For the third straight month, water conservation statewide was lower than a year ago, when mandates were imposed. It was 17.7% in August, compared to 27% last year. We told you a few weeks ago that it was also 17% in the Nevada Irrigation District, compared to 35% last year. But Operations Manager Chip Close says their rate plunged to just 4% in September. Now state officials are concerned that this year’s voluntary standards might be backfiring, with the winter outlook so uncertain. But Close also reminds us that the state did allow local providers to set their own conservation rates this year, based on their own supplies, which was 0% for them…
Close says the wet winter has kept NID’s water storage levels at 115% of average, 30 points higher than the previous year…
Last year the state mandated the maximum 36% conservation rate for NID, although it was relaxed a bit later in the year, to 33%.
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