Water quality is vital for everyone and Humboldt County is hosting the 2024 Water Quality Summit on May 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the west hall of the Convention Center.
“Water is one of our number one resources. We as a community need to understand what measures are being taken to protect our drinking water and what they can do to help,” said Humboldt County Economic Development Officer Michelle Hammond-Allen.
Water is a precious resource and drinking water quality can be easily overlooked as such a typical part of everyday life, but Humboldt County residents would be remiss in missing the opportunity to learn what the City of Winnemucca and the County are doing to protect it.
The purpose of the Summit is “To educate and inform the community about our public drinking water systems and how they can help protect the quality of their drinking water. With the updated Community Source Water Protection Plan, this is an opportunity for the community to learn more about it. From informative talks to interactive sessions, this gathering is your chance to deepen your understanding of drinking water and its significance,” explained Hammond-Allen.
The Community Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) is a 210-page document prepared by a local planning team designed to help prevent contamination of the drinking water source that supplies a public water system. The SWPP covers all public water in the county from the City of Winnemucca, to Golconda and Paradise Valley, and helps water purveyors, local and state agencies, industry, community leaders, and citizens protect their water resources. The SWPP was recently updated in December of 2023.
“It is important to have these conversations and share this information with our entire community,” said Hammond-Allen.
According to Hammond-Allen, representatives of Humboldt County, the City of Winnemucca, Humboldt County public Works Department, Resource Concepts, Inc., WET Lab, Nevada Department of Transportation, Nevada Outdoor School, Humboldt County Emergency Management, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Quality Planning will all be present to provide information.
The representative will cover topics covering integrated source water protection, local water systems and wastewater education, water quality testing for homeowners with wells, water non-point source pollution in stormwater, watershed and groundwater education, emergency planning and drinking water, source water protection priority and national water quality initiative watersheds.
“The entire community is invited. The event is for those in the community that want to learn how the City and County takes care of our public drinking water,” said Hammond-Allen.
With local water threatened by high nitrates and other contaminants, residents can learn more about how to protect themselves and the community from contaminated water for the future.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), around 90 percent of the population gets its water from a public water source that treats, stores, and distributes the water with the help of the EPA, states, and water utilities.
Hammond-Allen said, “We’re on a mission to make a splash in community awareness about our drinking water sources in all of Humboldt County and the Winnemucca area. Come discover the fantastic work happening right in our own backyard!”