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Death Valley National Park officials brief supervisors on staffing shortfalls, $62M water project and possible Rio Tinto land transfer
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Summary
Park officials told the Inyo County board that park staffing is down about 45%, that a $62 million Burns Creek water/wastewater replacement project is slated to begin this fall, and that Rio Tinto is exploring options to donate or transfer roughly 3,209 acres that might require county input on tax and service impacts.
Death Valley National Park officials updated the Inyo County Board of Supervisors on operations and a set of infrastructure and land‑transfer matters that could affect county services and revenues.
Mike Reynolds, the park superintendent, told the board the park signed a mutual‑aid agreement with the county sheriff’s office that gives federal rangers concurrent jurisdiction to enforce certain state and local laws in the park, a change supervisors praised as improving joint response capacity. Reynolds said park staffing is down about 45 percent since January, constraining the agency’s ability to complete infrastructure repairs and some visitor services.
Reynolds highlighted a major Burns Creek water and wastewater replacement project, a $62,000,000 construction program scheduled to begin this fall and to last roughly three years. He said construction will require some service interruptions but will replace failing systems in the most concentrated population areas in the park.
Park staff and Conservancy representatives also discussed a proposed Rio Tinto/US Borax land action that would involve about 3,209 acres around 20 Mule Team Canyon Road and portions of the Golden Canyon loop. The National Park Service said Rio Tinto is exploring routes to transfer or donate the land to the park and, if NPS cannot accept the gift under its Land and Water Conservation Fund rules, alternatives include donating to the Bureau of Land Management or placing acreage into a land trust. Park staff cautioned that transfers to federal ownership could reduce local property tax revenue and noted potential five‑year transition payments as partial mitigation.
In related conservation updates, the Anagosa Conservancy and Friends of the Amargosa reported ongoing tribal outreach, coalition building and federal contacts in pursuit of an Anagosa Basin designation and other protections; local leaders urged continued county engagement in planning and downstream water protections.
Supervisors and residents asked questions about tax impacts, water contamination risks associated with regional mining proposals, and the timing of park capital projects; park staff said the Burns Creek project is in final stages of design and should begin construction in the fall.
