The process for updating a 50-year water management plan for the Nevada Irrigation District has been tweaked. The original two-year process, featuring what was described by staff as an “experimental” Community Representatives Group has been dropped. Instead, the NID Board has adopted a more widely-used process developed by the American Water Works Association. But not before much discussion among board members and the public. Recently-elected director, Laura Peters, at one point, also wanted to delay updating the so-called Raw Water Master Plan until after the district’s Strategic Plan was updated later this year…

But director Nick Wilcox says the Raw Water Master Plan is in more urgent need of updating, with increasing weather extremes since the last time it was adopted in 2013…

Meanwhile, another recently-elected director, Ricki Heck, had cost concerns, citing the 800-thousand dollar contract for the process featuring a Community Representatives Group. She says the public can still be heavily involved without spending as much money…

Heck also suggested town hall meetings in each NID district.