GRASS VALLEY – The Nevada Irrigation District and its water users in Nevada and Placer counties are taking the California drought seriously and saving more water than many areas of the state, it was reported at Wednesday’s (Sept. 9) meeting of the NID Board of Directors.
NID General Manager Rem Scherzinger said that in August customers achieved a 38 percent conservation rate (from 2013 base levels) for the district’s domestic water customers. This follows back to back 36 percent reductions in June and July.
In addition, NID operational adjustments and customer use reductions this year have reduced the use of irrigation water from the district’s canal system by 14,122 acre-feet of water from 2013 levels, Scherzinger reported. This amount of water would supply NID’s domestic users for about a year and a half.
“Overall, we’re doing very well,” he said. “Our customers realize that California is in a serious drought and everyone is pitching in to help.”
NID reservoir storage remains at near average levels. As of Sept. 3, total storage was at 155,798 acre-feet, which is 84 percent of average for the date and 59 percent of capacity.
Scherzinger said reservoir levels at Jackson Meadows and Scotts Flat are below average for this time of year, with other reservoirs closer to average levels for this time of year. Scotts Flat is about to pass the 40 percent of capacity mark which is ahead of schedule, he noted.
The district is now projecting it will end the 2015 irrigation season with more than 110,000 acre-feet of carryover water storage for next year. This equals about 45 percent of the district’s water storage capacity.
Leave A Comment