VIDLER | Water. Quality. Life.
Company Solutions Portfolio Vidler Management Team Corporate Management Team Contact

Nevada


Tule Desert I (Completed)
The Lincoln County Water District and Vidler ("Lincoln/Vidler") entered into a water delivery teaming agreement in 1999 (the "Teaming Agreement") to locate and develop water resources in Lincoln County, Nevada, for planned projects under the County's master plan. In 1998, the United States Government, through the Bureau of Land Management, auctioned over 13,000 acres of federally managed land in Lincoln County to real estate developers. Lincoln/Vidler determined that this land did not have adequate water resources and identified areas in Lincoln County that were the closest to this new development that could have water resources. Lincoln/Vidler drilled exploration wells and applied for new water permits for 2,100 acre-feet of groundwater. The permits were granted and the water rights were sold in October 2005 to a real estate developer for a large master planned community project in Lincoln County for approximately $15.7 million.

Spring Valley Ranch (Completed)
In 1999 Vidler identified large future water needs in southern Nevada and believed that a large water delivery infrastructure project would be pursued to move water from northeastern Nevada down to the Las Vegas area. Vidler reviewed many potential water rights acquisitions in northeastern Nevada and concluded that Spring Valley Ranch had potentially significant value not only in terms of its water resources but also as a potential development project. In 2000, Vidler purchased Spring Valley Ranch consisting of over 7,000 acres of ranchland, wildlife habitat and over 18,000 acre-feet of agricultural water rights. The ranch was sold in 2006 for approximately $22 million to a southern Nevada water utility that intends to bring the water to the Las Vegas area via a planned pipeline.

Union Pacific Railroad Water Rights (Completed)
In 2003, under the Teaming Agreement, Lincoln/Vidler purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad approximately 570 acre-feet of Meadow Valley groundwater rights located in Lincoln County, Nevada. Vidler believed these water rights could have value to certain real estate developers who had approved plans for development in Lincoln County. In 2006, Lincoln/Vidler sold these water rights for $3.4 million to the developer of a new master planned community, Coyote Springs, located approximately 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tule Desert II (Current)
Pursuant to the Teaming Agreement between Lincoln County and Vidler, Lincoln/Vidler applied for water rights in 1998 in the Tule Desert Groundwater Basin in Lincoln County, Nevada. Lincoln/Vidler received approval for a total of 7,240 acre-feet of water rights, 2,900 acre-feet of which are fully permitted water rights, and the remaining 4,340 acre-feet water rights are subject to staged development and pumping over a period of years.

Kane Springs–Coyote Springs (Current)
Pursuant to the Teaming Agreement between Lincoln County and Vidler, in 2005, Lincoln/Vidler agreed to sell approximately 1,000 acre-feet of water to a developer as and when supplies were permitted from Lincoln/Vidler's existing applications in Kane Springs, Nevada, which were filed in 1998. In January 2007, Lincoln/Vidler was awarded 1,000 acre-feet of permitted water rights by the Nevada State Engineer. At that time, Vidler directly owned 747 acre-feet of the 1,000 acre-feet of water. The Nevada State Engineer has requested additional data before making a determination on the balance of the applications, totaling 17,375 acre-feet from this groundwater basin, where Lincoln/Vidler maintains priority applications. In May 2007, Lincoln/Vidler was granted a permit to withdraw 1,000 acre-feet of groundwater from the Kane Springs Valley for future development use in Coyote Springs Valley. During 2009 and 2012, respectively, Vidler sold 247 acre-feet of water to a developer for $2.1 million and entered into an option agreement with a developer for the 500 acre-feet remaining under the permit. The option agreement with the developer expires in September 2019.

Dry Lake (Current)
In 1998, pursuant to the Teaming Agreement between Lincoln County and Vidler, Lincoln/Vidler submitted an application to the Nevada State Engineer for 1,009 acre-feet of irrigation water rights in Dry Lake Valley. In 2008, Vidler purchased approximately 795 acres of land together with the appurtenant federal grazing allotments in Dry Lake Valley in 2009, the Nevada State Engineer permitted 1,009 acre-feet of irrigation water rights to Lincoln/Vidler and, as a result, Lincoln/Vidler has completed wells and installed irrigation systems to put the water to beneficial use. In 2014 Vidler sold 200 acres of land and the associated grazing/ spring water rights for $940,000. Lincoln/Vidler believes that its’ water rights will be used for planned future development in Lincoln County.

Clover Valley, Garden Valley, Pahroc Valley and Coal Valley Groundwater Basins (Current)
Pursuant to the 1998 Teaming Agreement between Lincoln County and Vidler, Lincoln/Vidler began to apply for water rights in the above-mentioned groundwater basins for planned future development in Lincoln County. In order to support these applications, in 2007 Lincoln/Vidler began and continues to collect hydrologic data that chronicles and demonstrates the volume of recharge occurring within the basins. In addition to the ongoing hydrologic data collection activities, Lincoln/Vidler is conducting geologic mapping and surface geophysical investigations of the basins for future development of a numerical groundwater flow model. This data will be analyzed and used in support of future water right hearings on these groundwater applications.

Fish Springs Ranch Project (Current)
In 2000, Vidler purchased a controlling interest in a ranch property north of Reno, Nevada. The ranch currently consists of approximately 7,310 acres of ranchland (reduced from 7,500 acres due to sales of unessential land in 2015) and 13,000 acre-feet of fully permitted groundwater rights from the Nevada State Engineer. After several years of drilling and obtaining all appropriate federal, state and local permits, Vidler received approval to move approximately 8,000 acre-feet of groundwater from Fish Springs Ranch to the North Valleys of Reno to support planned development. The project required the construction of a 35-mile pipeline, which Vidler completed in 2008 and dedicated to the public water utility serving the North Valleys of Reno. The approximate 8,000 acre-feet of groundwater is enough water to support at least 16,000 new homes in the Reno market, specifically in the North Valleys area. While the timing is uncertain, Vidler anticipates growth in the North Valleys of Reno to resume and that the growth in new housing will result in sales of Vidler's Fish Springs water. However, no assurances can be made that such growth will materialize or that Vidler will be able to sell any of its Fish Springs water over this time frame. In 2017, Vidler entered an option to lease up to 2,600 acres to a major solar developer. The developer currently has a power purchase agreement with NV Energy for 100 mega-watts of power production. The solar project is expected to begin late 2020. In 2019, Vidler began a pilot program to determine the viability of growing Hemp for seed production on the ranch. Currently limited to one acre, the breadth may increase in subsequent years depending on the results.

Muddy River (Current)
The Muddy River is a perennial river fed by Muddy Springs in southern Nevada and flows into Lake Mead. Vidler acquired 267 acre-feet of Muddy River water rights in 2001 and believes these water rights could be used to support development in southern Nevada. Vidler currently generates annual income from leasing these water rights to a water utility in southern Nevada.

Carson/Lyon Intertie Project (Current)
Lyon County is directly east of Carson City, in west central Nevada, near the California border. New housing growth is limited in the Carson City area and, as a result, new residential development has moved east into Dayton Valley in Lyon County. In 2007, Vidler purchased municipal, industrial and agricultural water rights in Eagle Valley and the Carson River and constructed a 5.5-mile pipeline to connect, or "intertie," the municipal water systems of Carson City and Dayton Utilities. Vidler owns approximately 1,130 acre-feet of municipal water rights, and an additional 1,300 AF of municipal water rights under option. Vidler also owns 3,290 acre-feet of Carson River agricultural water rights . Vidler expects the demand for the water to come from industrial users and new housing development in Lyon County. In 2015 Vidler entered into an option agreement with a developer for the sale of approximately 700 acre-feet of municipal and industrial water rights in Lyon County.