Use or lose those water rights

At least one Minden resident asked a series of very important question of the town board last week.

Should Minden be providing water to the rest of the Valley and what affect will that have on its residents?

Right now Minden is supplying water to the East Valley thanks to a new 24-inch pipeline installed by the county and funded by the town.

The town will be repaid over time for the line, but Minden Town Board members agree that's not the best way to handle its water sales.

No one argued with board member Bob Hadfield when he said the town wants to be a wholesaler of water, not a retailer.

It may seem counterintutitive, but selling water is the only way the town has of protecting its resource. In Nevada, water is a state resource. Rights to that water must be put to beneficial use to be preserved. In order for Minden to maintain its water rights, it must show a willingness to have those rights put to use.

As long as the town is acting as a bank, where water rights may be purchased and put to use elsewhere, mostly for municipal use, then it can preserve its rights. The minute the town starts denying someone use of the water, that party can challenge the town's rights and perhaps take the water away.

Then the town would lose a great deal of Nevada's most valuable resource without any benefit to its residents.