Nucla trustees discuss drought contingency, ditch lining and sewer infiltration concerns

Members of the Nucla Board spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing water-management issues, including a proposed drought resolution and wastewater-system risks tied to infiltration.

Staff and trustees said a drought contingency policy is being drafted for inclusion in the intergovernmental MOA and that the town needs to align its approach with neighboring entities such as Narraguinnep. The board noted that if the river is placed "on call" (Trustees mentioned June 27 as a benchmark), water restrictions and diversion priorities will change and could trigger contingency measures.

Trustees also raised concerns about wastewater infiltration and the town's long-running effort to stop groundwater and ditch leakage from reaching the sewer plant. At the meeting a trustee argued that replacing failing sewer pipes to stop infiltration should take precedence over lining the CC ditch and that stopping infiltration is key to reducing flows to the wastewater plant.

Board members said the EPA has identified lining the ditch as a potential early action, but local officials said funding priorities may differ and that USDA funding for sewer-line replacement is still pending. Trustees agreed to monitor river call status and coordinate with neighboring ditch managers and county partners; staff will continue drafting the drought language and report back at future meetings.

No formal drought resolution or funding decision was made at this meeting; discussion was procedural and focused on drafting and intergovernmental coordination.