Water? All my relatives in Ohio always thought, if it didn't rain in a week, they were in a drought. I wouldn't worry as much about water as Nevada becoming so cash strapped, they have to start charging state income taxes and property taxes. The very reason many people moved to nevada.
BTW: It's good to see that you have been out and about looking at some of rural Nevada. If ya ever get a chance, head up toward topaz lake. Some beautiful country and don't forget to visit sharkey's.
Water is a concern when there is not an ongoing natural supply available, or is susceptible to shortages because of lack of rainfall or snow melt. You, Flyfisher and I even had a conversation at Scruples about western water rights a couple of years ago as I recall.
I live on top of one of the oldest ancient aquifers (Teays) and this area is blessed with an abundance of water. The Great Lakes to the north are some of the largest fresh water supplies in the world. I have a well that produces at least 15 gallons per minute. I use reverse osmosis to process for drinking and cooking since I live in a somewhat rural area. A couple of miles from my home is a bottler of water sold throughout the US. The EPA and others have said that this area has some of the purest water available in the US. The pumping capacity of wells located in that area can pump up to 1,000 gallons per minute. I also don't have to pay for water usage, just the equipment to process it.
Currently Nevada is in an area that has a lot of unemployment, as does Ohio. But obviously they are for different reasons. If Nevada were to start taxing income then their population would dwindle in a number of areas throughout the state I believe.
I've been to Topaz Lake whenever I go to Yosemite, but since I'm not much of a gambler I've not stopped at Sharkey's. Mono Lake is also an interesting place.
If there was an easy direct route to get to Interstate 80 Exit 28, Dayton would also be a nice rural area of Nevada worth considering. There is Six Mile Canyon road (SR79) from there that takes you to the center of Virginia City and is a nice, but winding road. Nevada is like some other areas of the country where there are natural impements to the development of roads. In Nevada it's mountains, Chicago it's the lake, etc... etc...
