Print View



      From: "Jo Anne Garrett" <Joagarrett@wirelessbeehive.com> 
      To: <snakevalley@utah.gov> 
      CC: "Simeon Herskovits" <simeon@communityandenvironment.net>, "Susan Lynn" 
      <sblynn@sbcglobal.net> 
      Date: Wednesday - September 30, 2009 8:06 PM 
      Subject: My Comments on Agreement for Management of the Snake Valley 
      Groundwater System 




         Having reviewed most of the comments from other interested parties, and 
      having been closely involved in the Las Vegas Water Grab since 1989, 
      following are my comments on the "Agreement for Management of the Snake 
      Valley Groundwater System":

         1)  This document appears to be the latest maneuver of SNWA to tie up 
      access, or lay claim to water that sustains a large area of Nevada, and a 
      significant part of Utah.

         2)  The valleys and mountain ranges and farms and streams and sheer 
      beauty, that would be decimated by SNWA's plan to pump and pipe water 300 
      miles south, are priceless components of Nevada and of the United States.  
      That SNWA proposes to extract scarce desert water from the valleys 
      surrounding Great Basin National Park is plainly indicative of SNWA's 
      utter disregard for any value other than monetary profit.

         3)  Indeed, the proposed "Agreement" can only be understood as an 
      awkward effort at securing indefinite access to groundwater which can only 
      increase in value with the passage of time.  This may be a profitable 
      investment strategy, but it's not responsible management of a public 
      resource.

         4)  It is well known that SNWA can  solve its water supply problem by 
      emulating other Southwestern cities who have drastically reduced their 
      per-capita consumption by instituting sharp rate increaases beyond a 
      reasonable base usage.  SNWA has refused to employ this sure-fire 
      conservation tool, 
      having always pledged that conservation would be the last resort, "after 
      first securingSNWA's instate resource."

          5)  Meanwhile, SNWA has made a PR show of paying customers by the 
      square foot to tear up their front lawns--but has avoided the many proven 
      mehods of truly reducing water consumption that are now standard practice 
      in Albuquerque, San Antonio, Tucson, etc., etc. 

           6)  Surely the Great Basin, with its clear skies, its finely-tuned 
      populations of plants, animals and birds, its productive agriculture, and 
      the refuge it offers to tourists, need not be converted to a dustbowl on 
      behalf of an unnecessary, ill-conceived, out-dated water grab from 
      yesteryear.

      Sincerely,

      Jo Anne Garrett
      40-year resident of Snake Valley
      P. O. Box 130
      Baker, Nevada 89311