Amid drought fears, Sandoval issues executive order on water usage

By Kyle Roerink

Published Wednesday, April 8, 2015 | 10:18 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, April 8, 2015 | 4:45 p.m.

Standing on what used to be the bottom of Washoe Lake, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed an executive order that will assemble a panel of experts to investigate how Nevada can reduce its consumption of water.

Sandoval's announcement follows news of record low snow pack in the West and California Gov. Jerry Brown's executive order issued last week mandating a 25 percent reduction in water usage in cities and towns there.

Unlike Brown, Sandoval did not impose any restrictions but mentioned the bare ski resorts, marooned boat ramps, dusty farms and depleted reservoirs. Then he mentioned Washoe Lake.

"We should be standing in 3 feet of water," he said.

His panel is called the Nevada Drought Forum. It did not issue a timetable of potential restrictions or actions. But there will be a "summit" to discuss the drought forum and its work in September.

As part of his effort, Sandoval is ordering an audit of state agencies to study their water use and called upon a myriad of water experts to find solutions for the state.

He's asked officials from the state engineer's office, the Department of Naturals Resources, Department of Agriculture, Southern Nevada Water Authority, Desert Research Institute and others to participate in the forum.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in February declared most of the state as a natural disaster area due to lingering drought conditions and historically low water levels. Sandoval said his action will prepare Nevada -- among the driest states in the nation -- for the future.

The governor praised the state's conservation efforts and SNWA for reducing the region's water consumption by 40 percent in the last 15 years despite its population growth.

He was stern in comparing Nevada and its neighbor to the west.

"This is not California," he said. "We're way ahead of this."

Standing alongside Sandoval was John Entsminger, SNWA general manager. Entsminger and his agency oversee the consumption and conservation of Lake Mead. He said the Rocky Mountains, which feed the lake with snowpack runoff, have seen drought comparable to the current situation only 1 percent of the time in the last 1,200 years.

Southern Nevada has relied more and more on Lake Mead, spending more than $1.5 billion on a third straw and pumps that will tap water from the lake. The lake is the paramount reservoir in the Colorado River Basin and has received national attention for a 120-foot reduction in its water supply in the last 15 years — highlighted by coloration in the rock that resembles a rim on a dirty bathtub.

"This is not the time to rest on our laurels," Entsminger said.

The water authority has recently been in the spotlight for two new lawsuits alleging the agency used fraudulent accounting practices to make it seem like ranches it purchased in Northern Nevada were turning a profit. The ranches were purchased for their water rights and cost ratepayers $80 million. They were supposed to funnel water to the south via pipeline.

But the pipeline has been ensnarled in a legal battle and has yet to produce a drop of water for Southern Nevada.