In the absence of other legislation, opponents of the Water Authority's applications would have had to register complaints with the state engineer in 1989 or they would have no formal standing in the upcoming hearing, Taylor said.

The Legislature considered changing the law to allow other protests of the Water Authority applications. The Interim Committee on Water Resources included a proposed amendment on its final agenda two weeks ago, but it died when none of the committee's eight members moved to consider it.

Kenna and other Water Authority opponents asked the authority to join them in petitioning the state engineer to reopen the protest process.

"If (the Water Authority) was truly concerned about the citizens they will impact and the water resources they would take, they would want to join us," said petitioner Donald Duff, a property owner in eastern Nevada and president of the Great Basin chapter of Trout Unlimited, a national conservation group.

The Water Authority, however, is likely to decline.

"Nevada law is very clear. An exception in this case doesn't seem warranted because there are already numerous protestants who will undoubtedly raise every conceivable issue," said J.C. Davis, a Water Authority spokesman.

"Adding protests would do nothing more than delay and extend the hearings, while the content of those protests would likely duplicate existing objections."