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For Immediate Release
• Defenders of Wildlife • Great Basin Water Network
New Report Outlines Regional Water Threats, Offers Solutions
SALT LAKE CITY - A planned pipeline that would pump groundwater hundreds of miles to help slake Las Vegas' ever-growing thirst would also devastate rural communities, public lands and wildlife throughout the region, according to a report released Thursday by Defenders of Wildlife and the Great Basin Water Network.
The report highlights the potential environmental and economic impacts of the Las Vegas pipeline on the Great Basin region and offers alternatives and solutions aimed at meeting the needs of Las Vegas while protecting ranchers and farmers, tribal lands, wildlife refuges, native plants and animals, and the ecotourism industry.
"The Great Basin is a delicate and vital landscape full of desert plants and animals that have adapted to the naturally low water levels of the region," said Noah Matson, vice president of Land Conservation for Defenders of Wildlife. "Groundwater feeds the springs and plant roots that are the source of life in this sensitive landscape. Piping away what little ground water the area has would throw off this fragile balance, endangering native wildlife and destroying the national wildlife refuges created to protect these desert species. Before this massive groundwater development project is even considered, everything should be done to conserve water and use water more efficiently in southern Nevada."
The pipeline, proposed by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), would stretch approximately 327 miles from Clark County to northeastern Nevada, and would likely cost between $2 and 5 billion. The pipeline would harm vital habitat for more than 20 federally endangered and threatened species, including the Moapa dace and the desert tortoise. Water would be taken from underground aquifers that supply Ash Meadows, Moapa Valley, Desert, Pahranagat and Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuges as well as Great Basin National Park. Local residents and ranchers would also suffer as their lands are depleted of water. Members of the Goshute tribe would be harmed by SNWA's diversion of groundwater because the springs on tribal lands fed by these aquifers are their sole source of drinking water.
The report was released in conjunction with a Western Governors Association conference held in Salt Lake City on water issues facing the West which runs October 10 through 12. As the governors discuss water policies and planning in the West, Defenders of Wildlife is offering a valuable resource on how to address a looming - but preventable - threat.
"Las Vegas does need water, but there are so many other ways to get it that don't involve jeopardizing important areas and communities in the Great Basin," said Susan Lynn, a coordinator for the Great Basin Water Network. "This report highlights many conservation-based solutions that would provide the needed water without spending billions of dollars building a huge pipeline halfway across Nevada."
To download or view the report, please visit: www.defenders.org/nv_water
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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.
Great Basin Water Network is committed to careful assessment of water projects and their environmental, social and economic consequences. It’s mission is to protect locally sustainable water uses, natural resources and the public interest through coordination, communication, education, research, science, litigation and advocacy for water in the extended Great Basin.
