After tucking away a $5 million check from Carson City last week, the Minden Town Board on Thursday approved the next step required in becoming a water wholesaler.
The expensive part for the town of a project to supply Minden water to Indian Hills and Carson City will be setting up the store.
That means building a 2.5-million-gallon water tank, more than two miles of pipeline between the tank and a new booster pump to move that water north.
The work Minden has to complete before it can start shipping water is not the most expensive part of the $21 million project, but it is the most crucial.
By the middle of next year, water pipelines will connect a large percentage of Douglas and Carson City for the first time in history.
The town hopes that by being able to wholesale water, it will show it is putting its water rights to beneficial use and protect them from raiders.
With the deposit of $5 million, the town has received half of the $10 million Carson City is paying for water rights, which will go to pay for the improvements Minden is planning to make.
We hope Minden finds the protection for the ground water rights it holds, and is able to provide good water to Carson without harming Carson Valley.
