City Manager/Engineer Steve West came to the county commission meeting earlier this month to discuss protection of groundwater. West outlined the city's well-head protection program and explained that the state mandates such a program for all municipal water systems.
West was invited to the meeting by commissioners, who have repeatedly discussed concerns over water protection in their continuing effort to understand what options they have. They are looking for ways to prevent further contamination in areas of concern and ways to manage growth and development so that water quality is never threatened.
Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) officials traveled to Winnemucca for a water conference last year organized by Commissioner Jim French and county staff. That meeting focused on concerns over water quality in Grass Valley and specifically concerns over septic tank contamination of groundwater.
NDEP representatives came to town again during the commissioners' retreat in January at their request to talk about the state's well-head protection program. They said if the commissioners wanted them to, they'd be happy to present such a program to county property owners provided those owners were interested.
The county doesn't own a municipal water system, so any well-head protection program would have to be voluntary on the part of county property owners, many of whom have their own wells and septic tanks.
Water systems only serve a small percentage of county residents and well-head protection is already mandated for those systems.
The Gold Country municipal water system in the grass Grass Valley area is privately owned and operated. A couple of other systems, including one in the Star City area of Grass Valley and one in Golconda, are owned and managed by homeowner associations.
West showed a map of the city with the locations of each of the city's large municipal wells and noted the zone of groundwater or "area of influence" from which each well drew.
He said the city hired an engineer to develop their well-head protection program.
Regarding protecting groundwater, West said, "I think it should be our duty as governmental entities to watch and try to head off future possible problems."
Having said that, West noted that trying to head off future problems is easier said than done. "You can't specifically protect the area of influence for a new well because you can't be certain where development will occur and where a new well is going to be needed."
He added his belief that, "any place where septic tanks are proposed close to the city represents a potential for contamination."
Commissioners aren't anxious to get into the water system business, according to Commission Chairman Dan Cassinelli, but it's something they're about to have the opportunity to consider.
In a move that appeared to come as a complete surprise to the commissioners, Tom Swanger addressed the commissioners during the public comment portion at the very beginning of their April 7 meeting and asked them to consider taking over the Star City water system currently owned and run by the Star City property owners. Swanger said he and an 85-year-old neighbor were the only two property owners certified to monitor and maintain the system, and said they hoped the county might consider taking over the system.
As the question was not on their agenda, commissioners couldn't discuss the it, but directed that it be put on the next agenda.
French said he hoped that as the county considers water quality concerns, and particularly the proposal brought before them by Swanger, they can learn from some of what the city has done. "We don't have to reinvent the wheel," he commented.
Contact Joyce Sheen at j.sheen@winnemuccapublishing.net[[In-content Ad]]
