Utah Ranchers Fight To Block Nevada Water Pumping

Officials in Nevada have made plans to pump water in from a remote and untouched location near the state's border with Utah. Ranchers and environmentalists in Utah are not too happy about it.

1 minute read

November 1, 2006, 7:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"The Deep Creeks are 12,000-foot-high collectors of water, and home to seven creeks that flow year round, giving the mountains their name. Isolated since the Pony Express stopped passing through in the 1860s, the Snake Valley is thought by some to be one of few places left to search for the liquid gold needed to satisfy the thirst of the West's growing population. It's also here that Las Vegas is digging for water."

"Las Vegas' water officials have targeted the Snake Valley to produce up to 50,000 acre-feet of water per year, pumping water into Nevada that would otherwise flow into Utah's Great Basin. Not all of those 50,000 acre-feet would have flowed into Utah. Nevertheless, those who populate one of the sparsest corners of Utah warn that such a massive transfer of water will cause irreparable environmental damage."

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 in Salt Lake City Weekly

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