KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasNational Group Weighs in on Nevada Water Pipeline Plan
Tom Downey is the President of the National Groundwater Association. He said, "Yes, I think economic arguments are valid and can be used."
Steven Ragone, the association's scientific director, said, "There's really nothing wrong with saying we are going to take water from distances to provide a resource for an urban community.”It will likely be another month before the state engineer rules on a plan to pump water from rural Nevada to Las Vegas. But some of the nation's foremost experts on water issues are weighing in on the pros and cons of similar water transfers.
Top experts at the "National Groundwater Association" are meeting in Las Vegas this week. They are saying that the science exists to make a good decision but it is up to our community to try to keep politics and emotions out of the process.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority is proposing a plan to pump it and pipe it 250 miles to Las Vegas. The main argument: Las Vegas is the economic engine of the entire state and needs the water the most.
If the plans get the green light, are you be willing to pay for it?
Tom Downey is the President of the National Groundwater Association. He said, "Yes, I think economic arguments are valid and can be used."
Downey is a drilling contractor from Nebraska. He says Nevada needs to do the best it can to focus solely on science but admits that only goes so far. "I think what we all have to realize no matter where we are at in the country what localized problem that you have politics and emotions enter into it," Downey continued.
Here in Nevada the decision on the pipeline plan now rests on the shoulders of state engineer Tracy Taylor who recently wrapped up a series of public hearings. Steven Ragone, the association's scientific director, said, "There's really nothing wrong with saying we are going to take water from distances to provide a resource for an urban community.”
Ragone spent more than 20 years with the U.S. Geological Survey studying water issues. “We know what the issues are, we know what the problems are, we know what the result of over-pumpage is,” Ragone stated. "The question is how do you put that into a strategic management plan and this is where communities have to get involved."
The National Groundwater Association is not taking an official position on the Nevada pipeline plan. The association says weighing the pros and cons is up to each individual state and community. The group says its main goal is to make sure that groundwater is developed and managed responsibly.
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