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County officials say developers must secure water; treated effluent reuse being explored
Summary
Commissioners and presenters told residents that valley water rights are constrained, prospective developers would need to secure water allocations, and the county is exploring treating and reusing sewer effluent as industrial supply to support potential energy projects.
Residents raised drought and water‑rights concerns for siting water‑dependent generation. A county official warned that "all the water in this valley is owned by somebody" and said any developer would need to secure a water supply and likely purchase delivery rights at the county’s existing reductions.
County staff described a program under discussion to treat sewer effluent to a higher level and route that treated water into an industrial park as a way to supply developers without drawing down traditional surface or irrigation deliveries. Officials said such projects would require negotiation, capital investment and careful scheduling to avoid shortfalls to existing water users.
