Proposed orders would limit Dayton, Stagecoach water use

The ability to see into the future is an essential skill for land-use planners, psychics and Nevada water experts.

When officials at the state Division of Water Resources look into the future, they see the possibility of more water being drawn from the Dayton Valley than is recharged into it.

"Right now, we currently have more water committed in terms of water- rights permits and certificates than is estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey for the perennial yield for the area," said Tim Wilson, hearing officer for the State Engineer's Office. "If you look at actual pumpage of water, we have not exceeded the perennial yield, but there is the potential to do that."

With that in mind, the state engineer is considering two new orders: One to limit new water appropriations in the Dayton Hydrographic Basin to 1,800 gallons per day, or to deny new appropriations entirely in the Stagecoach sub-basin.

Before those orders become final, residents and stakeholders will be able to voice their opinions at a public hearing set for 7 p.m. May 4 at the Dayton Utilities Building, said Tim Wilson, hearing officer for the State Engineer's Office.

"We'll make a presentation explaining what we're doing and why," he said. "Well also hear testimony and evidence or just public input. Then I'll take that to the state engineer."

The order will limit the transfer of any irrigation water to non-agricultural use to consumptive duty, which Wilson defined as the amount of irrigated water consumed by agricultural products, as opposed to the amount that is recharged back into the ground.

"When you apply irrigation water to a crop, there is always some that returns to the ground, and the consumptive duty is the amount that is consumed by the plant," he explained.

"For irrigation, rights are typically issued for 4 acre-feet, and the consumptive use of that is 21Ú2 acre-feet," he said.

He added that when 4 acre-feet of water is transferred from agricultural use to non-agricultural use, the amount decreases to 21Ú2 acre-feet, since some of the water for non-agricultural uses is not recharged back into the ground.

"There's an imbalance in those basins," Wilson said. "That's the reason we're putting forward this particular order."

Wilson said the basin has been managed this way for a long time, and the orders merely make it official.

"It's not really a change in the way we've been managing the basin," he said. "There are some cases where we have already cut back to consumptive use on irrigation rights, and those cases are currently in litigation."

Wilson said the orders will not apply to domestic wells and will not affect customers of Lyon County Utilities.

"It will affect anybody that wants to appropriate water," he said. "If you want to appropriate new water for a project, we're proposing no new appropriations for Stagecoach and limited to 1,800 gallons for the rest of the basin. So if you have a large project, you're going to look at utilizing existing water."

Wilson said it was important to go forward with the curtailments because of the imbalance between what is committed and what the estimated yield of the basin would be.

-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 351.

If you go

WHAT: Nevada Division of Water hearing

WHEN: 7 p.m. May 4

WHERE: 34 Lakes Blvd.,

Dayton

CALL: (775) 684-2800