LETTER: Moving water from across the country isn’t as easy as it sounds
I have read recent letters to the editor about transferring water from the Columbia River or the Snake River to Southern Nevada. These schemes sound good but might run into a little problem — i.e., water rights.
I am not an attorney specializing in water rights, but I doubt if the people of Washington or Oregon are going to allow water transfers out of the Columbia basin. Idaho just underwent a 20-year adjudication process for Snake River basin water rights, as that water had been 120 percent allocated. The Snake River is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. The people of Idaho are not going to allow water to be transferred and increase the damage being done to the system.
I just read that St. George had given up on a plan to transfer water from the Colorado River. The water rights of the Columbia and Snake include plenty of federal, tribal, hydroelectric power and anadromous fish rights. Good luck, Nevada.
