$10M may flow Nye water district’s way — what’s at stake
Congress is currently considering the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 and if this bipartisan bill ends up becoming law, which appears likely, the Nye County Water District will be the beneficiary of a $10 million windfall.
As Nye County Water District General Manager Dann Weeks noted, such a large amount of funding would go a long way in the board’s efforts to protect, preserve and provide water resources in the county.
“I’m very proud to bring this before you and the public,” Weeks announced during the Nye County Water District Governing Board’s Tuesday, Aug. 13 meeting. “We are yet to know exactly how this money will be utilized. However, I wanted you to know about it, I wanted to make it public because it has been bandied about in the community. There has been some misinformation spread about this $10 million and I wanted to — no pun intended — put water on that fire.”
Weeks emphasized that the potential $10 million in federal dollars would belong exclusively to the water district and would not be shared with other entities.
“I went to the extent to make sure that Nye County administration and the county manager were 100% crystal clear that this $10 million is for the Nye County Water District and that it would not be co-mingled in any other kind of projects with Nye County. This $10 million will not be hijacked or diverted into some other program,” Weeks asserted. “This money will not be used for any project in Nye County that is not determined by this body. Period, end of story.”
As to how the funding possibility came about, Weeks explained that it was Nye County Commissioner Frank Carbone who brought the congressional spending bill to Weeks’ attention. Immediately recognizing the value of the opportunity, Weeks put together an application for the water district and submitted it to Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto’s office, where the request was then incorporated into the bill.
“The bill has been introduced, it’s passed the Senate and it’s on its way to the House. Once it passes the House, it will go to the president for signature,” Weeks said, adding, “And all indicators are… we should count on this coming through.”
And while the funding is sure to come with a plethora of regulations and rules that must be followed, Weeks said the district was prepared to take on that challenge, “Because $10 million is the kind of money that we’ve been needing in this board, to get something done.”
S.4367, was sponsored by Delaware Sen. Thomas Carper with the intention of providing for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the U.S. and providing for the conservation and development of water and related resources. Under the bill, the section addressing the water district’s funding request reads, “Nye County, Nevada - $10 million for environmental infrastructure, including water and wastewater infrastructure (including water well-field and pipeline in the Pahrump Valley).”
“The parameters on how we can spend this money are not yet determined but this is the broad strokes of how we will spend that money,” Weeks noted.
Eileen Christensen, founder and president of BEC Environmental, which has been working closely with the water district on securing outside revenue sources, added her thoughts on the congressional spending bill as well as Weeks’ performance overall.
“I think Mr. Weeks has done a tremendous job, well beyond this,” she remarked as the discussion drew to a close. “He is a one-man army, it’s amazing how much he has been able to accomplish. The potential for this funding is tremendous.”
To track the status of the bill, visit Congress.gov and search for S.4367 - 118th Congress (2023-2024).
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
Goedhart takes over as water board chair
Helene Williams has successfully chaired the Nye County Water District Governing Board for the past two years, playing a major part in bringing momentum to the board after it was dismantled in late 2021 and then revived in 2022. But with the board's bylaws limiting the time members can spend in that position, Williams has now officially passed the gavel.
Unanimously elected by his fellow board members as the new chair was Ed Goedhart, with Williams voted in as vice chair during the board's August 13 meeting.
Water board member Michael Lach made the nomination for both, starting off with Goedhart.
"Based on his institutional knowledge of 30-plus years, he understands water as well as anyone I speak to," Lach said. "I think him serving as our chair, with the understanding of running meetings, will just continue to push us in the direction that we want to go. And I thank our chair for the fantastic job she has done and her devotion to it."
