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As to our procedure in regard to d rillin g this area* the questica most frequently asked is — How fa r is the State Engineer going to re strict or cu rta il d r illin g into the artesian basin here? I can answer that only in a general way* Mr. Shamberger can aJ30wer i t much better than I can. Give him a chance to t e l l you a lo t o f things I can discuss here only im perfectly. But our thought is this - - that, naturally, we know the draft on the underground supply on this basin exceeds the re-charge* We would be working a definite hardship and cu rta il and re s tr ic t the development in this community i f we restricted d r illin g , but there are c r it ic a l areas supplying water for municipal use here that we w ill have to watch very closely because i t would not be right - i t would be doing the community and the c ity harm i f we permitted promiscuous and heavy drafts and d rillin g in that area which is at present supplying the water to most of the people here* i f we know that such d rillin g would diminish the amount of water. Mow, I don’ t mean to say that we should protect the lo ca l Water Company beyond the extent that i t would prevent the lowering of the hydrostatic head generally* or the extent to whioh they can go to help or put in new w ells and machinery in order to supply the community. I think i t should be necessary fo r them to do that ju st so long as there is no over-draft upon the re-charge in this basin. And that not only applies to them but to every water user. In other words, the overall development of the basin should not be restricted u n til we know that there is more water being taken out of i t than is going into i t . Anything else would harm this community*. I think that ju st about covers a ll I have to say in a general way. We w ill make an attempt to answer some of the questions whioh, no doubt, these people who are interested here and who have risked money and time in the development of this community, wish to ask, and we w ill answer them the best we can. I want to say that we are doing the best we can in this situation , and we have d e fin itely had your interests at heart a ll the way through. As you know, p ra ctica lly no work along this line has been done in this area u n til we went into the o ffic e of the State Engineer some nine years ago, I thank you, (Applause) CHAIRMAN KELCH* Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. New may we hear from Mr. Shamberger. MR. SHAMBERGER* Mr. Chairman, Members of the Chamber of Commerce, and guests* While here in Las Vegas Valley on the matter of conservation of water, we have had very fin e cooperation from the City and County o ffic ia ls - fin e cooperation from the w ell d r ille r s , and also from many of the w ell owners. What we need now is the cooperation of every water user in this area, and that includes everyone. Under the laws of the State relating to underground water, the under­ground water in the Valley belongs to the public, eubjeot to existing rights - subject to the rights of b en eficia l use. When a person makes application to our o ffic e fo r a permit, and fin a lly obtains a c e r tific a te , he merely obtains a right to the use of the water* he doesn’ t obtain t i t l e to the water. That always remains the property of the State, and our o ffic e is required under the law to carry out its provisions. In other words, we are, in a sense, guardians o f the water that belongs to the State. I might b r ie fly outline the work that has been done and the work that we are now doing. (6)