Church cashes in on water: $7.2 million leases Muddy River rights (LDS)

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has struck a $7.2 million deal to lease water on the Muddy River from what might seem an unlikely source: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In fact, there's nothing unlikely about it.

The Mormon church owns land and water rights all over the region and the country. Some of its holdings are left over from when the church helped settle what is now Utah, Nevada and Arizona in the latter half of the 19th century.

A lot of that land and water is still being used, and not just for churches.

"If they're not the biggest, they're one of the biggest cattle producers in the United States," said Ray Schmutz, a veterinarian in Lincoln County who has worked in Nevada for about 36 years.

The church-owned Deseret Ranch in Central Florida has been called the largest cow-calf operation in the country, with some 44,000 head of cattle on a swath of land 50 miles long and 30 miles wide.

Officials for the Salt Lake City-based church declined to release details concerning its holdings in the region, but church spokeswoman Kim Farah said that "it's not unusual for us to own farms" and ranches. Those operations supply food to the church's welfare program for needy LDS members and for its "humanitarian outreach worldwide," she said.

snip..

Since then, the church has sold off much of the ranch once owned by Howard Hughes but kept much of the water rights.

more...

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-27-Mon-2006/news/6426264.html

Moneychangers in the temple, anybody?

:grr:

..... because their "....church's welfare program for needy LDS members" is exactly that, for church members only. Based on my experience with LDS members they seem ruthless when providing for their own but virtually ignoring non-members.

So I have no doubt that those buying water will pay dearly for it.

If someone else had a good experience with LDS church by all means tell me about it because at this point I'm not impressed with their "Christian Values". Just another example of neocon/fundies at work.

good to know the holy rich folk of SLC will have a hand in it. Fecking unholy, actually. I'd love to see their balance sheets at the Temples.

......because they are indeed the para-military religious types. I lived in Utah for a short time, I couldn't take it. The first words out of their mouths are "What Ward do you belong to". If you don't belong to a "ward" (their Church's), their next comment is "Well, if you belonged to a ward we could help you." They won't give the time of day to anyone else.

So yes, I agree with you, they will be ruthless when it comes to water or anything else.

nt

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I am not sure why this rings a bell but it seems, I recall, that business is more of less King out West. Personal rights on site are sort of lost. I seem to recall it is more like mine rights under ground out West. I took basic law in college so it must have been from that class. I recall it did not seem as good as the East and now I do not recall enough about it to see why. Most of our laws came from England and moved West so some thing must have happened to change them. I would worry if a church or any type owned the water rights. In fact I think only the people of the country should have rights to the water and how it is used. This to me is the 'common good' stuff.Like the air wavy TV system.Then I would be called a Red for saying all this and I am hardly that.

LDS is determined to grow and they know that making money is necessary to achieve their end goals. Political power is another necessary tool they have and will add to.

Julie

Between the Mormons and the cattle, The Moonies with the lobsters...

I'm just going to plow my back yard to grow soybeans and millet.