PUC of Nevada adopts wholesale connection plan for Verdi Meadows; approves $10,000 withdrawal for engineering report

Carson City — The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on Sept. 25 adopted a plan to improve Verdi Meadows Utility Company Inc.'s water system that recommends a wholesale connection to the Truckee Meadows Water Authority and approved a related stipulation allowing Verdi Meadows to withdraw $10,000 from its surcharge account to pay for a preliminary engineering report.

The Commission, chaired by Hilly Williamson, voted to adopt the draft order developed in Investigation No. 220-9005 that selects “alternative 3a” — a wholesale connection to Truckee Meadows Water Authority — as the preferred water system improvement plan for Verdi Meadows. Commissioner Brown presented the investigation and recommended adoption; Commissioner Cordova voiced support for the selection as balancing reliability and cost for ratepayers.

Why it matters: The Commission said the wholesale connection (alternative 3a) provides the most certainty for customer bills even though it was not the least expensive alternative. According to the staff presentation, once the wholesale connection is completed, costly components of the existing Verdi system such as wells and storage tanks would be eliminated, changing the local utility…