Bill would allow for collection of rainwater in Nevada
CARSON CITY — Collection of rainwater for domestic use or for thirsty wildlife would be authorized in Nevada water law under a bill heard Thursday by a Senate committee.
Senate Bill 74, sponsored by the state Division of Water Resources, also seeks to allow additional time for water right holders to show they are putting the precious resource to beneficial use when basins are designated as being in a drought.
Nevada water law has a “use it or lose it” doctrine, where water rights not put to beneficial use can be passed on to someone else.
The change in SB74 is intended to encourage conservation over waste.
State Engineer Jason King told members of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources that the provisions of the bill came out of recommendations from the Governor’s Drought Forum. Hearings held around the state as northern Nevada was gripped by a fourth year of drought focused on the shortcomings of century-old water law.
One topic addressed by the forum was the collection of rainwater for domestic and wildlife uses. Existing law “does not specifically address the permissibility of rainwater capture and use, but limits the diversion and use of water in the state to entities that have been granted a water right,” King told the committee.
“The forum agreed that the water law could be amended to allow for the use of small-scale rainwater capture devices,” King said.
The bill restricts the use of rain barrels to single-family dwellings for domestic use, but does not put a limit on the volume of rainwater that can be collected.
“We feel that a person should be able to capture and beneficially use all the water they could normally collect from the roof of their single-family home,” King said.
An amendment initially proposed by Southern Nevada Water Authority to limit guzzler capacity to 5,000 gallons was opposed by wildlife officials and others who argued the cap was too small. A 20,000-gallon limit was agreed to in concept.
Nevada has about 345 large guzzlers that average 32-feet by 40-feet square in size; and about 1,270 smaller guzzlers average 8-by-12 feet square, according to testimony.
The bill would also authorize the state engineer to create an advisory committee on water planning and drought.
While the concept of the committee was favored, it was recommended the name be changed to emphasize conservation over planning.
No action was taken by the committee and amendments to clarify language are anticipated.
Contact SandraChereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter.
