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Fallon County reviews DNRC water-rights application to use lagoon water for golf-course irrigation
Summary
County staff walked commissioners through a DNRC application seeking 80.45 acre-feet (April 1–Oct 31) of beneficial-use surface water from the Cell 3 lagoon to irrigate the county golf course, including pump specs (200 gpm), conveyance (6-inch line), sage-grouse mitigation steps, measurement plans, and operational constraints. The board authorized submission to DNRC pending final signatures.
County staff presented a detailed DNRC beneficial-use permit application for pumping treated lagoon water to irrigate the Fallon County golf course.
Shannon (county staff) explained the core elements: the project uses surface water from an unnamed tributary to Sandstone Creek and would divert from lagoon Cell 3 between April 1 and Oct. 31 for an annual total of 80.45 acre-feet. The planned conveyance is a 6-inch pipeline sized to carry up to 200 gallons per minute; the proposed pump and piping will be skid-mounted and rated at 200 gpm. The application includes a storage addendum, design specifications, and a sage-grouse program letter requiring weed management and reclamation measures in the development zone.
Staff said measurement would rely on pump-run-hour meters (and optionally a flow meter) to document diverted volumes. Commissioners asked if the existing pump had been flow-tested (it had not) and were told the new pump will be sized and calibrated to the 200 gpm specification, with verification at installation. Staff also emphasized an operational limit: at least two feet of standing water must remain in Cell 3 at all times; if that cannot be maintained, diversions would stop.
Commissioners clarified that the permit ties the water right to the parcel (place of use) and that the water is dedicated to golf-course sprinkling not to county road watering or other non-specified uses. Shannon confirmed easements were secured for the conveyance, that DNRC had returned a technical analysis, and that the county would provide a signed affidavit and attachments to finalize the submission. The board voted to sign and submit the application and to coordinate final operational details with lagoon operators.
