1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 533.495 and 533.503, a person may apply for a temporary permit to appropriate groundwater to water livestock if the point of diversion is located within a county under a declaration of drought, or within a county contiguous to a county under such a declaration, by the:
(a) Governor;
(b) United States Secretary of Agriculture; or
(c) President of the United States.
2. In addition to the information required by NRS 533.335 and 533.340, an applicant for a temporary permit to appropriate groundwater pursuant to this section shall submit to the State Engineer:
(a) An affidavit stating that, if the temporary permit is for a well, the holder of the temporary permit will plug and seal the well pursuant to chapter 534 of NRS upon the expiration of the temporary permit; and
(b) Any other information required by the State Engineer to determine the necessity of the temporary appropriation.
3. The State Engineer shall approve an application for a temporary permit to appropriate groundwater pursuant to this section if:
(a) The application is accompanied by the fee prescribed by this chapter;
(b) The temporary appropriation is in the public interest; and
(c) The temporary appropriation does not impair water rights held by other persons.
4. A temporary permit to appropriate groundwater issued pursuant to this section must not exceed 1 year in duration.
(Added to NRS by 2013, 497; A 2013, 3679)