Mountain water supply is sinking

Photo for The Union by John Hart With mountain water supply below a 40-year average, the Nevada Irrigation District is tapping into reserves to keep water flowing to 24,500 customers who depend on it for drinking and irrigating crops, officials said. Water storage is at about 75 percent of capacity in upper division reservoirs such as Bowman Lake and Jackson Meadows - about 13,000 acre feet below a 40-year average. "Inflow into the reservoirs is virtually zero," said NID general manager Don Nelson. "We're primarily working on reserves right now." Despite the lower water supplies, the shortage is not enough to hamper deliveries, said NID operations manger Don Wight. The amount of water missing from reservoirs this year is enough to supply 4,500 homes for a year. In an average year the district holds 200,000 acre feet in its... [read full story]