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Well To Serve Sun City In Mesquite, NV. Abandoned

Mesquite, NV.  The Virgin Valley Water Board (VVWB) abandoned work on a new well  (#34) estimated to provide about 1,288 Acre Feet Annually (AFA) to primarily support growth in the Sun City area.

According to Kevin Brown, VVWD manager, the effort was abandoned because of the extremely poor quality of water and unfavorable pumping conditions.

While the project cost the district approximately $2,280,885, about $662,836 (30%) went to material that the Virgin Valley Water District (VVWD) can use in future projects.

In 2002 Consulting Engineers [i] identified the site location on a pre-historic spring mound with proximity to a treatment plant. The Groundwater Supply Target Area map[ii] generally suggests the same place for well #34.

Well # 34 is located in District A of Virgin Valley Water District (VVWD planning documents. District A also includes two other wells (#32 and #33), all located in Lincoln County. All three wells are providing water to Treatment Plant 32 also in Lincoln County.

Well # 32 (Zone 1:  Sun City) is in the northwest region of Mesquite and provides service to the Sun City development and a couple of other surrounding areas.

Well #33 (Zone 3: Wolf Creek) is in the northeast region of Mesquite and services Wolf Creek Golf Course, the Mesquite Municipal Airport, and the northern area of the Vista Del Monte residential development.

Well #34 (Zone 4 covers Vista Del Monte) is located northeast of Mesquite and directly east from the Mesquite Municipal Airport. The Oasis Canyons Golf Course surrounds the Vista Del Monte Area.

Well # 34 is identified in planning documents as serving the Vista Del Monte area. However, according to Brown, “Well #34 was supposed to support the growth in Zone 1 (Sun City).”

The loss of well #34 means a reduction in potential culinary water for Sun City by a projected 1,288 AFA.

In layman’s terms, 1,288 AFA, if fully dedicated to residential development, would serve 2,862 full-time permanent family residence on an annual basis.[iii]

Next in line for development is well #35 estimated to cost $5,512,000 and produce 2,012.50 AFA. [iv],[v]

Endnotes:

[i] WATERESOURCE Consulting Engineers: “Integrated Water Resource Plan” April of 2002.

[ii] “Geology and Hydrology of the Lower Virgin River Valley in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah” generally suggests the Well 34 site in the Groundwater Supply Target Areas map.

[iii] Water diversion for a full-time (permanent residence) use is evaluated at 0.45 acre-foot per family per year.

[iv] According to Virgin Valley Water District 2020 Master Plan.

[v] The estimated cost includes drilling, equipping, associated arsenic treatment, and piping.

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About Author

Michael McGreer Mesquite, Nevada
Dr. Michael Manford McGreer is managing editor of Nevada-today.com and writes on issues that impact public policy.

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