A CITY UNDER SEIGE
The city of Pahrump NV is under seige by the powers that be to take away from the landowners their water. The water is attached to the land–buy the land and the water underneath comes with it. However, because there isn’t enough water to expand the 38,000 population to the extent developers and contractors would like, they’ve created a scheme using paper water rights. There is a market for these rights and their goal is to take the private well owners water, which is 2 acre feet/yr and force it down to .5 acre feet.
I have been writing letters-to-the-editor educating the people. I am including some of them here. I hope word gets out about the corruption run rampant in Nevada, especially the theft of our water.
Another scheme the Board of County Commissioners has approved is to put Rapid Infiltration Basin systems on land that is a flood plain, and is our sole source aquifer. This is outlawed in California, Utah and Arizona. But Nevada has very lax water laws. It is outrageous how the BoCC has ignored the rights of the people. The risk of these RIBs contaminaing the aquifer is HIGH, according to the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission. You be the judge and let the country know about the corruption in Pahrump NV.
The French Revolution was triggered by peasants that had nothing to lose. They were taxed to death by Louis XIV. They revolted by guillotining the aristocracy. When people are pushed into a corner, with no way out, they fight. Some have already threatened to fight if meters are placed on their wells.
The water Plan under discussion is such a plan. It tramples the rights of innocent people who elected the BoCC to protect their rights. There are rights attached to the land we own. It is inconceivable that we have to fight for our God-given, inalienable rights. Because that means they aren’t rights, but privileges given to us by our governing bodies. But now we are fighting for our rights.
The Plan is flawed in many ways, too numerous to list here. To adopt any part of it is morally wrong. Nowadays, it seems that when businesses cannot make it on their own, when they cannot get what they want from the free market, they turn to politicians to get it for them. This is what’s happening here. We all know who they are, and they are using the BoCC to wangle them access to water that they cannot get legally. These special interest groups ought to be ashamed of themselves for hiding behind the BoCC and this water Plan to steal the water from innocent domestic well owners. And they are not even offering to buy the water, which would be a legitimate business deal. No, they are working very hard to steal the water that they have no right to. The BoCC should be ashamed of itself for being any part of this nefarious scheme. (12-15-2015)
This is in reference to the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission meeting where it was voted 4-2 to give Utilities, Inc. a Conditional Use Permit for construction and operation of two Rapid Infiltration Basins. We witnessed the most flagrant disregard for facts. This irresponsible act was taken even though the Planning Commission’s staff reported on page 5, #2, under “Water Quality, that the proposed project could potentially cause or contribute to the degradation of groundwater quality and the proposed land use is considered a Contaminant Source. Under Municipal Waste Source, the Wastewater Treatment Plant risk for contaminants is High in all three contaminant categories: B, C and D.
In a well worded mixed message the Findings on page 2, #3: state “the conditional use will not be hazardous…” #6: “the conditional use…will not be detrimental to the economic welfare of the community.” But according to their own report, the risk is HIGH that it will be detrimental to the community. This is outrageous!
And who did Utilities Inc. call for an expert opinion? Their own worker who assured us he was doing a good job and we could count on him.
The Utah Department of Environmental Protection prohibits RIBs over sole source drinking water grade aquifers such as Pahrump’s aquifer. It prohibits RIBs in Zones I and II of Source Water Protection Areas like Pahrump’s.
Furthermore, it states that site characteristics not favorable for a proposed RIB system are ones located above a sole-source aquifer and located in a flood plain.
In San Diego County they use reverse osmosis to clean the water before it is recharged. Arizona has taken severe steps to protect its water since it already destroyed one aquifer. Because Nevada has the most lax water laws, we must look to other states for actual water standards. We don’t trust the state nor the EPA to protect our water. The PRC may be within the law, but it is out of touch with reality. They are also using inaccurate misleading measurements where the RIBs will be installed.
650,000 gal/day of unpotable water will be dumped into our potable aquifer. Once contaminated, it stays contaminated. How could their “staff” recommend this action based on their own report? How can any thinking person take the HIGH risk of ruining our only water source?
We are ashamed of the Planning Commission. It is putting the entire Pahrump Valley at risk, and for what? So Utilities, Inc. can make money? Where is their duty to protect our aquifer? Nevada’s lax water standards is no excuse. The state of Nevada is not a credible authority.
We are DEMANDING the BoCC stop this dangerous business right now! Once this precious aquifer is contaminated, there is no going back. All domestic wells will be shut down. The County will then have to take control of our water, make it potable if possible, and send us the bill. Sounds like a conspiracy to us.
If we don’t see the BoCC acting to stop this threat, then we believe our only recourse is to sue the County, the individual commissioners and the planning commissioners who are disregarding their sworn duty to protect the water and are acting without honesty and integrity.
We expect a formal appeal to the BoCC to be filed shortly. And if they don’t act soon, we believe a lawsuit will force them to act to protect our only water supply. (1-18-2016)
On Monday 1-25-2016 there is another meeting. This one with the Water Board who has some of the same people on the Planning Commission and on the County Commissioners. There is a lot conflicts of interest and catering to special interest groups. It will be interesting to see if common sense and justice prevail. I’ll keep you posted.
