Calvada fountain sparks contention
Lately there haven’t been many instances in which the public has been in opposition to a stance taken by the Nye County Water District Governing Board. But when the subject of replacing the Calvada fountain with a more appropriate feature was broached, it stirred a furor of community contention.
Some, however, feel that members of the public misunderstood the purpose behind the proposal that was originally made by Nye County District Attorney Brian Kunzi.
Rather than having to do with water consumption itself, the point of the water board’s unanimous backing for a replacement of the fountain was actually focused on the message that a large water feature conveys.
While the Pahrump Valley’s Basin No. 162 may not be in a “critical” situation at the moment, its water resources are limited. The fountain located prominently along Highway 160 gives the impression that there is abundant water availability and this is something that the water district cannot support.
Following the approval of a letter to that extent, the water board was lambasted by residents angered at the idea of replacing something that has been a part of the community for decades. Speaking out at Nye County Commission meetings, locals vented their frustrations, many asserting that they have a sentimental attachment to it and don’t believe it really consumes a lot of water.
“There are people here who are grown adults now that have memories of that fountain from when they were children,” area resident Ski Censke declared at the commission’s Oct. 1 meeting. He added that he’s sure the fountain’s evaporation rate doesn’t amount to that much and then underscored his point, stating, “If you look at Paiute language, Pahrump (means) water rock.”
Not all residents are vexed by the idea of replacing the fountain, though, with regular water board meeting attendee Susie Hertz defending the idea at the board’s latest meeting, held Tuesday, Oct. 8.
“I think what got missed here… is the meaning behind the message, the purpose for the message that you described here,” Hertz told water board members this week. “Which is, once upon a time we were a community boasting our water so that people would come here and life has changed. We’re not now a community that can boast lots of water. We are a community that must preserve every ounce of water we can get our hands on.
“I appreciate that’s what you do here, that’s what this board does,” Hertz concluded. “Everybody’s complaints about whether the water is recycled or not recycled, that’s not the issue. The issue is that we need to preserve water and we need to get that message out there.”
Nye County Water District General Manager Dann Weeks was obviously exasperated with the response from some of the more vocal members of the community, too.
“The stones that make the fountain are not native to Pahrump, the water is wasteful and I believe it sends the wrong message. Not to disparage the staff, because they have done everything they can to keep that dinosaur running,” Weeks remarked.
“I’ll tell you why that thing is a piece of junk,” he continued. “It looks terrible. It’s not historical. I know it’s been bandied around that this is some kind of historic site or something. Nothing historic ever happened at that fountain… It was an advertisement to try to sell houses in the desert and convince people that we have more water than we do. I appreciate people’s feelings but I will gladly stand by and tell anybody who will listen to me, the reasons why that fountain should be replaced.”
In contrast to the water board’s uniform support for the concept of replacing the fountain, several county commissioners have spoken out against the proposal. Therefore, it does not appear likely that the current make-up of the commission will be willing to address the issue.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
