Print View From: "Kathy Hill" To: Date: Tuesday - August 25, 2009 4:23 PM Subject: comments Comments about the Draft agreement on management of Snake Valley groundwater system 1st salvo: General comments: The agreement has two parts. One is the division and allocation of water. The other part is the monitoring and mitigation plan. The first part of the agreement concerning the division and allocation of water is weak in terms of science and equity between the states. A good agreement should reflect the best knowledge we have of the water basin, take into account the history of the basin, and be a fair division between parties. The first part of this agreement does none of the above. It clearly favors Nevada and SNWA in every respect. The second part of the agreement is stronger, but is not strong enough to counter and correct the weaknesses in the first part. While I appreciate the extension of the comment period, it is still not long enough. 1st) Mike Styler should be available to hear people's comments and to answer questions as part of the process. Going on holiday during the month of September has essentially removed him from the process and dialogue is important in making the best agreement possible. 2nd) The residents of the Snake Valley want to understand the agreement and the intent of the negotiating team before making a decision about it. We currently are trying to schedule weekly interactive video-conferencing meetings between Snake Valley residents and the DNR, but it will take time to thoroughly study the agreement. 3rd) Snake Valley is primarily an agricultural community and fall (September) is one of the busiest times for ranchers and farmers, so time is limited to spend on studying the agreement. From the discussion at West Desert School on Aug. 24 8.2 "Should any claim or controversy arise between the States; . (d) regarding the delivery of waters herein provided; . (emphasis mine) what does "delivery of waters" entail? We need to make certain that Utah is not required to provide the water declared available to Nevada in strongest terms possible. 6.0-6.8 Snake Valley residents are in an adversarial position with SNWA over the water grab. Dealing directly with SNWA agents about impacts places Snake Valley residents in an awkward and uncomfortable position. The Utah State Engineer could make this a more comfortable transaction by appointing a person to act as a mediator between residents and SNWA.