Thread: Feds approve Las Vegas plan for reservoir near Mexico border

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5811658&nav=HMO6

Feds approve Las Vegas plan for reservoir near Mexico border

Dec 13, 2006

LAS VEGAS Federal lawmakers are signing off on a plan by southern Nevada water officials to build a reservoir to capture Colorado River water that otherwise flows into the Gulf of California.

Language authorizing the reservoir was contained in a tax bill passed in the waning hours of the 109th Congress.

It calls for the Las Vegas-based Southern Nevada Water Authority to pay to build the reservoir just north of the Mexico border to capture irrigation water sent from Lake Mead to Southern California farmers.

Officials say that during rainy weather, water that would go to farms currently flows to Mexico.

For the 84 (m) million dollar reservoir, southern Nevada will gain rights to up to 40-thousand acre-feet of water a year for seven years. Officials say an acre-foot is about enough water for two families per year.

Who gets the water rights to the 40,000 acre-foot after 7 years?