Nevada's top water regulator’s ability to make decisions. Nevada’s state engineer did have the power to limit water rights ... in an attempt to protect an endangered fish, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The decision establishes precedent for how much authority the state engineer has to create water use limits to protect wildlife and water in the nation’s driest state as aquifers across the world begin to dry up.
“The State Engineer has statutory authority to combine multiple basins into one hydrographic ‘superbasin’ based on a shared source of water,” the decision reads.
State Engineer Adam Sullivan praised the decision in an emailed statement, saying it “sets a crucial precedent for water resource protection.”
Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the effects of the ruling on how Nevada will regulate its groundwater are far-reaching.
The decision affirms the state’s top water regulator’s ability to make decisions about the depletion of groundwater. Existing water law is now interpreted to include this distinct power."
Coyote Springs: State engineer can limit water, top court rules | Nevada | News | Politics and Government (reviewjournal.com)
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