Nevada

Officials brace for ‘uncertainty’ in water transfers to Lake Mead

Published

10 months ago

April 10, 2024

Officials brace for ‘uncertainty’ in water transfers to Lake Mead

Key backup tubes inside the Glen Canyon Dam might be damaged, potentially threatening the delivery of water to Lake Mead in the future if water levels ever dip too low in Lake Powell, according to a Bureau of Reclamation memo.

Below 3,490 feet, water releases from Lake Powell are wholly dependent on “river outlet works,” which water managers now feel are not functional and could threaten the water supply downstream.

Currently, the reservoir sits at 3,558 feet, and the latest two-year projection places water levels above 3,560 feet until at least February 2026.

Looming threats of climate change and evaporative losses also are complicating state negotiations for how to allocate the shrinking Colorado River. Those talks are still at an impasse between the Lower Basin and Upper Basin states. The Bureau of Reclamation oversees river negotiations and operates government dams in the West.

“Given the current uncertainty associated with long-term performance … it is recommended that Reclamation not rely on the river outlet works as the sole means for releasing water from Glen Canyon Dam,” the memo reads.

More than 30 million people in Nevada, California and Arizona depend on flows from Lake Powell to fill Lake Mead, meaning the need to address engineering flaws at the dam is pressing. While water managers investigate the damage, they will temporarily reduce flows out of these four tubes, according to the memo.

Solutions in short supply

At a hearing explaining the Lower Basin states’ proposal for river distribution in early March, former Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman said the agency would work to find engineering solutions to the dam’s problems. Burman now works for the Central Arizona Project, which helps manage water resources across the state.

“They have some unknown issues about how these river outlet works would perform,” Burman said at the meeting. “That’s very difficult, new information to hear.”

Activists like Kyle Roerink, executive director of Great Basin Water Network, have long been concerned about the dam and how it was designed. Many have called for the dam to be decommissioned, though no formal plan has gained traction.

Roerink said he was surprised that the Bureau of Reclamation didn’t address the dam’s engineering issues in environmental impact statements prepared about the management of Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

The flaws in the design are something he expects to complicate river negotiations and the future availability of water to Lower Basin states like Nevada, he said.

“This is just another wake-up call in a litany of wake-up calls that we’ve had in recent years,” Roerink said.

Contact Alan at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.

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Nevada

Trump to talk ‘no taxes on tips’ in Vegas today

Published

2 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Press Room

Trump to talk ‘no taxes on tips’ in Vegas today

President Donald Trump is in Las Vegas today to highlight his “no taxes on tips” campaign promise — a pitch he first made just months ago during a rally in Nevada.

Trump, who arrived in Las Vegas on Friday night after a trip to disaster areas in North Carolina and Los Angeles, will visit Circa in downtown Las Vegas this afternoon to discuss his tax policy as well as the economy. Doors to the event will open 9:30 a.m., with speeches starting around 12:30 p.m.

His plan to ban taxes on tipped income was first announced along the campaign trail in Vegas this summer during one of his many trips to the battleground state and became a major talking point throughout the election. The proposal has been met with support on both sides of the aisle, with Nevada’s federal congressional supporting the proposal and drafting bills of their own.

Nevada’s Sen. Jacky Rosen co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to bar taxes on tips, and Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., co-sponsored similar legislation on the House side. Horsford also pushed legislation that would eliminate the subminimum wage in addition to ending taxes on tips.

Trump’s stop in Vegas comes just months after Nevada voted for Trump, marking the first time the Silver State voted for a Republican president in 20 years.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.

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Nevada

‘We’re all hurting': Nevada GOP Chairman discusses President Trump’s No Tax on Tips policy

Published

10 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Press Room

‘We’re all hurting': Nevada GOP Chairman discusses President Trump’s No Tax on Tips policy

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – President Donald Trump is here in Las Vegas after touring wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles.

While he’s here, he’s expected to talk about a different policy. No tax on tips.

That’s according to Nevada GOP Chairman, Michael McDonald, who spoke to FOX5 after he and Governor Joe Lombardo talked to the president when he landed.

“He cares about the no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security. That was something that we brought to the community, and everybody loved it because we’re all hurting,” McDonald said. “I mean price of gas, price of eggs, food overall. I think you have someone who’s listening to the American people.”

Chairman McDonald thinks that policy is resonating with people in Southern Nevada who make up a large chunk of tipped workers compared to the rest of the country.

“He’s worked for the working men and women. A lot of union members are going to show up tomorrow (Saturday) that voted for him, that came out for him, the working industry for the culinary union. They’re going to show up tomorrow,” McDonald said.

But Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford isn’t so sure.

The politician says he sponsors the no tax on tips legislation, but notes the differences between President Trump’s plan, and his bill.

“My bill provides guardrails that ensures that the benefit goes to the hard-working people who should benefit from this tax relief,” Horsford said. “Not to millionaires or to those who would try to benefit from the legislation otherwise.”

The congressman tells us without guardrails, a wealthy family could give away a bunch of money and call it a tip.

That no tax on tips discussion is set to happen at the Circa Resort and Casino on Saturday, January 25th. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., and President Trump is expected to speak at 12:30 p.m.

Around 2,000 people are expected to be there.

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Nevada

Avian Flu found in northern Nevada dairy cows

Published

18 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Press Room

Avian Flu found in northern Nevada dairy cows

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The Nevada Department of Agriculture says they have detected Avian Flu in dairy cattle in Churchill County.

They say the affected premises have been quarantined and mandatory testing will occur onsite at regular intervals until the herds are confirmed to be virus free. The announcement comes after avian flu was found in Nye County in December of 2024.

“Ensuring the safety of the industry is our utmost priority, and the NDA is working with industry members,” said NDA State Veterinarian Peter Rolfe, DVM. “It is critical that animal health biosecurity practices are enhanced to help prevent the spread of disease and protect animal and worker safety.”

The CDC maintains that the risk to humans remains low. The NDA is now working with state and county health officials, but the NDA says diary and meat products remain safe for consumption.

“As always, we recommend following food safety guidelines, only eating or drinking pasteurized milk and cheeses, and cooking meat to the appropriate minimum internal temperatures,” said Dr. Rolfe.

The virus has been detected in dairy cattle in 16 states nationwide since March 2024.

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