The NYE county water district (NCWD), with support from NYE county, the town of pahrump, the private well owners association, and the three private utilities in the pahrump valley basin, proposes to…

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $300,000 Project Grant under the Applied Science Grants program (CFDA 15.557) to the Nye County Water District (NCWD) in Nevada. The grant supports NCWD's efforts, with assistance from partner organizations, to incorporate new hydrologic data into the Pahrump Valley Basin groundwater model and develop a predictive model. The goals are to improve groundwater management and forecasting capabilities within the Pahrump Valley to address water resource challenges, including the impacts of planned future development and climate change. The enhanced groundwater flow model and predictive model will be used to develop integrated water management strategies among key stakeholder communities, including well owners, utility providers, environmental groups, and valley residents. The project is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2026.

The NYE county water district (NCWD), with support from NYE county, the town of pahrump, the private well owners association, and the three private utilities in the pahrump valley basin, proposes to work with the desert research institute (DRI) to incorporate new and recently available hydrologic data into the pahrump valley basin 162 groundwater model and develop a predictive model to improve groundwater management and forecasting capabilities within the valley. The project will use newly acquired well locations, borehole lithology, groundwater level measurements, and hydrologic data to enhance the existing models accuracy and to develop a predictive model to forecast how the valleys water resources will be impacted by planned future groundwater development and climate change. The improved groundwater flow model and predictive model will be used to develop integrated strategies for effective water management among three key stakeholder communities: well owners and utility-scale providers to develop cooperative measures for maintaining balanced, reliable water supplies environmental groups currently working with the US fish and wildlife service to preserve and revive native phreatophytes and threatened and endangered species in the valley and the valley residents to understand and support necessary measures to sustain water resources into the future, particularly in the light of climate uncertainty.