As the drought deepens, the Nevada Irrigation District Board has now approved enforcement procedures for violators of the 20-percent conservation mandate. That went into effect at the beginning of the month. Water Operations Manager Chip Close says it includes fines for the most egregious water users, after a warning is first issued…

click to listen to Chip Close

Close says a second violation of the mandate is a fine of up to 250 dollars. Then it goes up to 500 dollars for a third offense and a-thousand dollars for a fourth violation, with a possible shutoff for subsequent offenses. Close says the district has already issued around a-thousand notices, each, in June and July. But that’s not a surprise, as water usage usually spikes up, initially, as summer sets in…

click to listen to Chip Close

But Close says water usage in June was actually down four-percent, compared to a year ago. And, unlike the previous drought, the conservation mandate is also being applied to raw water customers, including irrigation.