Community Connections From Reservoir to Water Tank With Community Involvement

For 100 years, the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) has been reliably delivering high quality water to its customers. What began as an old reservoir and canal system serving gold mines has been transformed into a modern public water system. NID water originates as snowmelt from 70,000 acres of high elevation watershed. The district maintains 29 reservoirs and manages drinking water supplies flowing through hundreds of miles of canals and pipes to reach their six water treatment plants. The district manages 3 billion gallons of drinking water and enough irrigation water for 30,000 acres of agricultural land. When a public agency that is tasked with water stewardship for the public decides to make a change to their operation that will impact the method of water storage and the aesthetics to a neighborhood, they understand the scrutiny that the project will undergo. So, in 2018 when NID made the decision to migrate one of their water storage reservoirs to a storage tank, they took careful steps to bring the public on board with the idea - especially those living near the facility.

The Alta Sierra Reservoir holds 3 million gallons of water tucked inside a hillside that mostly hides it from view of the nearby residents. The reservoir had a Hypalon rubber liner and a cover of the same material that served its function well for many years. It protected the water from contaminants and evaporation and held its contents until they were needed by the district. While the liner was an affordable selection when the reservoir was established, it had some drawbacks. It required regular maintenance, including pumping water off the top that accumulated from rain or snow. It occasionally attracted local teens who found entertainment from walking on the cover, which posed a hazard to the teens as well as the cover. In addition, the cover deteriorated faster than the bottom liner because of exposure to UV light and debris.

Nevada Irrigation District considered the options when it came time to replace the deteriorating liner and ultimately settled on a conversion to a pre-stressed concrete storage tank that would maintain the same water capacity with less maintenance.

Director of Water Operations Chip Close said, “The tank offers a very low maintenance option. Every few years we will drain, clean and inspect the tank, but for the most part the tank will be non-maintenance.”

A water tank is an entirely different visual element in a neighborhood than a covered reservoir. The district went to work gathering input and acceptance of the idea from those most affected by it – the neighbors.

“Part of the CEQA process was to send out information to the folks living in the general area of the tank,” said Director of Engineering Doug Roderick, referring to the California Environmental Quality Act. “In that, it was decided we would allow the neighbors to be able to select the color of the tank, to help blend that into the surrounding area.” The other component was the berm surrounding the original reservoir, which was maintained with its original groundcover and additional plantings will be added to enhance the area.

NID developed surveys to distribute to those who lived in the area, providing options for color selection and site aesthetics. It was determined the tank would be placed inside the existing reservoir footprint, thereby recessing it into the bluff and minimizing the height. This created a 14-foot visual height instead of exposing the full 30-foot height of the tank. Neighbors voted on color palettes provided by the district and the majority vote ruled.

The new tank will provide low maintenance, secure water storage for the district and its residents and is now operational. The active Winter storms, including above average snowfall and rain in the area, have delayed some of the final touches to the landscape. The district expects to have the driveway paved and the landscaping installed by the end of the year.

In all, Nevada Irrigation District has made this conversion from lined reservoir to tank storage three times across all their locations. This is the last rubberlined reservoir conversion to be done in the district. They’ve adeptly navigated the process and managed to keep the neighbors happy at the same time!

For more information about Nevada Irrigation District, visit www.nidwater.com.