September 15, 2006

Mesquite Local News - ©Mesquite Media Group, LLC

Strip Residents Plan To Squash VVWD Water Deal

By Morris Workman

According to Bishop Reber, RIPPLE meetings involving residents from Beaver Dam, Scenic, Littlefield, and Desert Springs usually deteriorate into unproductive arguments.

However, the 150 strip residents in attendance at the Beaver Dam Elementary School were united in their stance on Thursday to deny Mesquite even a drop of Arizona water.

The conflict has arisen over a contract between Wind River LLC and the Virgin Valley Water District.

Wind River has offered to lease up to 14,500 acre-feet of water each year to the VVWD for up to $6 million per year.

The Mesquite area, which is expected to reach a population of 20,000 within the next 18 months and up to 30,000 in the next five years with the completion of the Pulte project, is the most likely local customer.

By RIPPLE estimates, the four strip communities have approximately 2,263 homes, and 5,209 residents.

Water experts often estimate that one acre-foot of water will satisfy the water needs of one household for a year.

While Virgin Valley currently has more than enough water for the anticipated growth, the Mormon Wells water is attractive because it does not contain arsenic, a naturally-occuring semi-metal.

By a new federal mandate, water districts across the country must now build expensive arsenic treatment plants for water which contains as little as 10 parts per billion.

If the VVWD was able to mix the arsenic-free water with its current supply, it might get the parts-per-billion under that level, negating the need for a planned arsenic treatment plant which the district is already preparing.

RIPPLE, a community-based organization, is planning to file a protest with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the government agency which must approve the sale.

“Mesquite business men are taking dead aim at our water,” said one speaker during the meeting, setting the tone for what became an anti-Mesquite rally.

“Do we want Wind River to allow Virgin Valley to get the water?” the speaker asked.

“No!” shouted the crowd.

Several of the speakers on Thursday referred to the water as “our water,” despite the fact that the liquid in question is actually owned by Wind River LLC, a husband and wife team that owns property near Mormon Wells, along with the water shares that go along with it.

Unlike Nevada, where all ground water is actually owned by the state, Arizona water is owned by water shareholders as part of their land rights.

Several of the speakers ignored the fact that the Virgin Valley Water District currently provides a portion of the water used by the Beaver Dam Water Authority, instead using scare tactics to rally the citizens.

“Beaver Dam communities will not survive without water,” the speaker said.

“Please don’t destroy our community by giving away our water.”

“If we allow transfer of water, not only is it damaging to us, it establishes a dangerous precedent,” said Bob Frisby, the owner of the privately-owned Beaver Dam Water Company which gets a portion of it’s water from VVWD.

Frisby also took a verbal poke at the Federal government for allowing Mesquite to grow.

“If the Federal government wasn’t giving BLM land to Mesquite, they wouldn’t need our water,” Frisby said.

Jack Riley, a representative of Great America Land, LLC, painted even worse scenarios.

“We’re terrified of this application,” Riley said. “If this measure is approved, it will damage property owners in this room. It will cause wells to go dry, foundations will crack, and houses here will be worthless.

“We’re behind you on this,” Riley continued, pointing out that he currently has two attorneys working to block the deal.

According to Riley, Great America has 2,000 acres in the Arizona strip. With plans to possibly develop the land, the Las Vegas company has reason to try and keep water near their parcel.

Mesquite wasn’t Riley’s only target.

“Lincoln County knew they had no water in the 13,500 acres they auctioned last year. They’ll be coming to get our water next.”

Both Riley and Frisby donated $500 each to pay the $5 registration fees for citizens to join RIPPLE.

Before Riley’s remarks, VVWD board president Kraig Hafen addressed the hostile crowd.

“If I lived here, I would have done the same thing you’re trying to do here,” Hafen said. “But your complaint needs to be directed at Wind River. It’s not our application.

“My position as a Virgin Valley Water District board member is this: If there’s water that’s going out of here, I want it to stop at Mesquite.”

The lone positive voice from the Arizona crowd came from Steve McIntyre, a local resident who also was part of the brain trust that worked on the Wind River plan.

“I’m a neighbor, and I think this may be a positive. It’s not like the water will be sent to Las Vegas.

“This (Mesquite and the Arizona strip towns) is one community separated by a state line. Mesquite is where we go to shop.”

McIntyre received some boos when he said “If Mesquite dries up and blows away, we won’t be far behind.”

McIntyre also tried to explain to the crowd that the piping costs to the Virgin Valley Water District for sending water from remote wells to citizens can be extremely expensive, another reason the Wind River project is a good idea.

“That’s their problem,” one member of the crowd shouted in response.

Land developer Blaine Rudd, another speaker, admitted that water companies in the four Arizona strip communities can’t currently handle the water from Mormon Wells.

“Maybe the infrastructure isn’t the best here, yet,” Rudd said, “But developers will eventually pay for the infrastructure. We have the water, we just need to keep it.”

The only female speaker to address the crowd pointed out that “The people in Wind River don’t live here. They’re getting millions of dollars for this water. Please save our homes.”

Frisby finished off the discussion by pointing out that the VVWD had asked about Beaver Dam’s water usage.

“They asked, ‘how much water do you need?’ My answer is, every drop.”

RIPPLE will now send petitions collected during Thursday’s rally to the state capital, as well as working with county and legislative representatives to block approval of Wind River’s application.