LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Nevada Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the state engineer acted within his authority in water decisions that stopped development at Coyote Springs, a master-planned community north of Las Vegas envisioned as a home for 250,000 people.
Coyote Springs, about 50 miles away via Interstate 15 and U.S. 93, became a test of how the state could manage water rights in the public interest. A test discovered that several groundwater basins were interconnected, and water for Coyote Springs would mean the water would dry up somewhere else.
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Advocates hailed the decision as a win for wildlife including the endangered Moapa dace, a small fish that lives in habitat created by springs that feed the Muddy River.
“This is a monumental victory for the conservation of water resources in a time of escalating climate change and drought,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Nevada’s animals are already under stress from the lack of water resources, and our victory will help ensure that industry and developers don’t leave wildlife high and dry.”