Utah critics blast gag order on Nevada water talks

Conservationists critical of a plan to pipe water to Las Vegas from a shared aquifer on the Nevada-Utah line are urging release of all public records related to the secret negotiations between regulators in the two states.

The Millard County Commission also is sharpening its criticism of the plan, saying it gives away too much Utah water and isn't nearly as equitable as the Utah Department of Natural Resources contends.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to eventually start delivering rural groundwater from the Snake Valley to the Las Vegas area through a pipeline that could stretch more than 300 miles and cost up to $3.5 billion.

An agreement reached Thursday dictates that construction of the pipeline can't begin until at least 2019 so the environmental impacts of the project can be fully studied.

The Great Basin Water Network filed a request the next day, seeking all records associated with the negotiation and drafting of the agreement.

Network spokesman Steve Erickson said the group wants to know what went on behind the scenes with the negotiations during the past four years.

"The secrecy gag imposed on Utah's negotiators by the Southern Nevada Water Authority should never have been agreed to," Erickson said. "It's cut out not only those of us who are concerned about the future of Snake Valley, it's cut out legislators and county commissioners."

The pipeline could supply enough water for almost 270,000 homes and is intended to diversify Las Vegas' water supply. The area currently gets about 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River, according to state regulators.

At the direction of Congress, the two states have been working toward a water sharing agreement since 2004. Public hearings on the proposal are scheduled to begin Monday.

Environmentalists have voiced concerns the project could dry up the valley around Great Basin National Park and potentially send dust storms toward Utah's Wasatch Front.

But Allen Biaggi, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources director, said air quality would be monitored and would be a key factor when deciding how much water could be taken from the aquifer.

Biaggi and Utah Department of Natural Resources executive director Mike Styler said the draft agreement would divide equally between the two states the water in the west desert valley that hasn't already been allocated.