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State engineer outlines groundwater-basin assessments and why some basin rates rose or fell
Summary
Nevada Division of Water Resources official Dan Reynolds told the Elko County Commission the annual basin assessments fund monitoring, staffing and field work; changes since 2015 (including an end to a USGS study and a new meters database) explain recent rate drops in several basins while the Humboldt River assessment rose modestly.
The Nevada Division of Water Resources told the Elko County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that annual groundwater-basin assessments fund field investigations, metering and staff time and that recent changes in programs and data collection explain why assessment rates fell in many basins but rose slightly for the Humboldt River.
Dan Reynolds, speaking for the Division during the State Engineer Groundwater Basin Assessments item, said assessments have been done for groundwater and surface water for decades and that the program pays for water-level measurements, crop and pump inventories, aquifer tests, well-drilling oversight and other field work. "These assessments have been happening every year," he said, noting long-term measurement programs dating back to the 20th century.
Reynolds said the assessment rate increases seen around 2015 were largely driven by a cooperative USGS study of the Humboldt River corridor. With that study completed, some assessment charges dropped markedly in certain basins. "That study has wrapped up, and we are no longer paying USGS in coordination for that work," he said, which reduced costs that had been passed through assessments.
Reynolds also described a metering database launched about 2015 that now has more than 1,600 users and about 6,000 meters providing permittee-submitted data. The database reduces the need for the division to visit every site annually and has helped lower field-labor costs.
Commissioners asked why assessment rates differ by basin and whether the assessments relate to curtailment or well curtailment actions. Reynolds said the per-acre-foot assessment for a basin offsets the divisioncosts of work in that specific basin; each basin has a separate account to which staff bill time and expenses. He emphasized the assessments are intended to fund monitoring and data collection rather than directly to perform curtailments, though the data collected can inform curtailment decisions.
Reynolds said the Humboldt River assessment has increased to about $0.80 per acre-foot, a modest uptick tied to equipment and personnel costs. He encouraged basin residents to contact the division if they need help finding reports: "All of that data is on our website. I know it can be overwhelming, and I would say that, you know, if you're trying to look for a specific report...please do call my office. We're more than happy to walk you through where that data is and how to gain access to that. It is available."
Commissioners subsequently approved the Division's assessment report and the recommended assessment actions by voice vote.
The assessments were presented as routine but important tools for basin management, monitoring and long-term water planning, and the division said newer data systems are helping control staff costs while maintaining field oversight.
