If you rely on irrigation water, you already know this: nothing matters more than knowing the water will be there when you need it.

My family has farmed this region for generations, and I understand what’s at stake when water isn’t reliable. Crops don’t wait. Neither do livestock, businesses, or families. Right now, we’re seeing one of the lowest snowpack years on record. And yet, as we head into irrigation season, water is flowing. Reservoirs are full, and NID is keeping deliveries on schedule.

That doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen without adequate infrastructure. For more than 100 years, the Nevada Irrigation District has invested in infrastructure needed to transport water from the Sierra peaks to foothill communities.

We are asking customers to help us carry that work forward. NID is proposing water rate adjustments over the next five years to help fund critical infrastructure projects required to continue delivering water. Like many of you, I find rising prices hard to absorb, and I feel the pressure on my own farm.

What’s at stake in the current discussion about water rates? Reliability.

The driving factor for the proposed rate increase isn’t about unnecessary spending, raises, or profit.   Three necessary capital improvement projects and ongoing dam safety regulations are at the center of the proposed rate structure.

The Scotts Flat Spillway Replacement project is estimated to cost the District $55 million. This is not a discretionary project; it is required by the California Division of Safety of Dams and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The spillway, built in the early 1940’s, no longer meets current safety standards, and NID is required to replace it.  If the District does not complete the project, we would eventually be required by regulators to lower the water level, which would greatly impact our ability to deliver water.

NID’s South Yuba Canal (SYC) is the backbone for water delivery to the Scotts Flat Reservoir and to Nevada County. Built in the 1850’s, it is an elevated wooden flume that traverses lands prone to landslides and avalanches and is in the middle of a forest highly susceptible to intense wildfires. NID recently acquired this essential asset from PG&E, and it costs more than $3 million per year to maintain.  There is no backup system.

Finally, upgrades to NID’s aging treatment plants and treated water lines are necessary to ensure the safe delivery of drinking water. The Lake Wildwood Water Treatment Plant is nearing the end of its useful life and requires $35 million in investment to continue safe operation.

These key capital projects are not optional; they are necessary for our way of life to continue.  The proposed rate adjustments are based on an independent analysis of the true cost to deliver water.

I understand that any cost increase matters. When I think about this decision, I come back to something simple: the value of knowing the water will be there when I need it.

This is local water, managed locally, used locally. Maintaining that local control and the reliability associated with it requires continued investment.  At NID, we take that responsibility seriously.

We’re not asking you to ignore the cost. We’re asking you to weigh it against the value of knowing that when you turn the headgate or faucet, the water is available. Because in life, that certainty isn’t a luxury. It’s everything.

The Board is also committed to limiting rate increases as much as possible. The rate process requires establishing a maximum rate increase; however, the Board need not implement it if unnecessary. Rates can be lowered if the District obtains external state or federal funding that can offset the costs of the many expensive projects we have.

I encourage you to learn more, ask questions, and be part of the process. This is too important for our livelihood; we can’t allow fiction to overrule fact. Because in the end, reliable water isn’t just something we deliver, it is something we build and protect together.

Learn more at: https://www.nidwater.com/nid-water-rate-adjustments

Chris Bierwagen
President, Board of Directors
Nevada Irrigation District
Local farmer and NID customer