CARSON CITY -- Las Vegas water officials testified Monday that their new plan to take water from wells near Indian Springs rather than from a wildlife refuge and a bombing range will not reduce the water available for other users in rural Clark and Lincoln counties.

Ken Albright, director of resources for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, told a state Division of Water Planning hearing panel that his agency will set up a network of monitoring wells and quickly "repair or replace resources affected by pumping."

He said studies show water flows from other groundwater basins to Indian Springs so existing wells will not be adversely affected by the additional pumping.

Albright said the well relocation plan has induced the Air Force, the Defense Department, the Energy Department and other federal agencies to withdraw their objections to the water authority's drilling plans.

"It is a good compromise," he said. "It protects sensitive resources and protects federally managed lands."

State Engineer Hugh Ricci in January granted the water authority the right to pump water from four groundwater basins in western Clark and eastern Lincoln counties.

But Albright said Monday that drilling in three of those basins would have meant pumping from wells on the Nellis Air Force Range and in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.

"The Air Force thought the idea of us putting production wells on their bombing range wouldn't be within their mission," Albright said. "Their concerns over access were huge."

After discussions with the federal agencies, the water authority decided it made better sense to pump water only from wells along U.S. Highway 95 east of Indian Springs.

Water authority hydrologists testified the entire area is part of the Death Valley Regional Flow System and water is found in a huge carbonate aquifer that flows toward Indian Springs and Ash Meadows.

Even with the new wells, they said there would be no or little change in water levels for existing wells in the Indian Springs area.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to pump 8,018 acre-feet of water per year. There are 325,851 gallons in an acre-foot, which is enough water to supply two Las Vegas Valley households for almost a year.

The well location change requires approval from Ricci, who participated in the Monday hearing. He is not expected to make a decision for several months.

Representatives of the Indian Springs Civic Association, the Sierra Club and the state Department of Corrections objected to the well relocation proposal. The Corrections Department operates a prison near Indian Springs.

"Drawing down water from one basin certainly might affect the others," said Ed Rothfuss, the former superintendant of Death Valley National Park. "Make darn sure this is the way to go."

David von Seggerm, a Sierra Club leader from Reno, questioned the legality of pumping water from somewhere else than originally approved.

"When I hear testimony like I heard today, I hear a lot of 'I believe it's plausible' when I wanted to hear 'Evidence shows,' " he added.