It's hard to miss the fact that there is an extended drought underway in Nevada County. I’m seeing more and more dead trees and notices regarding closed boat ramps at our regional lakes. Nevada Irrigation District (NID), the City of Grass Valley, the City of Nevada City, and Truckee Donner Public Utility District, have all announced water restrictions. Relevant to those of you in Penn Valley, as of July 1, NID's directors approved a mandatory 20 percent water-use reduction for both raw and treated water customers. This means, among other things, that all outdoor watering is limited to three days a week for treated water customers and landscape watering is limited to three days a week for raw water customers. In addition, watering should be limited to early morning and late evening, and no watering or irrigating shall result in runoff. NID has also raised their prices to Drought Stage 2 pricing. Go to NID's website for the full details: https://www.nidwater.com/nevada-irrigation-district-enacts-mandatory-20-water-use-restrictions. Increased water conservation is necessary to protect local water supplies now, and ensure we have enough water if the drought extends into next year.
