Groundwater management plan tabled until January

The highly-contested Basin 162 Groundwater Management Plan that aims to regulate new well owners across Pahrump Valley will wait at least another month until officials take a vote.

Nye County commissioners tabled the sixth draft of the plan until Jan.19 during the Tuesday meeting that drew many upset Pahrump residents who once again aired their concerns on the matter.

The plan has been in the works for 21 months and drawn ire from many Pahrump residents concerned about their water rights. It was forwarded to Nye County commissioners by members of the Nye County Water District Governing Board in October.

Tension rose during the discussion Tuesday after some members of the audience called on County Commission Chairperson Lorinda Wichman to abstain on the item because her husband Oz Wichman works as a contractor for the Nye County Water District Governing Board.

"My husband has a contract with the Nye County water district, that has nothing to do with the Board of County Commissioners," she said.

Following the argument, Nye County Sheriff's officer showed up at the meeting making their way across the commissioners' chambers. Wichman abstained from the vote.

Commissioner Donna Cox said she didn't see any sense in making a decision on the plan, but commissioner Dan Schinhofen said a postponement was "kicking it down the road."

"There are decisions we can make now," he said. "If we decide anything today, or if we wait till January and we decide it, whatever we decide in that plan is going to go back to the water board, to decide what parts of it they are going to implement and pay for and then, when they are done with that, they are going to send it back up to us to see if there's parts that we are going to implement or pay for and then, if there's ordinances out of this, then that will be set for 30 days. There's a whole lot more talking to be done on this plan before anything is in concrete."

The revised version of the plan presented at the October meeting included recommendations for water education and importation, a limit on new domestic well usage to 0.5 an acre foot, construction of rapid infiltration basins and a water conservation plan that included restraints on water uses for agriculture, utility customers, government and school facilities.

Commissioner Butch Borasky, who previously said it was too early to make a decision on the plan, wasn't present at the commissioners' meeting.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77