Last month, the Nevada Irrigation District established a fining structure for customers wasting water and not making a good faith effort to conserve by at least 20-percent. But as the drought deepens, Water Operations Manager Chip Close says the NID Board of Directors is going to consider ramping up fines more dramatically for water theft, at their meeting next Wednesday…

click to listen to Chip Close

Close says the current Drought Emergency Resolution only allows fines of up to 250 dollars for taking water. But he says the modification the Board will consider would add a lot more enforcement teeth…

click to listen to Chip Close

Close says normally district water is only legally permitted to be taken, including from a canal, for construction purposes or if a well fails. Instead, he says it’s being stolen for a variety of reasons, such as irrigation, a yard, or even a marijuana grow.