Originally published February 27, 2007

Concerned with the “potential impacts” of exporting water from their state, four Arizona Corporation commissioners and a state house of representatives member came to Beaver Dam to hear residents’ objections to an application to transport Beaver Dam water to Nevada.

“We’re here because of the potential impact of the proposal to export water out of the state of Arizona,” said Commissioner Kristin Mayes. “Our main concern is to protect the customers of the utilities, and — if necessary — use the bully pulpit when we address this for the people of Arizona.”

The three-hour town hall meeting held Thursday evening at Beaver Dam High School was the commissioners’ chance to hear directly from residents who opposed the application by Wind River Resources to transport up to 14,000 acre-feet annually of ground water from Beaver Dam Wash to the Virgin Valley Water District in Nevada.

It also was a prelude to the three-day administrative hearing on the Wind River Resources application that will be conducted by administrative law judge Thomas Shedden this weekend in Beaver Dam.

About 270 people crowded into the Beaver Dam High School gym prompting Mayes to say, “I’m awed by the turnout.”

Twenty-one residents took the podium to express their opposition to the application and their gratitude to the commissioners and McLain for coming to Beaver Dam from Phoenix. Only one person spoke in favor of the application — John Michael, executive director of Wind River Resources.

Michael was the penultimate speaker, but his time at the podium was punctuated by tense exchanges with commissioners. Earlier in the meeting, Jack Riley of Great America Land Company had told commissioners that the administrative hearing judge had denied allowing No Nevada Water Grab attorneys the chance to present the organization’s case.

“We were muzzled, in effect,” Riley said, calling the denial an “all-out frontal assault” by Wind River Resources which had opposed the attorneys’ documents to intervene.

“Why would you oppose intervention (documents) on the application if you want a hearing based on facts and information?” asked Jeff Hatch-Miller, Arizona Corporation Commission chair.

“Of course we opposed the intervention,” Michael responded. “It was based on lies and deceit.”

“If you want the administrative law judge to have as much information as possible, you would not oppose intervention,” said Commissioner William Mundell.

“Is it your plan to use that water for development on the Nevada side?” asked Mayes.

“We’re supplying it to Mesquite,” Michael said. “They’ll pay $200 to $400 an acre-foot. Riley says they’ll sell it for $35,000 an acre-foot to Las Vegas. That’s an outrageous lie.

“This water will never end up in Las Vegas. Mesquite (Virgin Valley Water District) never sold a drop of water to Las Vegas.”

“What assurances do people have about the water they hope to have available in the future?” asked Hatch-Miller.

“When we say that everyone in Arizona is served first, we mean it,” Michael said. “The water is from a different part of the aquifer.”

“I’m going to ask the Arizona Department of Water Resources to be very careful in this case,” Hatch-Miller said. “Arizona doesn’t allow transfer of water from one territory in the state to another. We want to make it right for you, right for them, right for the state of Arizona.”

“We’re concerned with the state as a whole,” said commissioner Gary Pierce. ‘This issue here affects us everywhere along our border. The governor and the legislature need to look into these policies. When Nancy (McLain) got word of this meeting she asked to come with us.”

Beaver Dam residents continued to oppose Wind River Resources’ application to transport water to VVWD based on a range of issues including the future growth and self-determination of the area, undue hardship for residents, compounding current drought conditions, land subsidence, setting a potentially dangerous precedent and forcing local water companies to drill deeper wells and pass along steeper costs to customers.

“The man with the biggest straw wins in an unmanaged water district,” said Beaver Dam resident Darrell Garlic. “I have to mention the precedence that will be set. Everyone will have the opportunity to put the biggest straw in and take water wherever they want. This single decision could play out for centuries in Arizona.”

“There has been misinformation and hyperbole about the Wind River Resources application,” Michael said. “They’ll be taking water from an aquifer 700 feet below the aquifer in Beaver Dam. Little or no damage will be done to wells in Beaver Dam. People are frightened that their wells will go dry. They’ve been manipulated and misled. We’re getting the water from a deeper distinct aquifer.

“We will serve Arizona first. Mesquite can’t receive water unless Arizona gets their water first. Arizona needs must be met first.”

Bob Frisby, Beaver Dam Water Company owner, said no one has proven to him that the two aquifers are separate.

“Without a monitoring well, there’s no certainty at all there’s not any separations of conductivity between the two,” he said.