Developers are asking a Nevada judge to overturn a moratorium on new groundwater pumping north of Reno that critics say are hampering efforts to build homes to help address the region's housing crisis.

 

The state engineer ordered a halt to new pumping in December in Cold Springs Valley about 15 miles north of downtown.

 

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports a lawyer for water rights' holders in the valley are seeking a reversal of the order.

 

The state's top water official issued the temporary pumping ban while the Water Resources Division awaits information about the sustainability of groundwater supplies.