and Allen Biaggi, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, have said they expect to sign the agreement by mid-October.

    The deal would hold off the Nevada state engineer's ruling on the Southern Nevada Water Authority's 20-year application for water rights in Snake Valley, and would require hydrologic and environmental studies before it could take effect in 2019.

    Critics say the agreement would give most of the unallocated water to Las Vegas at Utah's expense, and the hearings will allow the public a chance to comment on it.

    Comments will be recorded and sent to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who along with Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons would have to give their permission before Styler and Biaggi could sign the proposal.

    Great Basin Water Network spokesman Steve Erickson criticized four state-sponsored public hearings on the proposal in Utah and Nevada last month, saying the public was only allowed to ask questions.

    "I really don't want this to be like their meetings, where they dominated everything," he said.

    "We're going to accept oral comments and get them to the governor one way or the other."

    The Delta hearing begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, while the Salt Lake City hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

    Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

    Leave Your Comment 4 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

    mulroys and woodbury wrote on September 06, 2009 10:23 AM:
    mulroys employed at the county and heading up the water police


    GaryIndiana wrote on September 06, 2009 09:09 AM: Haha, you lose, Pat Mulroy! Obviously the citizens of Utah will sue the Southern Nevada Water Authority every which way but loose, tying up The Grand Plan to steal their water, and this issue will be in litigation for YEARS. But, thanks for wasting tens of millions of our tax dollars on your megolomaniac schemes, Vegas Lizard Lady.


    Thank the politically connected developers wrote on September 06, 2009 08:17 AM: This water grab is ridiculous. If we are so hard up for water, why did our powers to be approve Coyote Springs?

    Harry Reid had his hand on that project. Didn't ole Harry realize we have a water shortage? Or did he forget because there is no water shortage at the Ritz Carlton in DC.



    Projects like this show the public what our elected officials are all about.








    Thank the politically connected developers wrote on September 06, 2009 08:16 AM: This water grab is ridiculous. If we are so hard up for water, why did our powers to be approve Coyote Springs?
    Harry Reid had his hand on that project. Didn't ole Harry realize we have a water shortage? Or did he forget because there is no water shortage at the Ritz Carlton in DC.

    Projects like this show the public what our elected officials are all about.