Gubantor sez "no, no, no."
OK, Amy Winehouse references are officially banned on this website, forever and ever, amen. The real news buried behind my clever lead is that Silver State Gov. Jim Gibbons told a Rotary Club somewhere in the frozen tundra up north that the pipeline was a craptastic waste of time. Or something to that effect.
He has made such statements before, but this time, he's not running from them. Over at the Southern Nevada Water Authority's cleverly concealed secret bunker headquarters, officials are wondering whether the governor got the memo that said the future of rural Nevada is irrelevant to the grab and grow schemes of Las Vegas developers.
But go Gibbons! More of that and I'll start voting Republican! It does remind me, however, that one of the strongest voices for moderating the growth fever in Southern Nevada is also a Republican, Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury.
And sincere kudos to Las Vegas Sun intrepid reporter Phoebe Sweet, who actually seemed to read the Lohantan Valley newspaper that originally printed the gubernator's anti-pipeline comments - and understood the importance of the comments. She picked up the story and ran with it. This is one of the reasons why the Sun has become indispensable for its reporting and writing. Find the full story, and find quotes from yours truly, here.
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1 comment:
Launce Rake,
As you know, Gov. Gibbons is a geologist. He may have professionally analyzed that the SNWA wells have a good chance of being denied or rendered unreliable as a long term source of potable water for domestic purposes because of predictable damage to the environment or the water rights of others due to the mining of groundwater.
As you know, DAMAGE TO EXISTING RIGHTS is always the issue with any new change of water rights scenario.
The RISK TO REWARD for diverting nearly 50 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) or 100 acre feet (AF) a day each year which is 36500 AF a year needs a "water Source insurance" policy to protect all aspects.
As you know, Nevada, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation have been offered ONE MILLION AF of fresh water a year to solve such scenarios.
The RISK TO REWARD of investigating a GUARANTEED fresh water SOURCE solution, the development of which will not damage the environment or the water rights of anyone, anywhere, is miniscule for Nevada !
As you know, your organization has refused to mention the new fresh water Source as a remedy for the protection of the environment and well owners in the subject case before the State Engineer.
Odds are...SNWA's plans will be approved ... and the damage will occur. That's what Gibbons is trying to put on the record !
Gibbons is in error from a water delivery standpoint with his desalination suggestion, because the conveyance structures to make the exchange for CA do not have the excess capacity necessary. In addition, the Quagga mussel exponential growth explosion is going to further inhibit deliveries for NV and CA. The new Source is not affected by Quagga.
Communication solves most dilemmas.
Ray Walker (Retired Water Rights Analyst) waterrdw@yahoo.com
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