NRS533.395. State Engineer may require proof of good faith and reasonable diligence; cancellation of permit; review of cancellation; considerations when reviewing extension of time.

      1.  If, at any time in the judgment of the State Engineer, the holder of any permit to appropriate the public water is not proceeding in good faith and with reasonable diligence to perfect the appropriation, the State Engineer shall require the submission of such proof and evidence as may be necessary to show a compliance with the law. If, in the judgment of the State Engineer, the holder of a permit is not proceeding in good faith and with reasonable diligence to perfect the appropriation, the State Engineer shall cancel the permit, and advise the holder of its cancellation. The failure to provide the proof and evidence required pursuant to this subsection is prima facie evidence that the holder is not proceeding in good faith and with reasonable diligence to perfect the appropriation.

      2.  If any permit is cancelled under the provisions of this section or NRS 533.390 or 533.410, the holder of the permit may within 60 days of the cancellation of the permit file a written petition with the State Engineer requesting a review of the cancellation by the State Engineer at a public hearing. The State Engineer may, after receiving and considering evidence, affirm, modify or rescind the cancellation.

      3.  If the decision of the State Engineer modifies or rescinds the cancellation of a permit, the effective date of the appropriation under the permit is vacated and replaced by the date of the filing of the written petition with the State Engineer.

      4.  The cancellation of a permit may not be reviewed or be the subject of any judicial proceedings unless a written petition for review has been filed and the cancellation has been affirmed, modified or rescinded pursuant to subsection 2.

      5.  For the purposes of this section, the measure of reasonable diligence is the steady application of effort to perfect the appropriation in a reasonably expedient and efficient manner under all the facts and circumstances. When a project or integrated system is comprised of several features, work on one feature of the project or system may be considered in finding that reasonable diligence has been shown in the development of water rights for all features of the entire project or system.

      6.  The appropriation of water or the acquisition or lease of appropriated water from any:

      (a) Stream system as provided for in this chapter; or

      (b) Underground water as provided for in NRS 534.080,

Ê by a political subdivision of this State or a public utility, as defined in NRS 704.020, to serve the present or the reasonably anticipated future municipal, industrial or domestic needs of its customers for water, as determined in accordance with a master plan adopted pursuant to chapter 278 of NRS or a plan approved by the State Engineer, must be considered when reviewing an extension of time.

      [68:140:1913; 1919 RL p. 3242; NCL § 7953]—(NRS A 1981, 114; 1993, 2351; 1995, 2660, 2661)