Groundwater Rights Retirement Program

The Humboldt River Basin Water Authority (HRBWA) was recently granted $8 million to purchase and retire groundwater rights from willing sellers. 

The program, the Nevada Water Conservation and Infrastructure Initiative, is meant to purchase and permanently retire groundwater rights from willing sellers in groundwater basins with insufficient water supply to serve all water rights and domestic wells. 

Click here for a list of over-pumped and over-appropriated groundwater basins in the Humboldt River Basin and here for maps showing the location of these basins.

If your water right is in the Central Hydrographic Region click here to submit an online application.

The deadline to apply is January 22, 2024. A list of prospective sellers must be submitted to the state by February 1, 2024.

Submission of an application does not bind the Seller or HRBWA.  If the HRBWA approves an application, the purchase will be contingent upon a showing of marketable title for the groundwater right(s) to the satisfaction of the HRBWA in its sole discretion, execution of a binding purchase and sale agreement, a restrictive covenant, a grant bargain and sale deed, any forms required by the Nevada Division of Water Resources, and such additional documents that may be required to effectuate the purchase.

Applications can be submitted online or downloaded and mailed to:

HRBWA Groundwater Rights Retirement Program P.O. Box 4270 Carson City, NV 89702

If you have any questions, please review the FAQ document. For any additional questions, please use the Contact Form.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal allocation number 36 SLFRP2634 allocated to the State of Nevada by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.