The so-called "Eastern Nevada Groundwater Development Project" is a modern day water grab. The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to build more than 300 miles of pipeline to take water from rural Nevada and Utah for the benefit of Las Vegas. If fully realized, it would remove 200,000 acre-feet  – that's enough to fill 200,000 football fields with a foot of water, or supply 400,000+ households - EVERY YEAR. This water would come from valleys including those surrounding Great Basin National Park, which is Nevada's only National Park.

There is not enough water available for this project. Rural communities are already struggling with drying springs and dropping wells, and the main industry - agriculture - allows water to seep back into the ground. This water grab would suck the region dry. By the time the damage is noticed, it will be too late to fix. Rural communities will suffer. Native American spiritual sites will be lost. Thousands of acres of habitat for wild horses, deer, elk, eagles, tortoise, bighorn sheep and other wildlife will disappear. As plants die off the area will become a dustbowl, hurting human health and destroying some of the clearest darkest night skies in the nation. We can look to neighboring California's Owens Valley to see how the story plays out.

This pipeline would cost at least $15 billion for Southern Nevada ratepayers - plus more when the environmental and economic damage must be mitigated and compensated. And it doesn't benefit current residents, but unchecked future growth. Conservation, desalination, and smart growth policies are more cost-effective and responsible paths forward. Tell SNWA to drop this dangerous proposal.