Congress is currently considering the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024. If this bipartisan bill eventually becomes law, which is likely, the Nye County Water District will benefit from a $10 million windfall.

As Dann Weeks, general manager of the Nye County Water District, noted, such a large amount of funding would greatly assist the board’s efforts to protect, conserve and provide water resources in the county.

“I’m very proud to present this to you and to the public,” Weeks announced during the Nye County Water District Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, August 13. “We don’t know exactly what this money is going to be used for yet. But I wanted to let you know, I wanted to make it public because it’s been circulating in the community. There’s been some misinformation about this $10 million and I wanted to – no pun intended – throw water on the fire.”

Weeks stressed that the potential $10 million in federal funds would belong exclusively to the water district and would not be shared with other entities.

“I have made sure that the Nye County administration and the county manager have been 100% clear that this $10 million is for the Nye County Water District and will not be commingled with any other Nye County projects. This $10 million will not be diverted or diverted to any other program,” Weeks assured. “This money will not be used for any project in Nye County that is not designated by this board. Period, end of story.”

Explaining how the funding opportunity came about, Weeks said it was Nye County Commissioner Frank Carbone who brought the congressional budget proposal to Weeks’ attention. Weeks immediately recognized the value of the opportunity, put together a proposal for the water district and submitted it to Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto’s office, where the proposal was then included in the proposal.

“The bill has been introduced, it has passed the Senate and is on its way to the House. Once it passes the House, it will go to the President for his signature,” Weeks said, adding, “And all indicators point to us expecting it to pass.”

And while funding certainly comes with a plethora of rules and regulations that must be followed, Weeks said the district is ready to take on the challenge, “because $10 million is the amount we need on this board to get something done.”

S.4367 was introduced by Senator Thomas Carper of Delaware and would provide for improvements to the United States’ rivers and harbors and for the conservation and development of water and related resources. The section of the bill dealing with the water district’s funding request states: “Nye County, Nevada – $10 million for environmental infrastructure, including water and wastewater infrastructure (including Pahrump Valley well field and pipeline).”

“The parameters of how we can spend this money are not yet set, but these are the broad strokes of how we will spend the money,” Weeks noted.

Eileen Christensen, founder and president of BEC Environmental, which has worked closely with the water district to secure external revenue streams, shared her thoughts on Congress’s budget proposal as well as Weeks’ overall performance.

“I think Mr. Weeks has done an outstanding job, above and beyond,” she noted at the end of the discussion. “He’s a one-man army, it’s amazing how much he’s been able to accomplish. The potential of this funding is enormous.”

To track the status of the bill, visit Congress.gov and search for S.4367 – 118th Congress (2023-2024).

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at [email protected]

Goedhart takes over the chairmanship of the Water Committee

Helene Williams successfully served as chair of the Nye County Water District Board of Directors for the past two years, playing a key role in bringing new momentum to the board after it was dissolved in late 2021 and revived in 2022. However, because the board’s bylaws limit the amount of time members can spend in the position, Williams has now officially passed on the gavel.

Ed Goedhart was unanimously elected as the new chairman by his fellow board members, and Williams was elected vice chairman during the board meeting on August 13.

Michael Lach, a member of the Water Committee, nominated both, starting with Goedhart.

“With his 30-plus years of institutional experience, he understands water as well as anyone I talk to,” Lach said. “I think as our chair, with his knowledge of running meetings, he will continue to push us in the direction we want to go. And I thank our chair for the fantastic job she has done and her dedication.”