Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Quality topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State, contractors brief Nye County on update to 2012 Community Source Water Protection Plan
Summary
NDEP and its contractors presented a free, voluntary source-water protection update for Nye County, emphasizing prevention of contamination, local planning teams, GIS inventories of water sources and that the program is nonregulatory and funded through EPA set-asides.
Representatives from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) and technical contractors RCI and Beck Environmental gave a detailed presentation on Oct. 8, 2024, to begin updating Nye County's 2012 Community Source Water Protection Plan.
Ethan Mason, NDEP's source water protection coordinator, said the program is voluntary and focused on preventing contamination: "Source water protection is a look at your water systems and identifying the potential contaminants to your water systems in order to prevent future contamination. It is a voluntary program that is non regulatory." He said funding for updates comes from EPA drinking-water set-asides passed through the state and that NDEP provides free technical assistance to local systems.
Beck Environmental and RCI described accomplishments from the 2012 plan (household hazardous-waste collection, motor-oil and prescription drug drop-offs, and coordination with county plans) and proposed next steps: forming local planning teams, updating a GIS-based inventory of more than 100 Nye County water systems, reevaluating risks to drinking-water sources, and developing a prioritized action list of nonbinding, nonregulatory measures for implementation.
Contractors said the update will be locally driven: outreach to public water systems, local governing boards and stakeholders will shape the plan. RCI estimated the timeline at roughly 9–12 months depending on how the county wants to structure outreach and review.
Board members asked whether private well owners are eligible for funding (the presenters said direct funding is not available for private wells, but education and outreach can reach private well owners). Presenters also said they can include a complaint-resolution flowchart in the updated plan and can coordinate with county planning on zoning and high-risk land uses where appropriate.
The presentation is to be followed by outreach to public water systems and community stakeholders; a draft update will be circulated for review before finalization.
