The Great Basin is unique when it comes to water because the rivers have no outlet to the sea.
It is made up of many smaller drainage basins.
There is a complicated system of hydrology below the very interesting geology and topography of fractured, tilted plates of the Earth’s crust, that make up the Great Basin. Often referred to as Basin and Range because those tilted plates create mountain ranges that run from north to south. As the Earths crust stretched, cracked and tilted, it created large dry valleys or basins between the ranges. These basins can be compared to bowls that collect the snowmelt off the mountains. The alluvial fans are like great sponges, absorbing the meltwater into the ground. The snowpack is the primary recharge for the aquifers.
Nevada and the Great Basin is divided by the Nevada State Engineers Office into 256 ground water basins, some are “designated basins“. Designated basins, when it comes to water, may only be open to additional allocations for preferred uses, like municipalities for additional pumping.
Scientists are and have been measuring water table levels, spring flow rates, and precipitation for many years. We know pumping affects water table levels. We know the average precipitation, but then that is history. Today drought is in the news and many scientists believe more drought is likely in our future, due to climate pattern changes taking place. Future recharge rates are speculative.
They know the maximum consumption allowed by the existing recorded water rights. Not all basins are decreed and some additional rights could be out there and are not recorded but valid. Domestic wells are generally not considered, no permit is required to drill a domestic well, and they are limited to two acre feet per year in consumption.
The terminology of Hydrology seems very complicated, at least for this layperson. The science, like most science attempting to make future projections is speculative, especially the flows between the many basins and the aquifer recharge rates. New discoveries in all science fields rewrite what we thought we knew as fact, everyday.
Unfortunately, we may not have the answers to some of the most important questions until the water tables have dropped and the Seeps and Springs are gone. The scientists can not tell us when the flow rates of Seeps and the Springs may slow, or even dry up. The truth is they can only speculate. They do not know how drought will affect recharge rates of the aquifers, and they certainly do not know how long or severe the drought may be. There is far more that science is unsure of, than there is that can be actually guaranteed.
July 27, 2010 at the Aspen Institute's Environment Forum, Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt at the “Hot and Dry: Water in the West and the World,” told the audience,
“Water scarcity is an issue, not everywhere, but in some regions. The American Southwest is not one of those regions where there is water scarcity. It's hard to believe given all the hyping in the national and local and regional press.”
This is right in line with Pat Mulroy’s statement when she said, “The hyperbole (hyper exaggerations) coming from rural Nevadan’s about their water table concerns was childish.”
You have to wonder what motivates Mr. Babbitt to say such a stupid thing, but then Pat Mulroy was also on the three person panel with him, and they were in Aspen Colorado. A poster child for conspicuous consumption and environmental lunatics. These are people who would like to tell you how many children you are allowed to have, and how large your carbon footprint can be, as they fly off in their private jet. They are asking for more of your dollars in the form of Obama’s Green stimulus money. Watch the forum videos!
They have already spent $ 80 Billion Dollars on Green stimulus bailout, and by the way, Harry Reid is claiming credit for the few short term jobs in Nevada this money created in his political race against Sharron Angle.
Southern Nevada Water Authority has proposed a pipeline from Las Vegas through Lincoln County and continuing into White Pine County on to the North. The Las Vegas Valley water district, now SNWA, filed 146 ground water applications in 1989 for undeveloped, unproven ground water in Eastern Nevada. This spark has lit the fuse for the battles to come. They do not at this time have approval for the water needed to supply this pipeline.
The Colorado River Compact allows Las Vegas 400,000 acre feet of water from Lake Mead. On average, one acre foot will supply two homes per year. A study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego said there's a 50 percent chance that Lake Mead, could run dry by 2021. In the last ten years Lake Mead has dropped from around 1200 ft. to below 1100 ft. today. At 1050 ft. Hoover Dam will stop generating electricity, and at 1000 ft. Las Vegas will lose the lower intake for the city‘s water supply.
Currently Lake Mead (The Colorado River) supplies 90% of the water to the Las Vegas Metro area. The Colorado River serves Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, and Mexico, over 30 million people live in this region. We now know that based on the twenty year river flow study leading up to the Colorado River Compact in 1922, the river was over allocated by one million acre feet when the compact was signed and the shortage has only become worse.
The NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) study has found since 2003 the aquifers for California's primary agricultural region the Central Valley and its major mountain water source the Sierra Nevada have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America's largest reservoir. This area represents nearly one sixth of all the United States irrigated land and the dropping water tables have the potential to have huge implications to the US economy.
None of this news is new , in fact the warnings have been ignored for over one hundred years. Panelists Bruce Babbit, Pat Mulroy, Sandra Postel and The Aspen Institute’s Environment Forum are apparently more interested in advancing their agenda than dealing with facts and truth.
John Wesley Powell told the International Irrigation Congress in Los Angeles in 1893,
“You are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over the water rights, there is no sufficient water to supply the land.”
Many, many scientific studies today are clearly confirming his thoughts.
I wonder what John Wesley Powell would think today?
How limited are your water resources?
Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951
Nevada Water Rights
Land in Nevada
Nevada Ranch Properties
Lincoln County Land Market
Mesquite NV Real Estate Market
Showing posts with label irrigated Nevada Farms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label irrigated Nevada Farms. Show all posts
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Southern Nevada Water Authority's Water Problem
Is Las Vegas Running out of Water? Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Water Problem
May 26, 2010
I attended the Southern Nevada (CCIM) Certified Commercial Investment Managers Chapter monthly meeting at the Rio in Las Vegas. I went for one reason, the title and speaker, “How You May Be Impacted by Nevada’s Water Supply” presented by Pat Mulroy. Mrs. Mulroy is the general manager of Southern Nevada Water Authority.
As a long time real estate professional who specializes in agricultural land with water rights in Nevada, I talk with Nevada’s farmers and ranchers’ everyday; I was shocked by the introduction. The lady introducing Mrs. Mulroy said about her, among other things, how wonderful she is, how hard she works, how powerful she is, and then she said, “and something I’ll bet none of you know about her, She HATES COWS”.
Mrs. Mulroy took the stage and went on to say “anything that dumb and big has to be dangerous” referring to cattle. The crowd of men and women dressed in suits and ties laughed. I on the other hand, in my jeans, boots and a new western shirt, immediately took umbrage, and thought to myself, I wonder if this lady realizes where the food in the grocery store comes from.
Her presentation seemed to me to be based on the fear factor. She talked about snow pack in Colorado this past winter being at 67% of normal. She talked about continuing drought conditions.
She explained that Lake Mead is running an annual deficit of approximately 2.7 million acre feet this year. There are 8.2 million acre feet coming in and 10.9 million acre feet going out.
Mrs. Mulroy explained the Lake level measurements with future projections.
But first let me give you a little history, from 1939 to 2003 Lake Mead averaged 1173 foot elevation, the high water or maximum point for Lake Mead is 1229.
Today it stands at about 1094. Since the canyon narrows as it descends, the water level drops faster and faster as it is over drafted, so expect the drop to accelerate.
Mrs. Mulroy explained that at the 1088 foot elevation level they could lose the upper intake for the water supply to Boulder City and 40% of Las Vegas’s supply. The authority's Intake No.1 would be forced to shut down at elevation 1,050.
At 1050 Hoover Dam stops generating power. At 1000 Vegas loses the lower intake that would literally cut off 90% of the water supply to Las Vegas and all of the water supply to Boulder City.
Work has begun on a so called third straw. Michael Johnson, Virgin Valley Water District hydrologist, told me years ago the aquifer that runs under our Mesquite Valley travels under Lake Mead, could they tap into it?
Pat Mulroy said, “SNWA will be utilizing all the water rights it owns or controls in the Virgin River, which runs through Mesquite/Bunkerville and the Muddy River in Moapa/Overton".
Southern Nevada Water Authority uses approximately 9.5 million acre feet per year, once Lake Mead goes below 1025 there is only 4 to 5 million acre feet of water left in the reservoir. She said "the pipeline will start construction in 2012 if the lake goes below 1075, period!"
She said ”If I have to set up a cot in Harry Reid’s office, I will stay until I get a permanent chair”. I did not know Harry passed out water rights! That job belongs to the State Engineer.
She said “the hyperbole (hyper exaggerations) coming from rural Nevadan’s about their water table concerns was childish.” She went on to say “the rural Nevada farmers and ranchers are being Pig Headed.”
She referenced a recent USGS Basin and Range study that she claims shows plenty of extra water. I have not yet located any completed study; http://ut.water.usgs.gov/projects/greatbasin/
What makes you think they will stop in White Pine County?
Finally for the record, she said “there are plenty of un-appropriated water rights in Nevada and the Snake Basin is next in her sights.”
She appears to me to be dead set on tapping into and draining rural East Central and Northern Nevada, Western Utah and Southern Idaho’s aquifers to supply Las Vegas. They did it to Pahrump, Nevada
When I questioned her, she lashed out at me, “Do you have a better idea?”
She may be powerful, but based on her comments, attitude and general demeanor; clearly she is not as sharp as you would expect!
That does not mean you should underestimate her ability or determination to get this done.
You can learn more about me by searching “Irrigated Nevada farm and ranch land with water rights for sale” on any search engine.
Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951
Nevada Water Rights
Land in Nevada
Nevada Ranch Properties
Lincoln County Land Market
Mesquite NV Real Estate Market
May 26, 2010
I attended the Southern Nevada (CCIM) Certified Commercial Investment Managers Chapter monthly meeting at the Rio in Las Vegas. I went for one reason, the title and speaker, “How You May Be Impacted by Nevada’s Water Supply” presented by Pat Mulroy. Mrs. Mulroy is the general manager of Southern Nevada Water Authority.
As a long time real estate professional who specializes in agricultural land with water rights in Nevada, I talk with Nevada’s farmers and ranchers’ everyday; I was shocked by the introduction. The lady introducing Mrs. Mulroy said about her, among other things, how wonderful she is, how hard she works, how powerful she is, and then she said, “and something I’ll bet none of you know about her, She HATES COWS”.
Mrs. Mulroy took the stage and went on to say “anything that dumb and big has to be dangerous” referring to cattle. The crowd of men and women dressed in suits and ties laughed. I on the other hand, in my jeans, boots and a new western shirt, immediately took umbrage, and thought to myself, I wonder if this lady realizes where the food in the grocery store comes from.
Her presentation seemed to me to be based on the fear factor. She talked about snow pack in Colorado this past winter being at 67% of normal. She talked about continuing drought conditions.
She explained that Lake Mead is running an annual deficit of approximately 2.7 million acre feet this year. There are 8.2 million acre feet coming in and 10.9 million acre feet going out.
Mrs. Mulroy explained the Lake level measurements with future projections.
But first let me give you a little history, from 1939 to 2003 Lake Mead averaged 1173 foot elevation, the high water or maximum point for Lake Mead is 1229.
Today it stands at about 1094. Since the canyon narrows as it descends, the water level drops faster and faster as it is over drafted, so expect the drop to accelerate.
Mrs. Mulroy explained that at the 1088 foot elevation level they could lose the upper intake for the water supply to Boulder City and 40% of Las Vegas’s supply. The authority's Intake No.1 would be forced to shut down at elevation 1,050.
At 1050 Hoover Dam stops generating power. At 1000 Vegas loses the lower intake that would literally cut off 90% of the water supply to Las Vegas and all of the water supply to Boulder City.
Work has begun on a so called third straw. Michael Johnson, Virgin Valley Water District hydrologist, told me years ago the aquifer that runs under our Mesquite Valley travels under Lake Mead, could they tap into it?
Pat Mulroy said, “SNWA will be utilizing all the water rights it owns or controls in the Virgin River, which runs through Mesquite/Bunkerville and the Muddy River in Moapa/Overton".
Southern Nevada Water Authority uses approximately 9.5 million acre feet per year, once Lake Mead goes below 1025 there is only 4 to 5 million acre feet of water left in the reservoir. She said "the pipeline will start construction in 2012 if the lake goes below 1075, period!"
She said ”If I have to set up a cot in Harry Reid’s office, I will stay until I get a permanent chair”. I did not know Harry passed out water rights! That job belongs to the State Engineer.
She said “the hyperbole (hyper exaggerations) coming from rural Nevadan’s about their water table concerns was childish.” She went on to say “the rural Nevada farmers and ranchers are being Pig Headed.”
She referenced a recent USGS Basin and Range study that she claims shows plenty of extra water. I have not yet located any completed study; http://ut.water.usgs.gov/projects/greatbasin/
What makes you think they will stop in White Pine County?
Finally for the record, she said “there are plenty of un-appropriated water rights in Nevada and the Snake Basin is next in her sights.”
She appears to me to be dead set on tapping into and draining rural East Central and Northern Nevada, Western Utah and Southern Idaho’s aquifers to supply Las Vegas. They did it to Pahrump, Nevada
When I questioned her, she lashed out at me, “Do you have a better idea?”
She may be powerful, but based on her comments, attitude and general demeanor; clearly she is not as sharp as you would expect!
That does not mean you should underestimate her ability or determination to get this done.
You can learn more about me by searching “Irrigated Nevada farm and ranch land with water rights for sale” on any search engine.
Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951
Nevada Water Rights
Land in Nevada
Nevada Ranch Properties
Lincoln County Land Market
Mesquite NV Real Estate Market
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