Nevada State Water Plan

Nevada Division of Water Resources

State Water Plan Overview

As the driest state in the nation, effective management of Nevada's water resources requires comprehensive planning. The Nevada Division of Water Resources (NDWR) is in the process of updating the Nevada State Water Plan, last published in 1999. The State Water Plan will be a high-level policy and planning guide that will be complementary to, and will not supersede, local and regional water resource plans. The State Water Plan aims to inform water management decisions while educating the public on water resource issues in Nevada.

What the State Water Plan IS:

  • High-level planning and policy document
  • Updated assessment of water resources across the state
  • Identification of knowledge gaps and water resource planning challenges
  • Options for management strategies, actions, and policies that can be implemented by various stakeholders
  • Recommendations aimed at increasing the sustainability and improving the management of water resources

What the State Water Plan is NOT:

  • The plan does not change water law or reallocate water among users
  • The plan is not a new regulation
  • The plan is not a regional or local water supply plan
  • The plan will not focus on infrastructure or project planning
  • The plan is not an advocacy document
  • The plan will not make recommendations related to management of the Colorado River

Planning Timeline

The State Water Plan update is a multi-year process. While we aim to have a complete document in 2025, this timeline may be affected by unforeseen factors.

Fall/Winter 2021

Administer Public Survey

Winter/Spring 2022

Analyze Survey Results, Develop Plan Goals

Summer/Fall 2022

Form Stakeholder Advisory Group, Identify Technical Partners

Winter 2022

Convene Stakeholder Advisory Group, Refine Plan Objectives and Scope

Spring 2023 - Winter 24/25

Curate and Analyze Data, Draft Chapters, Stakeholder Discussions

Spring 2025

Solicit and Address Public Comments on Full Draft

Summer-Fall 2025

Finalize Plan, Develop Supporting Products

Late 2025

Publish State Water Plan, Public Outreach

Stakeholder Engagement

The water of all sources of water supply within the boundaries of the State whether above or beneath the surface of the ground, belongs to the public (NRS 533.025).

  • General Public: Public input is vital to statewide water resource planning. Nevada residents will directly participate at two different points in the planning process. NDWR staff also plan to offer informational presentations in communities around Nevada.
    • Survey: A survey was administered at the end of 2021 to collect feedback from a diversity of Nevadans regarding their water-related concerns, priorities, and perceptions. The public's responses illuminated opportunities and challenges that can be addressed in the planning process and the final product. The results are summarized  here , and additional data are documented  here .
    • Open Comment Period: Once the first full draft of the State Water Plan is complete, the public will have the opportunity to provide written comments (electronically and by mail) on any of the plan's content.
  • Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG): This group of about 20 members who represent diverse interests and regions across the state will identify water-related issues and concerns, as well as collaboratively develop strategies and recommendations to improve water resource management. While no single group can represent all Nevadans, the SAG will help ensure the State Water Plan is relevant to water users.
  • Technical Partners: Water is not an isolated resource, and sustainable water resource management requires an integrated approach. Other community, state, tribal, and federal agency representatives with expertise relevant to the State Water Plan update will be critical for developing a more holistic document. NDWR will work with these partners on an ad hoc basis.

We are also looking to incorporate "vignettes" throughout the State Water Plan to share stories about how water users across Nevada are changing their practices and implementing creative solutions to tackle water challenges.

Story telling can be a powerful tool to help share knowledge and inspire others. If you have a unique story to share, please email waterplanning@water.nv.gov with:

  1. Your name and contact information.
  2. The location where the story takes place.
  3. A proposed title.
  4. The story! Include the water use and related challenge(s), how the challenges are being solved, measures of success, lessons learned, and any other information you find interesting and/or important to the story (maximum of 500 words).
  5. Up to 3 images that help illustrate the story.

NDWR staff may follow up with questions and will notify you if your story will be featured in the State Water Plan. Staff may also reach out to specific individuals and entities to ask about featuring them in the State Water Plan.

FAQs

Why do we need a State Water Plan?

  • Much has changed in the nearly 25 years since the last Nevada State Water Plan was published and an updated plan is needed to establish a comprehensive process for addressing Nevada's evolving water needs and challenges.
  • The overall goal of the Nevada State Water Plan is to provide an updated assessment of water supply and demand across the state. The plan will also discuss current water resource planning challenges in Nevada and provide a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring the sustainability and improving the management of water resources.

What is the planning horizon?

  • The plan is intended to be a living document that provides an adaptive and flexible path for ensuring water needs are met now and into the future. Projections and recommendations will be focused on the next 20 years. The plan will be updated approximately every five years and include goals and metrics for evaluating progress.

Who is writing the State Water Plan?

  • NDWR's Water Planning and Drought Resiliency (WP&DR) Section staff will be the primary authors of the State Water Plan. However, input from the Stakeholder Advisory Group, Technical Partners, and the general public will be instrumental for informing the content of each section.

Will the plan change Nevada water law?

  • No! This plan does not intend to alter water law, nor reallocate water among users. Rather, it provides a synthesis of scientific information, policy recommendations, tools, and forward-looking steps in a framework with statewide relevance.

How were members of the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) selected?

  • When forming the SAG, the goal was to invite stakeholders representing various water use sectors from across the state, while also keeping the group to a manageable size to ensure productive discussions.
  • A list of potential members was developed internally by NDWR staff, guided by knowledge of water user groups and water management challenges.
  • The final SAG team was assembled by the WP&DR Section after input was solicited from NDWR leadership and staff, both in Carson City and in the field offices.

How can I stay up-to-date on plan progress?

  1. State Water Plan Website: You are already in the right place! This site will be updated as we work through the planning process. The timeline may shift, new FAQs may be added, and links to additional resources may be added, so keep visiting this site.
  2. Attend Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) Meetings: SAG meetings are open to the public and are a great way to stay apprised of plan progress. SAG meetings will be scheduled to coincide with the drafting of plan sections and will focus on both reviewing existing content and discussing additional content. SAG meetings will be announced on the Nevada Public Notice website at least three working days prior to the meeting:  https://notice.nv.gov/ . Meeting materials are also posted on the  NDWR website .
  3. Sign-up for the WP&DR Newsletter: The WP&DR newsletter is emailed out about twice a year and will contain short updates on the status of the State Water Plan as well as other information and activities relevant to the WP&DR Section. Click the green button below to sign up for the newsletter.
  4. Reach out to NDWR: We want to hear from you and are happy to answer any questions regarding the planning process: waterplanning@water.nv.gov

Explore Water in Nevada!

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Nevada Division of Water Resources

Carson City is home to the Nevada Division of Water Resources (NDWR), a division within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources headed by the State Engineer. The State Engineer is responsible for administering and enforcing Nevada water law.

Let's take a look at some of the water resources across the state.

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Lake Tahoe

Home to the largest alpine lake in North America, Nevada is responsible for appropriating water within its portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Since the lake straddles the Nevada-California state line, an Interstate Compact apportioned the waters between the two states.

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Colorado River

Another important interstate water source is the Colorado River, which provides about 90% of the water for Las Vegas. Rather than being managed by NDWR, Colorado River water is managed by other entities including the Colorado River Commission of Nevada. Of the seven states allocated Colorado River water, Nevada has the smallest apportionment.

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Humboldt River

The Humboldt River Basin is the largest river basin entirely within the state of Nevada. With the headwaters located near the City of Wells, the Humboldt travels 330 miles west...(scroll down)

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Humboldt River

...to supply water to Rye Patch Reservoir outside of Lovelock. Water allocations in the Humboldt River Basin are set by the Humboldt River Decree, and water deliveries are made by NDWR staff in the Elko and Winnemucca offices. Farmers in Lovelock rely on water from Rye Patch Reservoir to irrigate their fields.

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Groundwater

Roughly 50% of water withdrawals in the state come from water found beneath the surface. Groundwater in Nevada is divided into 256 hydrographic basins. Each basin has a maximum amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn each year over the long term without depleting the groundwater reservoir. This volume of groundwater is known as the perennial yield.

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Groundwater

Some groundwater basins in Nevada have been over-appropriated, meaning the amount of water rights in a basin exceeds the perennial yield. This is the case in the Diamond Valley groundwater basin, where groundwater is largely used for irrigation. Over-appropriation coupled with over-pumping in Diamond Valley has caused groundwater levels to consistently decline up to 2 feet per year. A locally-developed groundwater management plan has been enacted to stabilize groundwater levels.

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Groundwater

Pahrump Valley, the groundwater basin serving Pahrump, is also over-appropriated. Pahrump Valley has seen the greatest proliferation and density of domestic wells in the state.

In Nevada, domestic well owners are exempt from the requirement to hold a water right permit. Two acre-feet of groundwater may be legally withdrawn annually. However, the State Engineer has issued an order that requires, under certain circumstances, for 2 acre-feet of water rights to be relinquished when drilling a new domestic well in Pahrump Valley.

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Conjunctive Management

Although the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) addresses various aspects of groundwater and surface water management, science has long recognized that surface and groundwater resources are often hydraulically connected. For example, the Lower White River regional groundwater flow system is the water source for the Warm Springs Natural Area, which in turn forms the headwaters of the Muddy River. Senate Bill 47, passed in 2017, added a legislative declaration that it is the policy of Nevada to conjunctively manage all water sources.

Additional Resources

Itching to learn more about water in Nevada? Check out some of these resources:

  •  NDWR Website : Authoritative source for all things water law and administration. Includes the water permits database, groundwater basin summaries, pumpage inventories, and a slew of other helpful information. While you are there, also check out the  Open Data website , where you can visualize and download data maintained by NDWR.
  •  Living with Drought : The Living with Drought website, maintained by UNR Extension, provides a one-stop-shop for homeowners, gardeners, farmers, ranchers, natural resource managers and others to find all the drought-related information they need, including current drought status information; data and tools that can be used track and report drought impacts; and information about the basic types and causes of drought.
  •  Nevada Floods : Even the driest state in the nation is prone to flooding! The Nevada Floods website disseminates flood preparedness, flood insurance, and other flood-related information to Nevadans.