New species in Nevada park stoke water deal fears

BAKER, Nev. (AP) — The discovery of new cave species at Great Basin National Park could provide opponents of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's plans to pump billions of gallons of water a year from the Snake Valley aquifer with one more argument against a project already painted by its critics as a threat to rural residents, native plants and air quality in Nevada and Utah.

The authority is seeking state permission to pump as much as 16 billion gallons of water a year from the vast and sparsely populated watershed on the Nevada-Utah border.

The two states are nearing an agreement on how to divide water from the aquifer, with each state slated to get half.

Great Basin Superintendent Andy Ferguson is warning that taking water out of the Snake Valley could harm the park.