Lander County, NV (Reno, Elko, Fallon: lawyer, realty, showing)

[olecapt]

Wonderful post...best read in a dog's age.

One thing though. You can always put in a well in Nevada if there is not a water main within 300 feet or so of your property. You get 2 acre feet per annum.

This of course assumes there is water under your property.

[Dusted Eagle]

OleCapt:

You might want to double-check on it. If my info is not correct, I will stand corrected.

The State Engineer is the only person who authorizes permits for water wells. You can find plenty of people willing to drill a hole for you, at about $100 a foot, illegally, without a permit or a state contractor's license. After the hole is drilled, you got to plumb it to your house and holding tank. Plus, you need power to the well to run the pump.

There is a statute that says it is a felony to "steal" water. So, if you drill your own well, without a permit, you'll go to jail for a couple of years, AS AN EXAMPLE TO YOUR NEIGHBORS.

My reason for doubting this, is that an acre foot of water, 15 years ago, cost $3,500. I doubt if any governmental agency is giving it away, when they have the option of selling it to you. You probably don't have a "right" to the water, except that the well-permit will probably include a yearly fee for the stated amount of water to be taken from the ground, with your well. I'm sure the state will even meter your well, to do this.

If you read up, you will see, you cannot drill a well "unless" the county refuses to provide service. Now, if they refuse to provide service, there might be a provision about how much water you can take from your hole in the ground, after the well drilling has been approved.

For those who thanked me with their comments, I say you are welcome.

For those who decide to make a "life decision" by moving, anywhere, not just to BFE, Nevada, you need to know the facts, and need to realistically weigh your personal abilities as well as all financial decisions.

I met a guy once, who told me he lived in the country, neqar NYC. I asked where, and he said, "Flushing."

Don't let the Martha Stewarts fool you. I once had mice eat the insulation off of my battery cables on my pick-it-up truck. It was done near the steering knuckles, and I never noticed it as I did my twice yearly maintenance. Once in the fall, then in the springtime. I replaced items then, that I did not want to break down in 120 degree summer. Try climbing under your truck in that temp! Actually, forget about the temp. You'll be sharing the ground with red-ants and mice, who are also looking for shade!

When the first snow came, one year, I drove to town to stock up on some items I really didn't need, and when the snow which turned to water under my truck hit those wires, I blew out my electrical system. I left the truck on the side of the road, pushed off, walked home in the blizzard, and waited 5 days for parts. Then I went back and fixed it on the highway and drove home. I called the sherrif, who told me not to worry, because nobody patrolled that end of the county. But, they did notify the NHP, just in case they did.

Remember, AAA will come and help you, but even with their membership they will be very upset about it. They came out once to help me, then cancelled my premier membership for a year. I've been a member since 1967!

Why didn't I ask a neighbor for help? They are all retired and in their 80's and don't even know enough to let water drip in their sinks to keep their pipes from freezing. Every year they run around town stating that their pipes are frozen and blaming it on the local two-person run water company. They hated me, because my water never froze. Also, they never heard o heat-tapes, and if they did, did not know they had to be replaced each year. Some people even complain about the contractors and architects who designed or built their housing, saying that if it was done properly, they wouldn't have to shovel the 10 feet of snow off their roof and decks, as they should be able to withstand those types of loads.

Oh, roofs. Don't forget to get on your roof to shut down your water to your cooler in the winter, and turn it back on in the summer. You'll have to replace the tubing each year that runs from your water heater to the cooler (or pull it off and indoors for the winter) as well as its pump, drive-belt and drum bearings.

Live in town? Do you know when you need to oil your furnace and where the oil intake ports are located? A new fan for your furnace costs about $25 bucks. Who's gonna drive 250 miles to install it, if you don't know how to do it?

Bye-Bye!

Oh, one last thought about wells. Do you know whether or not there is even any water under your property, to sink a well? The state hydrologist can tell you. If there is no water, why waste the time and money to drill for it? If there is a mine in the area, you can bet their operations are dropping the water table. Need to go lower every couple years for this? A dry well in Nevada cannot be extended. It must be capped and a new one built. So why spend 10 or 20 grand every few years for a new well? Its kind of like going green. You can get a really great whole house system that provides DC juice to your batteries, and then runs through your converster to AC for your house. But, you will need some DC appliances, to keep your battery-bank from dying out for electricity on cloudy days. For hot water, you can use your panels to heat your water, before it goes in to your electric water heater, to keep it hot. All great things. At 80 years old, are you going to pay out 50 grand for the system and never recoup your money before you die in 10 or 20 years? Even the 600 a month for propane will cost you less in the long run.

Oh, here's a little legal info. Doesn't matter where you live. If you die and the county administrator cannot find your next of kin, your property is sold at public auction, for non-payment of taxes. Any money owed to creditors for the house/land will be included in the sale. So, if all of your stuff is paid off and you pass away with no family to contact, the county sells it for money due, and then they dump all your stuff in the trash can, except for money which is put into the "lost money" fund that the state operates. No real profit is made for the sale. That is why you always hear about land/house auctions, and why they are being done.

In Nevada, if you are ever arrested, for anything, including the issuance of a moving violation, the police make an "Alpha" card that they keep on file that contains your information. If you've never been arrested, you can go to the station and ask that they make an Alpha card for you, which contains all of your personal information. You can tell the clerk to put a NOK or ICE information on it (so they will know who your next of kind or in case of emergency info is), should you become deceased. You can also tell the cops when you are on vacation, so they can do a drive by to make sure the place isn't on fire, while you are out of town. That is, if they actually even patrol your neck of the woods!

[olecapt]

From the horses mouth...

Is a permit required to drill a domestic well within the State of Nevada?

No. Domestic wells are the only type of water well exempt from the State Engineer’s permitting process (Nevada Revised Statutes 534.080 and 534.180). Domestic use is defined as uses associated with culinary and household purposes directly related to a single-family dwelling, including, without limitation, the watering of a family garden and lawn and the watering of livestock and any other domestic animals or household pets, if the amount of water drawn does not exceed 1,800 gallons per day.
(Editors note - this was recently changed to 2 Acre feet per annum)

When is the drilling of a domestic well forbidden?

When the subject parcel of land can be physically and legally supplied water from a public water supply.

NDWR - Frequently Asked Questions

Also not metered. We do have quaint customs in Nevada.

Stay away from wells Eagle - not your bag.

In one of my side jobs I am an officer of the Nevada Well Owners.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by jilliew

About 30 years I bought 10 acres in Lander, Co for $1k. I basically bought it because I had the $$$, it was cheap and intended it to be a long term investment. All this time it's just been sitting there and I've paid the taxes every year, said no to mineral mining and let them spray for beetles. Recently, I have started receiving offers from Real Estate Investment Companies. One offered $1000 just in a letter, but others made me formal offers. My most recent offer is $5k. The one before that was $3,800, and three before that were in the hight $2k's. It makes me wonder if something is going on that I don't know about or should I thank my lucky stars and take the money and run. I don't even know where the property is, I've never gone to see it. I pay my taxes to Battle Mountain tax assessor. Anybody know anything or have any good advice. Thanks in advance. Jill

Are there any minerals known to be present there in sufficient abundance to make commercial mining practical? Like uranium maybe? World requirement for U is 150 millions pounds per year, but current world production is only 100 million pounds per year. The difference is being made up by reprocessing former USSR weapons materials, but that source runs out about 2010 or so. Meanwhile, there are 42 new nuke power plants on the drawing boards in the USA, and 40 each for Russia, China and India over the next two decades. Gotta mine a lot of U to meet that growing demand...with oil becoming more scarce (per the book "The Oil Factor"). If you don't need the money, wait and see what's going on. Lander County seems to be home to the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste facility, perhaps some firms are speculating on land needs for something in relation to that facility.

One old trick in politics is to delay a project until the pols and their pals buy up all the land nearby, then make a killing later. I saw this in Baltimore, MD where the GOP guys bought up one proposed path of I-70 through the city, the DEMs bought land along the other proposed path of I-70. They fought over which path would be built. That went on for decades. The highway never did get build, I-70 ends just inside the Baltimore Beltway. Maybe Yucca Mountain is about get out of the delays and go into actual usage.

[imbobbbb]

mike,yucca mtn is in southern nevada,nowhere near lander county.perhaps jilliew someone is hoping to cash in on the current trend of selling land sight unseen on e bay for much more then market value to out of stateres who have no idea of the current market rate for the given parcel.i would go on ebay and see what people are asking for land near yours,prices that are laughable to a local often seem like a good deal to a dreamer 2 thousand miles away who has no real idea of what hes buying.

[Dusted Eagle]

Thanks for the info Capt. I've been here in Nevada for about 35 years. Things do change, and I don't admit to being the complete authority. Should I ever decide to do a well, I will check everything out first, which was and will always be my suggestions. Always ask. Nothing is my bag. I always check things out first, and let others know that they should, also.

Something for all, that I just remembered. Most counties in Nevada also do not apply the inspection process for building permits. Example: Big cities may require inspections and plan checks for everything from the foundation up. Other counties, like Lander, only require a plan check or inspection for a "roof." This may have changed also. But considering how people are still leaving Lander more than moving in, this information may also proove current.

Yes, we do have different customs, here.

Mike, if I remember, correctly, most uranium is mined east of LV, in Utah. Now the price on uranium is rising, the mining tycoons are considering the reopening of these mines. Many of the folks who live n the area, have swam/played in ponds/lakes, drank the water, etc., and have come down with cancers. Very sad situation.

Oh, also, if I remember correctly, again check out the Lander County web site, the feds do have two proposed plans of buying up land and building RR tracks on either side of highway 376(?) running through Lander county, to the depositaory at Yucca Mountain. Considering how so many tiny communities/house are located on Hwy 376, they could run through the middle of towns like Kingston, or at least take a big chunk out of them.

I don't know what property prices are like there, these days, but the feds are only going to pay you fair market value. Of course, the whole Yucca thig may not even happen. I said this years ago to friends and family, we'll probably have another war and uncle won't have the bucks to finish the project. Oh, well...

Have a great week-end, all!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Dusted Eagle

Thanks for the info Capt. I've been here in Nevada for about 35 years. Things do change, and I don't admit to being the complete authority. Should I ever decide to do a well, I will check everything out first, which was and will always be my suggestions. Always ask. Nothing is my bag. I always check things out first, and let others know that they should, also.
!

Not really. Domestic wells were around long before you came to Nevada Dusted Eagle. Only thing that has changed since WWII is the quantity allowed.

[Dusted Eagle]

Well, Capt, you might want to also look at NRS 534.120, and its administrative code. It talks about the State Engineer's ability to decline well permits when the location is served by county's, etc., when the ability to decline would benefit the public interest. So, it would appear that I was more correct than in error regarding my comments.

Sorry you decided to take a dump on me. I would have never done it to you. Its called, being a "gentleman."

I already apologized for any misinformation that I may have stated, and believe that my willingness to stand corrected was in good faith.

So, go pick on someone else, buddy!

Second thoughts. For those that are truly interested in water issues in Nevada, I would suggest looking at the Capt's NDWR link above, and also this link to the Nevada Domsestic Well Owners Assn: nevadawellowners.org

I'll let public opinion decide whether I am misinformed, or whether or not you are attempting to misinform.

Water issues in Nevada are very touchy subjects. My personal belief has always been, that is a homeowner has a well or septic, they should not be forced into buying-in to a city/county system, that just happens to come into the neighborhood.

But, I also believe that if the well runs dry, then the homeowner would have no choice but to hook-up with the city.

The same way, should a failed septic system be shut down becaue it threatens public water, that the homeowner would have no choice but to tie-in with the municipal sewer.

Unfortunately, for us old timers, Nevada has become a haven for people who do not want to pay state income taxes, and for those who do not want to participate in their communities, in any way, except to whine and complain about growth.

Water is a public resource. Why should I have to pay for it, and others don't?

If you hunt and fish, game animals and fish are public resources, also. Why should people poch, while others have to pay for licenses and permits?

The answer is, that when you live somewhere that does not have a tax base, how does anybody in their right mind expect our resources to be managed, for free?

I also do not agree with the City of Las Vegas charging casinos more money for their water use. I believe that they should conserve water, just like everybody else, for the public good. The Balagio in Vegas loses about 10,000 gallons o water a day due to evaporation. They have a special permit and pay a price to waste this water. They should be forced to shut their faucets out, just like veryone else.

Nobody in Nevada, in my opinion, or anywhere else, is better than their neighbors. Go look at the news in Atlanta, and their water troubles.

But, when you explain your position to someone, Capt., please do it in a correct manner. Your quote regarding domestic water, was the definition of what domestic water is. My quote about the State Engineer was information, in the statutes, that says that person does not have to approve well permits, when there is a water purveyer serving the community.

To say that I was wrong with my comments, is to mislead the people reading here. Your personal position, based on what I have read from you and the links provided, appears to be that well owners should not have to be required to hook-up to municipal water systems, REGARDLESS of the issues.

I don't believe that this is fair to the people who also share that same water, but have to pay for it. Either give it waway to everybody for free, or charge everybody for it. And, if your well runs dry, then you hook-up to the city.

Don't tell me I am wrong about something, just because you don't agree with my position.

Misleading the public is something I have seen going on by our politicians and members of town councils/GID's etc., who only look for their position in the statutes and not the big picture of why the statute was written.

So, if you are unhappy with the law, change it. I have no problem with abiding by the law. Its called the democratic process.



Again, have a nice weekend!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Dusted Eagle

Well, Capt, you might want to also look at NRS 534.120, and its administrative code. It talks about the State Engineer's ability to decline well permits when the location is served by county's, etc., when the ability to decline would benefit the public interest. So, it would appear that I was more correct than in error regarding my comments.

Sorry you decided to take a dump on me. I would have never done it to you. Its called, being a "gentleman."

I already apologized for any misinformation that I may have stated, and believe that my willingness to stand corrected was in good faith.

So, go pick on someone else, buddy!

You will know if I am "picking on you" dusted eagle. I am not. A lttile blumt perhaps. Just like to keep the well stuff straight.

Your comment is irrelevant. A domestic well does not require a permit. So what the State Engineer can do about permits really does not make much of a difference does it?

[Dusted Eagle]

NRS 534.050 Permit to appropriate water required before sinking well in designated groundwater basin; requirements in undesignated areas; waivers; penalties. [Effective through December 31, 2007.]
1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 and NRS 534.180, every person desiring to sink or bore a well in any basin or portion therein in the State designated by the State Engineer, as provided for in this chapter, must first make application to and obtain from the State Engineer a permit to appropriate the water, pursuant to the provisions of chapter 533 of NRS relating to the appropriation of the public waters, before performing any work in connection with the boring or sinking of the well.

If anyone is willing to scroll-back and re-read my comments, they appear to be based on the above-information.

Capt is correct about exceptions, as stated elsewhere in the statutes. But, if you reread my postings, what I talked about was the need to think about water issues and to look into permit requirements.

Anybody can click onto the statutes and read through them.

To go into over-kill, on the Capts part, because he takes issue to those water regulations that pertain to him, personally, and not to just the general pubhlic, as I stated, I believe, was a little out of line.

So, I have said what I needed to say.

God night, and go to bed, Capt. Tommorow is another day to continue your fight.

I just don't think this is the forum to continue to do so.

I won't continue with your contest.

You should never argue with an idiot, because those watching, most always, won't know who is who.