October 20, 2021 – On Thursday, Oct. 21, Nevada Irrigation District (NID) Board Directors will hear a presentation on the district’s Plan for Water (PFW) process. The public can provide comments during the meeting and possibly help shape the degree of public participation.
The PFW “is a comprehensive review of NID’s available water supply and the long-term impacts on varying water demands. The Plan itself will consist of a suite of possible supply and demand management strategies to address a range of future conditions.” [source: NID Agenda item 9]
According to supporting documents, “On Nov. 16, 2021, NID will kick off the Plan for Water process and hold its first public meeting in a projected 18-month process. Since the previous effort was initiated by a different Board and the proposed PFW process has been modified, staff now requires direction from the Board regarding the desired level of public outreach.“
“Staff seeks direction on engaging in the PFW’s public outreach as described in the July 2020 report or determine if the Board seeks a revised level of public engagement moving forward.” In plain English, directors will determine the level of public participation, if any.
The agenda item, rescheduled to tomorrow after NID had been hacked, only requests input from the directors on the public outreach process. The previous plan, presented by a consultant in 2020, was postponed due to COVID-related issue, but also budgeting and the deadlines for both the Urban and Agricultural Management Plans.
The Plan for Water is a rebranding of the Raw Water Master Plan, which was last updated in 2005, according to the background information provided by NID’s consultant. The name change is being justified by the proposed plan encompassing more than just “raw water” and being not a traditional master plan.
Documents and reports would be made available on planforwater.org, however that site is unreachable at publication time, the 2020 report states.
The meeting starts at 9:00 am and will be available via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89184559924
To join audio using telephone: (669) 900-6833 or (346) 248-7799 or (253) 215 8782
Webinar ID: 891 8455 9924
Or One tap mobile: US: +16699006833,,89184559924# or +12532158782,,89184559924#
Public Comment: The Board Chair will call for public comment throughout the meeting. To provide public comment when prompted, Press *9 to raise your hand. Pressing *9 again will lower your hand.
The full meeting agenda is below.