Walker Basin Farmers Retire Groundwater

The Walker Basin Conservancy and Fulstone family are pleased to announce a new water acquisition that protects groundwater in Smith Valley. The Conservancy has purchased 500 acre-feet of primary groundwater from the Fulstone family and has filed permanent relinquishment documents with the State, making the groundwater unavailable for future pumping. This action will help stabilize groundwater tables in Smith Valley, reduce impacts of groundwater withdrawal on the Walker River, support long-term agricultural production, and help align water use with available resources in the region.

“The Fulstone Family has been supportive of the initiative proposed and funded by The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,” said Steven Fulstone. “This creative solution to a difficult problem will help preserve our underground aquafer for future generations, hopefully without the need for any future curtailment possibilities.”

The Conservancy received funding for the transaction through the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (NDCNR) Nevada Water Conservation and Infrastructure Initiative. In 2023, the Nevada Legislature authorized funding to support water conservation projects across the State. NDCNR made funding available to purchase and permanently retire groundwater rights from willing sellers in groundwater basins with insufficient water supply to serve all water rights.

“With the continued support of partners like the Walker Basin Conservancy we are able to coordinate with water right holders throughout Nevada in an effort to stabilize our over-pumped and overappropriated water basins,” said NDCNR Director James Settelmeyer. “Voluntary groundwater retirement is a valuable tool to ensure our groundwater systems continue to strengthen the vitality of our communities, environment, and economy.”

“It’s uplifting to see the State investing in managing water demands for future generations of Nevadans,” said Peter Stanton of the Walker Basin Conservancy. “Addressing over-pumping in basins head on in our region is essential to set agriculture and development on a sustainable path for the coming decades.”

The Department’s Nevada Water Conservation and Infrastructure Initiative provided pilot funding for groundwater rights retirement in over-pumped and over-appropriated regions throughout the State.

Groundwater levels in the Walker River’s Smith and Mason Valleys have been declining for decades. During drought years in the 2010s, several domestic and agricultural wells ran dry. Recent studies have demonstrated that groundwater declines also impair river conditions and further reduce flows to Walker Lake.

The Walker Basin Conservancy leads the efforts to increase the flows of the Walker River and restore a fishery at Walker Lake. Over the last decade, the Conservancy has worked with 156 farmers and ranchers on temporary and permanent water rights transactions and acquired 56% of the water needed to restore a fishery at Walker Lake. The Conservancy has relinquished more than 11,000 acre-feet of groundwater since 2014.