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Board declines to make recommendations on multiple Truckee Meadows Water Authority change applications after map errors
Summary
County legal counsel told commissioners that multiple change applications filed by Truckee Meadows Water Authority included erroneous legal descriptions referring to Storey County acreage; the board accepted counsel’s recommendation not to take action and asked TMWA to correct exhibits with the State Engineer.
Storey County commissioners reviewed a package of change applications filed by Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) seeking to convert various Truckee River irrigation rights to municipal or quasi‑municipal use and to adjust points of diversion.
Steve King, county counsel engaged on regional water matters, said the common issue across items 12–21 was Exhibit B in each application: a long legal description and map that inadvertently showed portions of Storey County as part of TMWA’s service area. King said he had discussed the errors with TMWA representatives and the State Engineer’s office, and that TMWA was revising its exhibits to remove Storey County acreage where appropriate.
King recommended the board decline to issue any formal recommendation to the State Engineer while TMWA corrects the filings. He cited the triggering statute (NRS 533.363) that requires county review when a change application affects multiple counties, but noted there is no obligation for the county to issue a recommendation and the State Engineer is not bound to follow any advice.
Board action: Following King’s presentations on the individual applications (including numbers 92313, 92314, 92317, 92616, 93730, 93731, 94213, 94270, 94300, 94812), commissioners agreed no action was necessary and did not make recommendations to the State Engineer at this time.
Context and implications: Several applications affect substantial acre‑foot quantities (examples discussed in staff comments ranged from roughly 3 to more than 200 acre‑feet) and at least one related permit had already been issued in January 2024, illustrating that some uses or transfers are already active. King and TMWA representatives told the board they would correct the exhibits on future filings. The board’s decision preserves the county’s discretion while signaling that the issue will be revisited when corrected materials are filed with the State Engineer.
