Business owners must acquire water rights in Lyon

Carson City businessman Clete Wandler wants to add 51 recreational vehicle spaces behind the Depot Casino in Dayton.

He started the permit process in Lyon County about 14 months ago and all went smoothly until it came to supplying his new addition with water.

According to county officials, Wandler must secure water rights for the business before he can hook up to the system.

"Lyon County is supposed to grow 80 percent and I can't get water for my business," he said. "This RV park is something Dayton needs, a place to stay overnight. If the county doesn't have the water, we're in deep trouble."

Misty Plett, utility administrative assistant for Lyon County, said developers have been required to provide their own water rights for years. Once acquired, these rights allow the county to pump more water from the county's existing wells.

Developers purchase water rights from entities such as ranches, and the issue is not hindering development in Lyon County, she said

"Businesses find those rights and turn them over to us," she said. "It's not a problem."

Water rights can be purchased through a list provided by Nevada's Water Resources Division, but Wandler said his search has been fruitless so far.

Mike Workman, utilities manager for Lyon County, said Lyon County owns some extra water rights, but he would like to see those reserved for public projects, such as parks.

A similar situation exists in Washoe County but not in Carson City, where the water rights needed to supply a population of between 70,000 and 75,000 people are secured, said Tom Hoffert, the city's Public Works Operations Manager.

"Carson City officials took a proactive stance several years ago. They purchased water rights so we could basically build and control the water supply as needed to keep up with growth and demand," he said.

The county is looking toward acquisition of additional rights to accommodate any demands in the future, Hoffert said.

"We have our eyes and ears open all the time," he said. "We're working on one or two right now."

Jason King, deputy state engineer with the Nevada Water Resources Division, said only smaller permits for single-family residences are currently issued in the Dayton Valley Basin.

"Developers in this area are familiar with the rules," he said. "But for the new developer coming in it's a real issue, especially if they come from California where they don't have this groundwater requirement."

Contact Susie Vasquez at svasquez@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.