As Snake Valley celebrates the latest court victory against the Southern Nevada Water Authority, we are not resting on our laurels.
But we are taking time to reflect on what we’ve achieved and what we still have to do. I’ve dreaded the thought of seeing bulldozers, pumps and pipes for SNWA in our community. We’ve fought hard to stop that grim scene from developing. And we must continue to ensure that it never does.
In the beginning, Utah became inextricably tied to the pipeline fight when Las Vegas officials filed for water rights applications across Nevada from its eastern border to its western border in 1989. The aquifer splitting the state line in Snake Valley — along with a federal law that required bistate cooperation and subsequent court rulings — hooked us into this mess.
For so many years we’ve waged a fight where it felt like we were walking through the desert looking for an oasis — but only finding more sand. We were cast as immovable and uncooperative. But we always knew what the judge recently affirmed: The water SNWA wants doesn’t actually exist for the taking.
Gov. Gary Herbert knew the same thing, opting not to sign the bistate compact in 2013.
Every few years, new legal victories gave us the momentum and courage to keep moving forward.
Now, here we are. SNWA is not appealing a devastating court ruling that nullified the agency’s water applications in four rural valleys — one of which (Spring Valley) sends water into the Great Salt Lake. However, we have reason to believe that the heart of the Great Basin is still in Vegas’ long-term sights.
SNWA still owns and operates a multimillion-dollar ranching operation near the Utah border and maintains 60 billion gallons worth of applications to pump water annually in the desert — about a quarter of which are in Snake Valley and threaten communities like Callao, Garrison and Eskdale, and target resources like the Great Salt Lake, Great Basin National Park and Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. An application for a right-of-way with the BLM remains active as well as a stipulated agreement that muzzles federal agencies from speaking up about the destructive nature of the project.
As the years have gone by, more and more scientific analysis shows that pumping Snake Valley would be devastating. Conversely, science has also shown that Las Vegas can get by if it lived within its means, promoted conservation and looked to California for Colorado River collaborations.
SNWA has promised to look at other avenues. But it has not ruled out its rural option. As we move forward, we cannot let our work be snatched from the jaws of victory.
“When it comes to protecting water, we know our victories are only temporary while our opponents’ victories would last forever.” -Annette Garland
As I reflect on the collective, cross-border efforts of Utahns and Nevadans, I am wishing that water warriors and Snake Valley residents like my late husband, Cecil Garland, and our friends Dean Baker and JoAnne Garrett could see what we’ve witnessed in the past few weeks.
I look back on events like the August 2005 Water Express Run — where West Desert High School students organized a pipeline-protest run along the Pony Express Trail that started in Baker and ended at the federal building in Salt Lake City. Then there’s the many “Water Tours” and Snake Valley Festivals to raise awareness about draining our water supply.
Over the years, so many of us have spent countless hours driving to hearings, gathering at community meetings and reading over complex legal documents. The news about SNWA admitting defeat on Spring, Cave, Dry Lake and Delamar Valleys highlights that the time was well spent.
Locally, our uncanny band of farmers, ranchers, tribes, environmentalists, rural officials and business owners made this possible.
We must remain united. We know Vegas will remain thirsty. We know that water in the nation’s driest regions will never be safe. When it comes to protecting water, we know our victories are only temporary while our opponents’ victories would last forever.
Annette Garland is on the board of directors of the Great Basin Water Network and owns the Rafter Lazy C Ranch in Callao, Juab County.