Posted: January 25, 2010     Author: Gerald McDonough

SNAKE VALLEY RESIDENT: DON'T SIGN AGREEMENT

SNAKE VALLEY RESIDENT: DON'T SIGN AGREEMENT

John D. Bredehoeft's [recent editorial in the SL Tribune] details in most cogent terms the reasons why the water deal with Nevada should not be signed - no matter what safeguards might be included in the document.

In a nutshell, the former USGS scientist is telling us that monitoring and measuring the effects of the draw down from the pumping is next to impossible. The reasons for this are clear. The long lag time before effects are experienced and the extremely long recovery period all but guarantee that any damage done to the aquifer will already be irreparable before it is detected. Bredehoeft also takes into account the realistic political expectation that "Few will argue for stopping the pumping once large investments in infrastructure are made to support development."

In combination these are powerful arguments for rejecting signing any agreement with Nevada over shared use of the water. Monitoring the draw-down and then trying to alleviate the damage would be futile.

[Gerald McDonough is a Snake Valley Resident in Utah.]