Amended bill offers protection for domestic well owners in Nevada
CARSON CITY — A Nevada Senate committee amended and passed a bill Thursday intended to provide protections for domestic well owners should the state engineer order water curtailments.
Senate Bill 271 specifies that domestic well owners would be allowed water for indoor use and to water pets and livestock should cuts to water use be required under Nevada’s priority rule.
Under existing law, domestic wells do not have permitted water rights, but are allowed to pump 2 acre-feet of water annually. Well owners are considered the last in line when it comes to entitlement, which means the state engineer could shut down domestic wells to protect senior water rights holders if there is not enough water to go around.
An amendment offered by Sen. Yvanna Cancela, D-Las Vegas, and approved by the Senate Natural Resources Committee imposes an additional requirement that wells in those circumstances be limited to one-half acre-foot and be equipped with a meter to monitor usage.
“I hope the domestic well owners realize this is for their protection,” said Sen. Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka.
The bill now goes to the Senate floor.
Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter.