One of the big issues in the events at Bunkerville Nevada was the water rights of the Bundy family. Here is how you can do your own research on who has a permit to use surface or groundwater in the state, and some details on what those permits entail. (May 2023)
Water Rights can be found using the permit number, or the name of the owner of the rights.
Begin at http://water.nv.gov/waterrights.aspx
TO FIND WHO IS THE OWNER OF A PERMIT, AND DETAILS ABOUT IT:
- Click on “Permit Search”
- Enter the name in the “Owner” field and submit.
The results will show the application number, its status, certificate number (if any) and the name of the owners.
Here are what some of the Status Codes mean:
VST- Vested Right. This means the right to use this water resources pre-dates the existing laws on water use. For surface water, the laws were created in the first decade of the 20th century. For groundwater, that law was passed in 1930.
PER-Permitted, meaning the paperwork is complete, but the state engineer has yet to sign off on the application.
CER-Certified, meaning the state engineer has approved the application.
DEN-Denied
REJ- Rejected. This seems to mean the same as denied.
RFP-Ready for action, but protested. The permit is being challenged by another party.
Certificate numbers are only given for permits granted through this process. Claims made by vested right will be found by their application number, beginning with a V.
ONCE YOU HAVE THE APPLICATION NUMBER or CERTIFICATE NUMBER YOU CAN LEARN THE DETAILS OF THE PERMIT.
Use the back arrow, or go to http://water.nv.gov/waterrights.aspx
Click on Permit Search. Now use the pull-down menu to the right of App/Permit No: and select either C for permits that are certified, of V for those that are vested.
To the right of the pull down menu where you picked C or V, put in the number of the permit, without a letter. DO NOT USE THE FIELD BELOW THAT SAYS CERTIFICATE. Leave the Owner field empty. Click Submit
Now you will get the details. I have displayed the “General” Tab. The other tabs (Maps and Due Dates, etc) will give additional information, if available.
In this example, clicking on the Maps and Due Dates tab doesn’t provide a map (Evidently not required for Vested Use Permits) but does give the priority date of 01/01/1890, meaning this claim was being used before the 1890 update to the law.
I haven’t figured out how to get the details on permits granted via Certification. If you know, please contact me and I will update this document. Tony Greiner tonygreineror@gmail.com -30-