EIS study has too many gaps

Your Aug. 5 story "Water war brewing in W. Utah" about the Las Vegas water exportation proposal was good. I find it interesting, however, that Pat Mulroy boils it down to emotion on the Snake Valley side and science on their side while saying there is a lot to learn. I do not understand why the BLM accepted SNWA's proposal for EIS study with so many gaps and so much to learn. The data Mulroy says will be coming should have arrived long before the proposal was ever made.

Mulroy's assertion that 80 percent of Snake Valley water is unused is misleading. Most of that "unused" water is evapotranspiration — plants giving off water to the atmosphere. Their solution is to use half of it in Las Vegas, which means killing the Snake Valley plants. Goodbye, greasewood and other ground cover. Hello, dust storms.

Snake Valley residents are not emotional hicks. We have believed from the start that the more good, solid science that goes into the decision the better off we are. A study should be done to determine the effects of pumping before any decisions are made. It should have been done before SNWA's proposal was even considered.

Ken Hill

Wendover