CARSON CITY — The Nevada State Engineer today issued Order #1309 formalizing the Lower White River Flow System, located in both Clark and Lincoln counties.
According to the Nevada Division of Water Resources (NDWR), the LWRFS basin has experienced significant growth in recent decades, in addition to numerous new proposals for expanded residential and commercial development, placing a significant strain on the area’s limited water resources. Order #1309 will serve as the basis for preventing future depletion of the basin’s water supply by respecting existing senior water rights and preserving critical habitat for the endangered Moapa Dace fish species.
The Nevada Legislature in 2017 directed NDWR to recognize hydrological connections and to manage the related water sources conjunctively. Order #1309 does just that, formally combining six hydrographic basins and a portion of a seventh into a single basin, while also identifying a maximum limit on groundwater pumpage and leveraging the most up-to-date scientific data to best inform future water supply management decisions within the basin.
Based on findings from a multi-year effort by NDWR to engage various stakeholders in the LWRFS, Order #1309 establishes that groundwater pumping in the basin must be limited to no more than 8,000 acre-feet per year.
The issuance of Order #1309 is just one of NDWR’s statewide efforts to modernize groundwater management and recognize that given Nevada’s limited water resources it is imperative to always “know before you grow.”
Learn more at water.nv.gov, and by connecting with @NevDCNR on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #KnowBeforeYouGrow.
