In 2014, Nevada faced a water crisis as farmers in Western Nevada had wells running dry and farmers in Northern Nevada faced drastic cuts as groundwater levels rapidly declined. Overallocation of water rights by the state engineer and excessive pumping by users were identified as major contributing factors to the crisis. Lawmakers introduced bills in 2023 to buy back and retire water rights in over-appropriated basins to address the issue and restore depleted groundwater levels. A pilot program was launched using federal funds, retiring over 22,500 acre-feet of groundwater. The bills, SB36 and AB104, propose a framework for retiring water rights to bring overpumped basins back into balance and prevent conflicts. Stakeholders emphasize the importance of addressing overpumping to ensure water sustainability for future generations. However, they acknowledge that conservation alone may not be enough and that individual basins may require specific solutions. Despite the challenges, efforts are being made to develop a comprehensive program to manage Nevada’s water resources effectively.
Source
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
