West desert bait-and-switch

Come again? Las Vegas is pitching for more than 50,000 acre-feet of water from Snake Valley? In the recent past, the debate had been framed in terms of drawing 25,000 acre-feet of water from the Snake Valley aquifer. Opponents fear drawing even that much water from the aquifer, which straddles Utah and Nevada, would damage ranching operations and natural areas.

But it appears that Las Vegas is eyeing twice as much water. According to published reports, the Las Vegas water authority filed a water rights application about 20 years ago seeking 50,679 acre-feet from Snake Valley. Opponents, who have based their comments on the 25,000-acre-foot figure, are crying foul. They want a new water study, claiming an existing federal report on how much water is available may be in error.

Experts disagree about the effects of a 25,000-acre-foot withdrawal. A U.S. Geological Survey study released earlier this year suggests Utah has plenty of water to meet such a request. But opponents say Utah Geological Survey estimates suggest drawing out even 25,000 acre-feet of water could drop the water table in Millard County by 100 feet.

Interestingly, the federal study shows how interconnected water supplies are in the arid West. That being the case, Las Vegas' future growth should not come at the expense of Utah's ranching industry or its natural areas.

Utah's congressional delegation, the Utah Legislature and the administrative branch need to start viewing this issue the same way they have the fight to keep nuclear waste off the Skull Valley Goshute reservation in Tooele County. Water is the lifeblood of these ranches, some of which have been in homesteaders' families for several generations. It's time to circle the wagons.

This is not just a matter of saving a way of life; the springs are a critical component of the area's ecology, in particular the greasewood trees. These trees have deep roots that that tap into the underground aquifers. Without sufficient water, these trees would die, rendering the area vulnerable to dust storms that would threaten wildlife and conceivably disrupt use of the Utah Test and Training Range.

There is no question that Nevada, among the fastest growing states in the nation, faces enormous challenges as it grows. But its thirst for Snake Valley water poses risks to the future of ranching in Utah's west desert, if not the collapse of a delicate desert ecosystem. It needs to be fought on all fronts.