[Editor’s note: On September 17, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled after oral arguments in the Walker Case” that the public trust doctrine is embedded in current water law and disallows the relocation of adjudicated water rights for anything other than its intended purpose. In the original action, the Walker River Irrigation District and others[i] resisted Mineral County and the Walker Lake Working Group’s request to reallocate water from original shareholders to help Walker Lake recover from water loss because of the drought. The decline in Walker Lake negatively impacts the economy of Mineral County.  [i] ]
For Immediate Release
November 10, 2020
Contact:Â Press@CortezMasto.Senate.gov
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) celebrated the awarding of $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to support efforts to better conserve water resources and implement drought resilience measures in Lyon County.
“Fresh water is one of the most important and scarce resources on the planet. I’m so grateful to see the Walker River Irrigation District receive funding through the WaterSMART Initiative program to help Nevada’s farmers and ranchers better conserve our water supply. I’m committed to ensuring we use our natural resources responsibly and will continue fighting for funding that helps strengthen our state.”
Endnotes:
[i] Mineral County; and Walker Lake Working Group, appellants, vs. Lyon County; Centennial Livestock; Bridgeport Ranchers; Schroeder Group; Walker River Irrigation District; State of Nevada Department of Wildlife and County of Mono, California ia, Respondents.
