BLM SETS PIPELINE EIS HEARING

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding public meetings to provide the public opportunities to comment on the Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development and Utility Right-of-Way Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The draft document analyzes a Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) proposal for a system of regional water facilities and pipelines to transport water to the Las Vegas Valley. The BLM’s action is to either grant or deny the request for rights-of-way across public land. Nine public meetings will be held during a 90-day comment period which ends September 9, 2011.

Before you go: Download the GBWN's "Water Grab EIS Guide" from the following web address:

http://greatbasinwater.net/pubs/GBWN-EIS-Guide-07-25-2011.pdf

-or-

click on the "Publications" link at the top of the page and download the Guide by clicking on the Guide's "download report" link.

· Reno, Nev., Aug. 18 at 3 p.m., Sparks High School Large Gym, 820 15th Street

The project, as proposed by the SNWA, would provide for the development of the first phase (main conveyance pipeline and associated facilities) of a multi-year project which would eventually deliver groundwater from the Spring, Snake, Cave, Dry Lake, and Delamar hydrographic basins to the Las Vegas area. Although water rights, pumping rates, volume of water proposed for transport to the Las Vegas Valley, and the point of use of water proposed for transport across public land is outside the jurisdiction of the BLM, these issues are included in the EIS. Water rights and pumping rates are under the purview of the Nevada State Engineer. Water distribution and use associated with the importation of water in the Las Vegas Valley are addressed by local and regional planning agencies in accordance with Nevada Revised Statutes.

The draft EIS addresses the construction and operation of a system of regional water facilities which include 306 miles of a buried water pipeline; 323 miles of 230 kilovolt (kV), 69 kV and 25 kV overhead power lines; seven electrical substations; three pressure reducing facilities; five pumping stations; six regulating tanks; a 40 million-gallon-per-day buried storage reservoir; and a 165 million-gallon-per-day water treatment facility.

Whenever possible, the proposed project facilities would be constructed within utility corridors established by the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2004 and the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998. An approved right-of-way is contingent on compliance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. Establishment of the utility corridors has no bearing on water rights.

Water rights applications in Snake, Spring, Cave, Dry Lake, and Delamar valleys are pending with the Nevada State Engineer. The Nevada State Engineer is solely responsible for the adjudication and permitting process to allow the development of those waters. This EIS does not address the permitting or authorization of water rights.

The Notice of Availability of the draft EIS was announced in the June 10, 2011 Federal Register. Copies of the document are available from the BLM Nevada State Office, 775-861-6681 or nvgwprojects [at] blm.gov. An electronic version of the document is available at

http://www.blm.gov/5w5c

Comments on the draft EIS may be mailed: Penny Woods, BLM Project Manager, PO Box 12000, Reno, NV 89520, faxed: 775-861-6689, or emailed:

nvgwprojects [at] blm.gov

NO ACTION on SNWA pipeline!

BLM should deny SNWA pipeline passage through BLM public land!!

source;

http://www.greatbasinwater.net/





The sad part is the urban utility ratepayers are being coerced by the SNWA into supporting the pipeline, though the main beneficiary would be suburban sprawl developer Harvey Whittemore, the owner of Coyote Springs subdivision, that just happens to be located along the SNWA pipeline's route. Once the Snake and Spring Valley aquifers are depleted, where will Whittemore and SNWA's General Pat Mulroy look next for water??


background on Whittemore and SNWA deals;

"The slumping housing market isn't going to keep Nevada super-lobbyist Harvey Whittemore from his dream of building tens of thousands of homes in Coyote Springs Valley, one of the driest spots in the state.

The story of how Whittemore was able to move forward with his plan is a lesson in how things sometimes work in Nevada for those who have connections. Whittemore's plan might not be an impossible dream, but it sure looks like an improbable one.

Whittemore is widely regarded as smart, hard-working, and likeable. He can smooth talk or twist arms, whatever it takes to get things done. When it comes to his plans for Coyote Springs, also known as Harveyville, he gets by with a little help from his friends.

"I didn't create the community. I didn't sell the land to the developer. It happened. Our problem is we have to deal with it," said General Manager Pat Mulroy, Southern Nevada Water Authority.

When water authority boss Pat Mulroy says she had little to do with the plans for a boomtown in Coyote Springs, she's being a bit too modest. Without her help -- and that of many other public officials -- Harvey Whittemore's grandiose vision could never have moved forward.

Whittemore is widely regarded as the most effective lobbyists in Nevada history, a man who gets what he wants. Coyote Springs could be exhibit A. In 1996, Whittemore's company bought 42,000 acres in Coyote Springs. His vision was to build up to 150,000 homes, along with 10 golf courses and a casino or two, even though the valley is 60 miles from Las Vegas and is home to endangered species and sensitive lands and has scarce water resources.

"There was a vision that a large piece of public, I mean private property, would make a phenomenal development," Mike Hillerby, Coyote Springs Development. The slip of the tongue by Coyote Springs executive Mike Hillerby is understandable since the land in question once belonged to the public.

In the 1980's, the BLM land was designated as a potential site for the MX Missile project. When that was cancelled, a rocket company named Aerojet acquired the acreage in a swap for Florida swampland. Documents show Aerojet was specifically not to use the land for development beyond what was needed to test rockets. Somehow, that stipulation vanished by the time Whittemore bought the property. But where did the idea originate?

"I can't comment on the genesis. I don't know the genesis," Hillerby said.

The idea may have come from Richard Bunker, former Clark County manager, longtime partner with Whittemore and fellow gaming lobbyist. Bunker reportedly went to Clark County as an agent for Aerojet to propose the county acquire the land. When the county said no, Whittemore entered the picture. He bought 42,000 acres for $23 million dollars but quickly sold part of his water rights to the SNWA, headed by Pat Mulroy for $25 million. When Richard Bunker was Clark County manager, Mulroy was his assistant. She regards him as her mentor. She defends the Whittemore deal as good for both parties, though it meant Whittemore essentially got the land for free, plus $2 million.

SNWA has helped in other ways too. After federal agencies said water pumping the Coyote Springs would likely dry up nearby warms springs and kill endangered fish, SNWA bought the springs for $69 million and agreed to watch over the fish. SNWA's proposed water pipeline to rural Nevada will come in handy as well since it means Whittemore can buy up remote ranches for their water, then use the public pipeline to carry the water to his development.

Nevada rancher Hand Vogler points out the coincidences.

"Do you think it's divine providence that Harvey Whittemore buys a ranch right in line where the pipeline is gonna go? Do you think it's some sort of accident when you pull into Coyote Springs from Highway 93, there are signs that say - Warning: critical desert tortoise habitat, yet there is enough equipment to make Cashman cats look like a parking lot?

The Clark County Commission, Lincoln County Commission, state legislature, and Nevada congressional delegation have all pitched in with favors for the project. Nevada Senator Harry Reid has helped lead the way and all of those public entities have praised the project over and over. "

cont's here;
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/10217208/i-team-deals-for-coyote-springs-raise-questions-part-1

The last BLM open house public comment drew together Native Americans, ranchers, environmentalists, and others to speak out against the SNWA proposed 300 mile pipeline from Snake and Spring Valley aquifers to Las Vegas.


Water Wars
by Joshua H. Silavent Sparks Tribune
Aug 20, 2011

"Tribune/John Byrne Bob Fulkerson (left), executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, and Norm Harry, former chair of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, speak out Thursday against the proposed water pipeline that would drain parts of northern Nevada to meet the growing water demands of Las Vegas.
slideshow

SPARKS – Dozens of Washoe County residents turned out at Sparks High School Thursday during the last of nine Bureau of Land Management (BLM) open house sessions to protest a proposed pipeline that would ship water from rural northeastern Nevada to Las Vegas, citing the loss of environmental, economic and cultural resources.

The $3.5 billion, 306-mile long pipeline was first proposed more than 20 years ago, and the BLM released its Environment Impact Statement (EIS) earlier this year based on a pipeline proposal submitted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

“The BLM’s own documents predict dire consequences,” said Abby Johnson, who works with the Great Basin Water Network (GBWN), a coalition of ranchers, farmers, American Indian tribes, sportsmen, environmental organizations, local governments, businesses, scientists and rural residents.

According to the GBWN, those consequences include irrecoverable drops in the groundwater table, the loss of 112 streams, 305 springs and more than 190,000 acres of wildlife habitat, and 34,000 tons of windblown dust emitted annually, affecting air quality.

Moreover, pumping 125,000 acre-feet of water from the Cave, Delamar, Dry Lake and Spring valleys in White Pine and Lincoln counties could forever alter the land.

More than 12,000 acres of land would be cleared during the 11-year construction period, which opponents said could lead to more wildfires.

“Eastern Nevada’s rural economy, as fragile as its desert ecology, will also likely collapse,” said Bob Fulkerson, executive director with the left-leaning Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.

In protesting the pipeline, opponents called to mind the history of Owens Valley, a once water-rich region in California that “today is a moonscape, permanently destroyed by water mining,” said Ramona Morrison, member of the Nevada Board of Agriculture.

Though the proposed pipeline would create an estimated 900 jobs, opponents said money would be better spent making Las Vegas more sustainable through public infrastructure and retrofitting projects.

Proponents have said the pipeline’s costs will be met by expanding the number of water hook-ups, but Fulkerson believes current residents of Clark County will wind up paying high water rates to fund the pipeline.

“Nevada can’t afford the water grab,” Fulkerson said. “Las Vegas is the second-most tax regressive city in the country.”

Perhaps the most compelling critique of the pipeline came from Norm Harry, former chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

“It’s still an attack on our home,” he said.

The public comment period for the proposed pipeline ends Oct. 11 and BLM officials are expected to make a decision sometime next spring."


http://www.dailysparkstribune.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Water+Wars%20&id=15157537



George Knapp writes about the SNWA pipeline planners such as Gen. "Pipeline Patton" Mulroy pushing threats of drought to scare Las Vegas residents into believing that they need the pipeline.

That sounds very familiar to Californians being told they will "need the peripheral canal around the delta" or "surely we will all perish if we don't get our canal!!"


"TWISTED WATER TALES

Local water officials must be pooping bricks these days as the water level at Lake Mead continues to go up by the day. Lake Powell has been rising by a foot a day this summer, which means more water will be Mead-bound soon.

This is not what our water folks want to see. They decided a few years ago that the drought is their friend, since it provides at least thin justification for their proposed rural water grab.

It's been a string of bad news for the water honchos. Demand for water had dropped, because of the economy and conservation. The snowmelt has exceeded all expectations. Large crowds have turned out at public hearings on the water grab, with opponents outnumbering supporters by at least 4-to-1.

In a recent interview, SNWA boss Pat Mulroy repeated her claim that back in the 1990's, "we were told this drought wasn't possible." Really? She was told? Who were these mysterious tellers? How did they get this so wrong?

The fact -- and it is beyond any doubt -- is that Mulroy and her agencies were told many times that drought along the Colorado River is the norm, that wet periods are the exception. They were shown tree-ring records dating back more than 500 years as proof of extended droughts. Professor Mark Bird, among others, warned the water agencies that they needed to institute conservation measures. In 1991, the cover of Time Friggin' Magazine characterized the Colorado as the most threatened river in the country. The only people who did not know that extended drought on the Colorado was possible were the SNWA and LV Water District. And that's because they did not want to hear it.

At the time, Las Vegas was in the middle of a growth spurt, and no one wanted to spoil the party by admitting the obvious -- that we live in a desert and have been living way beyond our means when it comes to water.

There were people who were saying that extended drought wasn't possible, for sure. And those people worked for Pat Mulroy. Please keep this in mind when the next round of spooky, scary, bogeyman warnings are unleashed by the yarn-meisters over at SNWA."

George Knapp is a Peabody Award-winning investigative reporter for KLAS Channel 8. Reach him at gknapp [at] klastv.com.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2011/08/22/opinion/knappster/iq_46621255.txt


More proof of lies coming from SNWA public relations officials. Who do you think will actually be paying for Gen. Pipeline Patton Mulroy's project? Mr. Whittemore and his Coyote Springs residents? Or the working people of Las Vegas who are already struggling to pay their mortgages??

"LAS VEGAS -- A controversial plan to build a massive groundwater pumping system from rural Nevada to Las Vegas could carry a huge price tag, according to a new report.

Critics of the so-called water grab have alleged for years that the true cost of the plan was many times what water officials have admitted, and now they have documentation to back up their suspicions.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority originally said the rural groundwater project would cost around $1 billion. That estimate then jumped to $2 billion, and then to more than $3 billion, which is where it's remained for several years, even though critics alleged that the true cost would be much higher.

Now there is evidence behind the suspicions, and it comes from SNWA itself. A new study commissioned by the SNWA and compiled by Hobbs, Ong and Associates, a respected consulting firm, estimates the true cost of the water grab will be enormous -- capital costs alone would be $7.2 billion, twice as much as SNWA's most recent estimates.

Moreover, financing the project would cost another $8 billion, meaning the total cost would be $15.4 billion, assuming there are no cost overruns or other hiccups.

The report has been submitted to the state engineer's office, which next month will begin hearings on whether to approve the removal of billions of gallons of groundwater from already parched rural basins. Environmentalists and the Bureau of Land Management say the plan could decimate a huge swath of rural Nevada.

Will southern Nevadans support a $15 billion spending plan, the largest public works project in Nevada history? it depends on what will happen to their water bills. The same study reaches shocking conclusions about what would happen to the average water bill for homes and businesses."

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/15305389/i-team-rural-water-pipeline-could-cost-billions-more-than-originally-thought





For ongoing SNWA pipeline updates;
http://www.greatbasinwater.net/