Utah, Nevada negotiators close to a draft agreement on dividing Snake Valley water

Utah and Nevada negotiators looking to divide the water from the Snake Valley aquifer straddling both states are about six weeks out from penning a draft agreement on how that division would occur and what environmental protections would be in place.

Word of such an agreement sent up an alarm, however, by opponents of tapping the groundwater for thirsty Las Vegas residents because they fear the agreement is premature, will not get a public airing and could possibly back Utah into a corner.

"We just don't see the urgency in this," said Steve Erickson, an organizer with the Great Basin Resource Network. "Negotiation fatigue is not a good reason to enter into an agreement."

That group and others, such as the Sierra Club, initiated a communication campaign with Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert's office this week, directing e-mails and phone calls to his staff to voice opposition on the pending agreement they feared would be final.

Not so, says Mike Styler, head of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and one of the primary negotiators on Utah's behalf.

"We know the public needs to be able to make comments on this and we are taking great pains to air it," once a final draft is ready to be presented, he said.

Styler said the draft will be aired with Utah's legislative leadership and with county commissioners who have a stake in the process. Also, a series of public meetings are planned with locals in Baker, Nev.; Delta; and possibly Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

Erickson, when told of those plans, said it's "very encouraging" and he's pleased there will be a public vetting. Still, he added, opponents are concerned about the "rush" to put the agreement in motion. Because of that, he said they will continue their communication campaign with Herbert, who is slated to take Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s place when Huntsman's ambassadorship to China becomes a reality.

At issue is a plan by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to tap up to 50,000 acre-feet of water from the Snake Valley aquifer that straddles the Utah/Nevada border. That water would be delivered in a 300-mile pipeline to Las Vegas to augment water supplies in that arid state. While much of Snake Valley is in Utah, the water originates in the mountains of Nevada, giving rise to the water authority's claims that the groundwater is a shared resource.

Opponents fear tapping the groundwater will compromise native plant life, leave a dust bowl in its wake and create air pollution concerns along the Wasatch Front, where air quality officials are already challenged to keep pollutants in check.