The Bureau of Land Management will accept public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Southern Nevada Water Authority's (SNWA) Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project throgh October 11, 2011.

The Groundwater Development project proposes to build a 306-mile long pipeline and associated facilities to pump and export 176,000 acre feet of groundwater annually from central Nevada and western Utah to Las Vegas. The area affected by the project encompassess 20,000 square miles and includes 5 National Wildlife Refuges, 4 state wildlife areas, 7 state parks, and 2 national parks. It is predicted that this water withdrawal will lower water tables, threaten spring ecosystems, impact sensitive species, reduce fishing/hunting opportunities, promote dust storms, and much more. Widespread desertification is a possible outcome, and this would be devastating to the ecosystem and to air quality.

For a pdf information sheet from the Great Basin Water Network, including the dates/locations of public meetings, click here.

 Additional information is available on the BLM website here