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Nevada high court ruling upholds state authority to make key groundwater decisions

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Nevada high court ruling upholds state authority to make key groundwater decisions


LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s top water official has authority to decide how underground supplies are allocated, the state Supreme Court said this week, in a ruling that could kill a long-stalled proposal to build a sprawling master-planned city north of Las Vegas and boost chances of survival for an endangered species of fish native only to natural springs in the area.

The unanimous ruling Thursday by the state high court followed oral arguments in August about whether the state engineer could protect the Muddy River drainage basin and habitat of the endangered Moapa dace by considering several aquifers beneath a vast area including parts of Clark and Lincoln counties as a single underground basin.

“We hold that the State Engineer has authority to conjunctively manage surface waters and groundwater and to jointly administer multiple basins,” the ruling said.

The legal language established a precedent seen as crucial to regulating pumping rights and water use in the nation’s driest state amid climate change and ongoing drought in the U.S. Southwest.

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The state had appealed the case to the seven-member court after a judge in Las Vegas sided with developers planning an immense master-planned community called Coyote Springs. The lower court judge rejected a decision by then-State Engineer Tim Wilson to combine six water basins and part of another into just one, all subject to the same regulations.

Wilson cited groundwater tests that over two years produced rapid widespread depletion of underground stores in an area supplying the Muddy River in an order in 2020 that limited the amount of water that could be drawn from the aquifer.

The Muddy River basin feeds the Virgin River and an arm of Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir behind Hoover Dam, which serves as a crucial source of water and hydropower for a seven-state region including 40 million residents and vast agricultural lands.

The basin also feeds warm springs that are the only home to the Moapa dace, a finger-length fish that environmentalists including the Center for Biological Diversity have been fighting for decades to protect.

“The state engineer made the right call in ordering that groundwater and surface water be managed together for the benefit of the public interest, including wildlife,” Patrick Donnelly, regional director for the organization, said in a statement hailing the state Supreme Court decision. “The Moapa dace is protected by the Endangered Species Act, and that means the state can’t take actions that would drive the species toward extinction.”

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Meanwhile, water supply questions have stalled Coyote Springs developers’ plans to build from scratch what would become one of Nevada’s largest cities — once envisioned at more than 150,000 homes and businesses covering an area almost three times the size of Manhattan.

Coyote Springs’ original investors included Harvey Whittemore, a renowned Nevada lobbyist and developer who later was imprisoned 21 months for funneling illegal campaign contributions to then-Sen. Harry Reid. The Democratic party leader said he was unaware of the scheme and was not accused of wrongdoing. He died in 2021.

The site about 60 miles (96 kilometers) from Las Vegas today has a monument marking an entrance and a golf course that opened in 2008, but no homes.

The Supreme Court ruling did not end the legal fight. It sent the case it back to Clark County District Court to decide whether the state engineer gave proper notice before deciding what the justices termed “the absence of a conflict to Muddy River rights.”

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Nevada

Nye County Sheriff urges caution after deadly month on rural Nevada roads

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Nye County Sheriff urges caution after deadly month on rural Nevada roads


A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.

“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.

The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.

Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.

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The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.

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Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.

McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.

“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.

McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.

“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.

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John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.

“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.

Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.

“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”

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McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.

“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.

Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.

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Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for $46 Million

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Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for  Million


A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market. 

The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.

Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com. 

Mansion Global Boutique: Book Lovers Rejoice: 8 Must-Haves To Build Your Perfect Reading Nook

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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show. 

The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show. 

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There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information. 

MORE: Visited by Kings and Larger Than Manhattan, Giant Scottish Estate Asks £67 Million

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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal. 

The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market. 



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Green Valley edges Liberty in Class 5A softball — PHOTOS

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Green Valley edges Liberty in Class 5A softball — PHOTOS