Utah groundwater project draws ire from Nevada officials and tribal leaders

Utah had one of the driest and warmest years on record in 2021. Now one Utah county plans to pipe water from aquifers underlying the Utah-Nevada border to compensate for drying local aquifers, a move that concerns some tribes and water officials in Nevada counties.

The proposed Pine Valley Water Supply Project would pipe water to Ceder City in Iron County, Utah from aquifers east of Nevada’s border. The 70-mile pipeline project is now under federal environmental review. The public comment period for the project started Friday.

Gary Perea, a member of the White Pine County Water Advisory Committee, said the project will impact the entire Great Basin region, including his county in Nevada.

“This project will have a dangerous ripple effect in Nevada. Our analysis shows that groundwater flow between Pine Valley and basins in Nevada will be irreparably harmed, resulting in groundwater mining,” said Perea, a former White Pine county commissioner and a small business owner in Snake Valley. “The project will facilitate groundwater mining and, therefore, must be stopped.”

Read more: https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/01/13/utah-groundwater-project-draws-ire-from-nevada-officials-and-tribal-leaders/