FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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OPPOSITION TO INTER-BASIN TRANSFER OF WATER FROM WHITE PINE COUNTY TO SOUTHERN NEVADA

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has proposed transferring large amounts of ground water from Spring and Snake valleys in White Pine county to southern Nevada via pipelines to provide water for the growing population of Las Vegas and associated communities.  Applications for this ground water have been filed with the State Engineer, but none of these applications have been approved.

The White Pine county commission is unanimously against transferring ground water to southern Nevada.  Great concern has been expressed by the conservation community, ranchers, hunters, fishers, and local businesses about the long-term adverse effects of this transfer on the streams and springs of this area, with a corresponding effect on wildlife and possibly on Great Basin National Park.  Scoping is now being conducted by the Bureau of Land Management for the EIS on construction of possible pipelines to carry this water.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs strongly opposes the transfer of ground water from White Pine county to southern Nevada and asks that the Nevada State Engineer reject applications for this water from the Southern Nevada Water Authority and that the BLM select the "no action" alternative in the EIS for the proposed pipelines.

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