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Commissioners unanimously acknowledge a series of Truckee‑River water‑rights change applications to state engineer
Summary
Storey County commissioners on May 6 unanimously acknowledged 10 separate water‑rights change applications to the Nevada State Engineer, saying county counsel sees no direct impact on Storey County water rights.
Storey County commissioners on Tuesday acknowledged a group of water‑rights change applications that the county will forward to the Nevada State Engineer for consideration.
The board considered 10 separate filings (agenda items 10–19) that seek to change points of diversion, places of use or manner of use for various permits and claims tied to the Truckee River basin. County legal counsel and staff told the board the applications — several of them filed to allow temporary non‑diversion for wildlife or to reallocate municipal use within the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) service area — would have no practical effect on existing water rights held inside Storey County.
Steve King, the county's retained water counsel, described the first three applications as temporary changes "not to exceed one year" that allow water to remain in the Truckee River for return‑flow or wildlife purposes rather than being diverted at facilities such as the Tracy power plant. He said the filings are largely accounting mechanisms under the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA) and are neutral with respect to private water‑right holders in Storey County.
After legal staff described the purpose and scope of each filing, the commission voted on each application individually. Commissioner Mitchell moved to acknowledge each application; motions were seconded and passed unanimously.
Votes at a glance - Application 94165T (portion of permit 29214; all of permit 29213): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 94166T (portion of permit 28192): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 94167T (portion of permit 19883/certificate 6229): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 93433 (permits 66956 and 67013; change to TUMWA service area): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 93434 (permit 66853): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 93921 (claims 76 and 76a under Truckee River decree): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 93825 (permit 65780): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 94075 (portion of claim 179 of Truckee River decree): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 94076 (portion of claim 331 of Truckee River decree): acknowledged unanimously. - Application 93432 (portion of permit 55938): acknowledged unanimously.
Why it matters: The applications are part of broader water‑management work in the Truckee River basin; some seek to let entities count non‑diversion as return flows for downstream accounting, others seek to allow municipal use anywhere inside a water purveyor's service area. County counsel advised commissioners that, as presented, none of the filings change water availability or introduce new diversions into Storey County.
What commissioners said: Commissioner Mitchell led the motions to acknowledge the filings. County Manager Austin Osborne explained the packet and distributed paper motions when some documents did not migrate to the county's e‑records system. King said he had discussed the notice and statutory procedure with the Division of Water Resources staff in Carson City and that the department is attempting to follow NRS 533.363 more closely than it had in prior years.
Next steps: The board's action is an acknowledgment and a record for the state engineer. The Nevada State Engineer will consider the filings and any formal recommendations from affected counties before issuing final rulings.
