The Nye County Water District adopted a non-binding resolution on March 23 requiring new commercial or industrial businesses located within the boundaries of the Pahrump Basin to file a water mitigation and conservation plan prior to development.
The resolution, which acts as guiding policy in place of a forthcoming ordinance, requires the relinquishment of two-acre feet of water, for every one-acre foot used or a similarly ratioed conservation plan.
Nye County has been recently challenged by state Water Engineer Jason King to address future water shortfall projections spurred by drought conditions and over-appropriated water rights to implement water savings measures in the basin.
In the past year, the county has formed a groundwater management advisory committee, self-tasked with formulating a water management plan, to avert an active management area designation by the state water authority.
Large amounts of undeveloped land, with the potential for water use in excess of perennial yield, exist throughout the community. The resolution addresses the state water engineer’s concerns, in part, by conserving water while removing water rights from available perennial yield calculations.
The resolution must also be adopted by the Nye County Commission.