Gibbons now sees water pipeline as ‘part of the solution’ for valley

In what some are calling his most definitive show of support so far for a proposed water pipeline to eastern Nevada, Gov. Jim Gibbons said Thursday that he considers the project "part of the solution" to water woes in the Las Vegas Valley.

Gibbons has publicly expressed concern about the pipeline in the past, and many opponents of the project viewed him as a potential ally.

During a news conference Thursday at his Las Vegas office, however, Gibbons said he would not oppose the water project.

"It's part of the overall solution. It's part of lessening our dependence on a single source of water in this region," he said.

The Las Vegas Valley gets about 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River by way of Lake Mead.

By 2015, the Southern Nevada Water Authority hopes to begin pumping groundwater to the valley through a pipeline network that will extend about 250 miles north and cost between $2 billion and $3.5 billion.

The project targets groundwater basins in rural Clark, Lincoln and White Pine counties.

Water authority General Manager Pat Mulroy said she was "delighted" by Gibbons' comments.

"I'm glad that he recognizes that ... we need to have a backup supply and diversify our resources," she said.

Asked if she previously considered the governor an opponent of the project, Mulroy said, "I thought he had some concerns. He obviously has these rural roots."

Gibbons made headlines across the state in February when the Lahontan Valley News quoted him as saying he thought the pipeline project should be scrapped in favor of building desalination plants on the Pacific Coast.

Pipeline opponents sent the governor a "thank you" letter after the comment was published, but on Thursday, Gibbons denied making such a statement.

"They didn't quote me saying that, because I didn't say that," he said. "No, what I said is there may be alternatives that we can look at. I didn't say we should scrap that project."

Bob Fulkerson is executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, an advocacy group crusading against the pipeline.

He said this isn't the first time the governor has come out against the water project and then "tried to backtrack." Gibbons did the same thing after a meeting two years ago with representatives from PLAN and several conservation groups, Fulkerson said.

"I think we just have to wait another couple of months and see if he has another position. It's almost comical," Fulkerson said. "I think it shows the lights are on but nobody's home. I just think it's a real shame for the state of Nevada."

Gibbons' statements on the pipeline project began with a speech Thursday morning at the presentation of the annual Las Vegas Perspective report.

There, Gibbons said planning for the future is difficult but necessary where water is concerned.

"Preparing ourselves for the next 30 years will not come without some difficult choices for us," he said.

Gibbons noted the historic drought now affecting the West has left Lake Mead at its lowest level in history and made a case for looking elsewhere for water.

"Ensuring the long-term vitality of Southern Nevada's economy is not so much about finding new water sources to support future growth, but rather, decreasing the region's dependence on the Colorado River as its sole source of water," he said.

Gibbons' comments came about a week after he met privately in Las Vegas with water authority Deputy General Managers Dick Wimmer and Kay Brothers.

Wimmer described the meeting as a "comprehensive briefing" for the governor on a wide range of water issues, not just the pipeline.

"The important thing is that he has all the information," Wimmer said after the meeting. "I think we accomplished that."

Review-Journal writer Molly Ball contributed to this report. Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.