Common sense should cause both Arizona and Nevada to be super wary of any plan to purchase water from California. Getting a water bill from California will only grow the problem (“Nevada may ease Colorado River worries with California ocean desalination deal,” (June 3 Review-Journal).
A better plan would be to partner with Mexico and build a desalination plant in the Sea of Cortez, with offsetting credits to the current treaty requirements to provide water from the Colorado River.
Both California and Nevada have sought water from the Owen’s Valley and Northern Nevada, which did not work. And the history of Owen’s Valley dry lake and court decisions have taught us this is not the way.
Charging California farmers a penny more per gallon would be a big help while our water managers work with the federal government in addressing the issue in September, as it now appears will be the case.
