Lt. Gov. etc. to Snake Valley

Utah Department of Natural Resources chief and head negotiator for the UT-NV agreement Mike Styler will visit Snake Valley 3/23/07. He will bring UT water rights chief Boyd Clayton and, a bonus, UT Lt. Governor Gary Herbert.

While the exact schedule has not been finalized, they will be at Dean Baker's place in Baker at 9 am (all times UT time) to take Dean's water tour. Then they will have a meeting in the Garrison area late morning or early afternoon. They will travel to West Desert School for another meeting at 3:30 pm.

We need to (1) get an update on the agreement and (2) give them an update of our expectations and what is at stake here.

Also present will be the Juab County commissioners and the Millard County Commissioners. This is the first time the Juab commissioners will have been to West Desert as a group since the commission is almost brand new following the elections. They have offered to stick around after the meeting and talk to us about the water grab. The Millard County Commissioners will be at the Garrison meeting.

public meeting on Draft Snake valley (etc) groundwater report

 
What:  Public meeting

Who:   Kimball E. Goddard, 
           Director, USGS Nevada Water Science Center

When:  1:00 p.m., Monday, March 26, 2007

Where: Auditorium
          Utah Department of Natural Resources
          1594 West North Temple

Why:

A final review of the draft Basin and Range Carbonate Aquifer System Study (BARCASS), is nearing completion. The public draft report will be ready in July 2007. The six-million dollar project is being completed in an effort to improve the understanding of groundwater in Western Utah/Eastern Nevada (Snake Valley area).

Anyone interested in the latest scientific information about water resources in the remote part of Utah/Nevada, which is now embroiled in a controversy with Southern Nevada over the export of water to the Las Vegas area, is invited to attend.

public meeting on Draft Snake valley (etc) groundwater report

 
What:  Public meeting

Who:   Kimball E. Goddard, Director, USGS Nevada Water Science Center

When:  1:00 p.m., Monday, March 26, 2007

Where: Auditorium
       Utah Department of Natural Resources
       1594 West North Temple

Why:

A final review of the draft Basin and Range Carbonate Aquifer System Study (BARCASS), is nearing completion. The public draft report will be ready in July 2007. The six-million dollar project is being completed in an effort to improve the understanding of groundwater in Western Utah/Eastern Nevada (Snake Valley area).

Anyone interested in the latest scientific information about water resources in the remote part of Utah/Nevada, which is now embroiled in a controversy with Southern Nevada over the export of water to the Las Vegas area, is invited to attend.

Pot dissing the kettle

In a recent KCPW radio interview, SNWA's Pat Mulroy accused water grab opponents of being paranoid, fanatic, hysterics. You can hear her thoughts on that and on the Colorado River at KCPW - 1 March.

I watched one of the meetings of SNWA's integrated Water Planning Advisory Committee (IWPAC) in which Ms. Mulroy waxed hysterical about Utah stealing the recharge in Snake Valley because it originates mostly in the mountains of Nevada. (Ignoring the interstate sources of water coming into some other parts of Nevada, including the Colorado River.)

The main argument for the water grab from the southern end of the pipeline also has a hysterical quality: "We can't stop Nevada's economic engine (LV) or the state will dry up and blow away."

And when SNWA lawyers filed a motion with the NV State Engineer to disallow protests on SNWA's Spring Valley well applications because the protestants had done nothing in the 16 years of SNWA's inactivity -- that had a devious, desperate, almost hysterical ring to it.

See a transcript of the interview on Launce Rake's blog.