LETTER: Taxpayers need to keep an eye on water officials

In case you missed it, Lake Mead will drop to historic lows in the near future. We also have learned that two water officials have been sentenced to prison for corruption over water rights.

The dead horse I have been beating for years is showing signs of life.

Officials with the Southern Nevada Water Authority want to drain off the groundwater in eastern Nevada and western Utah. Then they want to send it to the Las Vegas Valley. This is criminal. This plan does nothing to help the Colorado River and all of its users. It destroys the farmers and ranchers who depend on that groundwater. Of course, it does benefit the fat cats who have bought up the water rights and the right of way for the pipeline and pumps.

Meanwhile, the Columbia River dumps millions of gallons of fresh water into the Pacific Ocean every year. It would be far less expensive to divert some of the overflow from the Columbia River system into the Colorado River system. The cost estimates for the destruction of Eastern Nevada and Western Utah are $15 billion. Obviously, diverting a small portion of the annual runoff from the Columbia would be a permanent solution as compared with the temporary plan put forth by the water authority.

It should be a priority to find out who is going to benefit from the SNWA’s plans.

This stuff needs to stop. It is no wonder that the rest of the nation thinks Nevada is a place where corruption and poor decisions seem to be the norm. We are about to see the Yucca Mountain project stolen by New Mexico or Texas and we can’t even negotiate a permanent water solution for the state. Giddy up.