When the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) was formed in 1921, it wasn’t in the drinking water business. The District delivered untreated Sierra snowmelt for mining, livestock, and agricultural irrigation, not household taps. In fact, the old saying, “NID – Not Intended to Drink,” reflected its original purpose.
As the region grew and more residents relied on ditch water for domestic use, NID began treating drinking water in the late 1950s. A major milestone followed in 1970 with the opening of the District’s first modern water treatment plant.
Today, NID operates a sophisticated drinking water system serving thousands of customers throughout Nevada and Placer counties. The District has released its annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), which summarizes drinking water quality data and confirms that NID’s water continues to meet or exceed every State of California and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standard.
Each year, NID treats more than 2.9 billion gallons of water at six treatment plants. Around the clock, state-certified operators transform pristine Sierra snowmelt into safe, reliable drinking water while continuously monitoring water quality.
“NID is pleased to report that the water provided to District customers met or surpassed all State of California and EPA drinking water health standards,” said Treated Water Superintendent Shad Chittock.
“The constituents we test for are either not detected or detected only in trace amounts. All of our testing is focused on one goal: ensuring the water delivered to our customers consistently meets or exceeds every state and federal drinking water standard.”
As part of its ongoing commitment to water quality, NID routinely tests for hundreds of regulated constituents and participates in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5) program. This includes testing for polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals,” which have drawn national attention because they persist in the environment and may pose health risks.
“So far, all tests have shown no PFAS detection,” Chittock said. “We do not anticipate detecting PFAS in our system because our source water comes from high in the Sierra watershed, where water quality is exceptionally high and there are very few of the industrial sources typically associated with these compounds.”
That pristine source water remains one of NID’s greatest advantages.
Water begins as Sierra snowmelt across roughly 70,000 acres of mountain watershed before filling NID reservoirs. Because the District sits high in the watershed, its water is naturally protected from many of the contaminants that can affect downstream water supplies.
“We’re first in line on the watershed,” Chittock said. “We have excellent source water.”
Before reaching customers’ taps, the water passes through a multi-step treatment process that includes flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. Throughout the process, certified operators use advanced monitoring equipment capable of detecting substances at extremely small concentrations, ensuring water quality 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The modern drinking water system customers rely on today is the result of decades of investment, innovation, and expansion. What began as an irrigation district more than a century ago has evolved into a trusted provider of safe, dependable drinking water for the communities it serves.
“Protecting our customers’ health and safety is our highest priority,” Chittock said. “The Consumer Confidence Report is one way we provide transparency about the quality of the water our customers drink every day.” The full 2025 Consumer Confidence Report, including detailed water quality results for each of NID’s six treatment plants, is available on NID’s website. Or, click here.
Watch a short video detailing the water treatment process:
This article appears in NID.
