NID Board Rescinds 2015 Drought Declaration, Asks State to Roll Back Conservation Mandates
Contact: Rem Scherzinger, (530) 273-6185
or: Dave Carter, (530) 265-NEWS
GRASS VALLEY – With well above average precipitation, full reservoirs and a mountain snowpack, the Nevada Irrigation District is hoping to breathe a little easier this year.
The NID Board of Directors on Wednesday (Mar. 23) rescinded its drought emergency declaration of a year ago and voted to ask the State Department of Water Resources to ease the water use restrictions faced by NID’s potable water customers.
Under the current state mandate, which extends to October, NID must reduce consumption by treated water users by 33 percent (from 2013 baseline levels). The District will request approval to be placed in a 4 percent conservation tier, based on adequate treated water supply.
Chip Close, Water Operations Manager, said the district plans normal water deliveries to irrigation water customers who are not covered by the state mandate. Meanwhile, NID will continue to encourage treated water conservation. The NID Board also declared that surplus water would be available this year.
NID’s water supply has rebounded strongly after four years of drought. Precipitation at Bowman Reservoir (elev. 5,650 ft.) reached 69.34 inches on Mar. 20, which is 127 percent of average for the date. The month of March alone produced 21 inches.
NID reservoir storage jumped to 239,420 acre-feet by Mar. 20, which is 90 percent of capacity. The current snowpack is expected to melt and bolster reservoir levels through much of the year, making the year a good recovery year for hydroelectric power generation and public recreation.
NID supplies more than 27,500 treated drinking water and irrigation water customers in Nevada, Placer and Yuba counties. The district provides watershed stewardship, produces renewable energy and offers public recreation at its reservoirs.
