Will new developments negatively affect Carson City's water supply? Not necessarily, says city water manager
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Thu, 06/17/2021 - 10:55am
While new developments springing up throughout the capital city have been positively received by those seeking more available housing, a question continues to surface: Where will the water come from, and do we have enough of it?
These questions are even more so in the immediate public view with the current drought conditions we are experiencing in Northern Nevada in which lakes, rivers, ponds and streams are significantly lower than is usual for the beginning of summer.
However, according to Eddy Quaglieri, Carson City’s Water Utility Manager, the city takes into account all of its water resources before the approval of any housing development, and due to the city’s variety of sources — as well as back up sources — the city is not in danger of running low on water.
Carson City’s water comes from a variety of sources as a way to make sure that no single source is overused.
The city’s water portfolio is supplied by approximately 75 percent ground water and 25 percent surface water sources, according to Quaglieri, and the city uses “conjunctive management” which makes the most of surface water sources while groundwater sources are rested during times of drought.
Surface water is sourced from Kings Creek, Ash Creek, Hobart Lake, Marlette Lake, Carson River and a variety of spring systems.
As for ground water, there are thirty groundwater wells to source from, as well as a substantial transmission main from Minden and an emergency interconnection with Lyon County.
“The city’s precious water resources are always considered prior to the approval of every new development or changes to zoning of an existing development,” said Quaglieri. “Carson City caps the growth of residential units to 679 per year.”
In certain cases, additional approval from the city’s Planning Commission prior to reaching the Board of Supervisors is necessary, such as if a development is planning on using more than 15,000 gallons of water per day, according to Quaglieri.
During times of drought, such as what we are experiencing now, surface water sources are more immediately affected than groundwater sources.
“The groundwater table is buffered from drought although over long periods can still affected by drought,” said Quaglieri. “Living in the driest state in the nation, we are almost always in a varying degree of drought with wetter periods intermixed. Drought is a good example of why having a diverse water supply portfolio is valuable.”
For Tahoe enthusiasts who are worried the glacial lake may be drained for use in the valleys or even as far away as the Bay Area during times of drought, Quaglieri says that it simply couldn’t happen.
“The Lake Tahoe Hydrologic Basin and the Truckee River Hydrologic Basin is already fully allocated per Public Law 101-618 and federal decrees,” said Quaglieri. “No more water can go to CA or NV than what has been already divvied up.”
Every Carson City and Northern Nevada resident can make an impact during times of drought in helping conserve water by being water smart in the following ways:
Follow the Odd/Even Water Days Schedule to help conserve water.
Odd addresses water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Even addresses water on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
No watering is allowed on Mondays.
No outdoor watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
There are some exceptions to these rules such as for vegetable gardens, new lawns, and more. For all the exceptions please click here.
As a reminder, it is against Carson City Municipal Code to waste water per CCMC 12.01.120 which prohibits water running along the streets, gutters or storm drains.
There are numerous, simple ways an individual can conserve water such as avoiding unnecessary flushing of toilets (which use 27 percent of the water used inside the home, even more than laundry!), taking shorter showers (which use 17 percent of the water used indoors), fixing leaky faucets, and more.
Visit https://www.carson.org/government/departments-g-z/public-works/water/con... for a full list of ways to conserve water.
