The decision on where to build the Model Y may be made in a couple weeks. We are well aware of the labor situation affecting Panasonic right now, but there are other factors which may influence the site selection. So here's some insight into how water rights/availability in the GF1/Reno area may affect that decsion, written by a long-time Carson City, NV resident and GF1 "outsider" 'carsonight':
carsonight *
2 days ago
"I'm not trying to win an argument or put you down. I'm simply explaining how things work out here in the driest state in the nation.
"The industrial park has a certain quantity of water rights. Understand that water rights are bought and sold in acre feet. One acre foot is enough water to cover one acre to the depth of one foot, and is considered sufficient water for two residential dwellings or four apartments. The current price of an acre foot of water rights is something between $50k and $100k. This assumes that somebody has them and is willing to sell them. Before somebody can get a building permit they have to present proof that they have the water rights, even in town.
"The difference is that once that building permit is given the town takes responsibility for providing water, whereas those outside the city limits are subject to junior status as a holder of water rights. This means if there is a severe drought and the water table drops too far, they will be the first to not be allowed to pump water out of a well anymore. The industrial park has senior water rights, but if the drought is severe enough they too could lose their right to pump water.
"Both Reno and Sparks have acquired water rights by acquiring ranches peripheral to the city limits. The water rights came with those. There is very little in the way of additional farms or ranches to acquire. Reno tried to acquire water rights in the Honey Lake Valley in California, 60 miles north, but California put the kibosh on that. Las Vegas is trying to acquire water rights from northeastern Nevada, 400 miles away, something that is bitterly opposed there.
"You mentioned collecting water off of roofs. Understand that between April and September or October there is very little rain. Most precipitation falls in the winter and the snowpack in the mountains is very critical, because that determines if there will be water enough in the summer. Lake Tahoe has a dam that holds water to a certain elevation above its natural rim, which is determined by federal law. Reno has storage enough through Lake Tahoe and reservoirs for 3 years of no snowpack. I've seen droughts that lasted that long.
"Sparks would be the one to decide if they want to acquire property 10 miles east of the city limits to build residences there. That would mean that Sparks would have to extend full city services that far, and would not gain any water rights by so doing. Honestly I do not see that happening.
"Water rights here are critically important and most people in the know are conversant on them. I remember a few summers ago when the owner of a ranch in Carson City tried to sell 30 acre feet of water rights to Douglas County, the next county to the South. There was a storm of controversy! You would have thought Benedict Arnold had risen from the dead and walked again! The sale was rescinded."
Cheers!