Volume 34 • Number 2 • Summer 2013

Nevada Irrigation District • 1036 West Main St., Grass Valley, CA 95945 • (530) 273-6185 or (800) 222-4102 • nidwater.com

WaterwaysA NEWSLETTER TO THE CUSTOMERS OF THE NEVADA IRRIGATION DISTRICT

New Public Trail NearScotts Flat... P. 4

New Managers... P. 4

NID’s EnduringCommitment to Agriculture

... P. 2

RReservoirs hold morethan water. InNID’s case, theyhold sediment, sand

and gravel that can take up valu-able water storage space.

At Rollins Reservoir alone,with a rated storage capacity of65,988 acre-feet (an acre-footequals one acre covered one footdeep), district officials estimatethat 10,000 to 12,000 acre-feetof storage space has been lost tosedimentation since 1965.

For more than 40 years,NID has contracted with localaggregate companies to removesand and gravel at sites aboveRollins and Combie reservoirs.These materials are used to sup-port road building and construc-tion in the region.

Removing Gold Rush Mercury

Support Builds for NID Project

IIn a first of its kind watershed restoration project, NID is plan-ning to remove Gold Rush era mercury from the Bear River.The mercury would be removed as part of an ongoing sedimentremoval program at Combie Reservoir.

(Please see Mercury Remediation, P. 3)

WATERSHED RESTORATIONWhat’s in aReservoir?

Water industry and governmental repre-sentatives gathered near the Bear RiverJune 7 for a briefing on NID’s proposedmercury remediation project. GeologistTed Reimchen, inset, demonstrated mercury extraction.

Water StorageSpace Being Lost

(Please See Storage, P. 3)

PAGE 2, NID WATERWAYS, SUMMER 2013

NID is one of the very oldest (1921) and largest (287,000 acres)irrigation districts in the State of California.

Every bit as old and just as large is NID’s commitment to ouragricultural water users. These are the folks whose forebears envi-sioned the remarkable water system we operate today. They are thefolks whose water use preserves our most senior water rights andkeeps our communities green, vibrant, and productive.

Each year, the district supplies between 5400 and 6000 irrigationwater accounts, depending on customer demand. Most irrigation cus-tomers purchase water for the irrigation season (Apr. 15-Oct. 14); oth-ers buy water year around.

Our customers irrigate pastures, orchards, vineyards, family foodgardens and much more. Irrigation water fills ponds and reservoirsfor stock watering, fire suppression, and recreation.

90 Percent Used by Local AgricultureIn the average year, we supply about 145,000 acre-feet (47.3 bil-

lion gallons) of irrigation water. About 90 percent of this is used bylocal agriculture. A small amount of surplus water is sold at the bot-tom of the system to downstream users.

It’s true that use of treated drinking water has been an area ofgrowth for NID. The district’s first water treatment plants date to1968 and today three of four NID customers use treated water.

While treated water service provides the lion’s share of NIDwater rate revenue, irrigation water service is a bigger, day-to-daycommitment for district operations. Canal maintenance, careful waterflow management and customer interaction are ongoing. The districtoperates, maintains and repairs over 450 miles of canals and suppliesirrigation water to wide areas of Nevada and Placer counties.

District customers should know that your elected Board ofDirectors is firmly committed to agriculture. Two of our directorsbring lifelong backgrounds in farming and ranching. Two others havesmall family farms. So it is safe to say that our roots run deep when itcomes to farming and ranching.

The board has kept agricultural water rates (and treated waterrates) among the lowest in the region and has coupled this with a solidand responsive service record. District customers should rest assuredthat availability and affordability of water to our agricultural commu-nity is a hallmark of NID’s service commitment to our community.We take great pride in our role in serving this community and in thebounty that service brings.

nidwater.com

More Banner StorageA new 4.6 million-gallon treat-

ed water storage tank has been com-pleted at NID’s Banner-Taylor reser-voir site near Nevada City and workis beginning on construction of anadjacent 5.9 million-gallon tankthat is scheduled for completion inMay 2014. The new tanks replacetwo covered in-ground reservoirs.

Water on Rattlesnake RoadNew pipelines have been

installed from Dog Bar Road southof Grass Valley, across WheelerCross Road, to Rattlesnake Road,making treated water available toseveral parcels. Depending on pub-lic demand, the water lines couldsomeday be extended alongRattlesnake Road to loop into theexisting system near Highway 174.

Emergency RepairBack in Businessat Bowman

The first phase of an emer-gency repair project at BowmanReservoir was expected to becomplete by Aug. 1, allowingNID to resume normal waterflows from mountain watershedto customers in the foothills.

NID began the emergencyrepairs June 1 after a leak wasdetected in a large 90-year-oldpipeline at the outlet of BowmanReservoir. Syblon Reid GeneralEngineering Contractors ofFolsom was hired to completethe repairs.

To keep limited water flow-ing during the repair project, thedistrict installed a temporarybypass to route water fromBowman into the Bowman-Spaulding Canal and NID distri-bution system.

A second and final phase ofthe repair project is scheduledfor next summer with the instal-lation of new outlet valves.

By Rem Scherzinger

Since 1921

NID’s Service to Agriculture

General Manager’s Report

Water SystemImprovements

NID WATERWAYS, SUMMER 2013, PAGE 3

concept dates to 2007 when the dis-trict brought in a Canadian miningexpert who claimed to have developeda mercury extraction process as partof his firm’s international miningwork. The equipment was set up,demonstrated and proven successful,as measurable levels of mercury wereextracted at the Combie site.

The district launched an effort toraise funding for the pilot project.While funding remains an obstacle,support has been gained thoughalliances with the U.S. GeologicalSurvey, Sierra Fund and CABY(Cosumnes, American, Bear andYuba) river watershed planninggroup. A $3 million request in 2011by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinsteinremains unfunded.

Custom Built UnitIn April, the NID Board of

Directors contracted with the firm,Pegasus Earth Sensing Corp. ofAlberta, Canada, for a custom builtmercury extraction unit. The lease-to-own agreement calls for monthlypayments of $12,650 or a total pur-chase price of $595,000.

The district’s investment is fund-ed from a designated watershedreserve fund and included the expendi-ture of $305,000 in gold bars made

from gold recovered over the years aspart ongoing gravel operations ondistrict land. The investment marksthe beginning of an estimated $9million mercury extraction project tobe conducted as part of the existingGreen Vista Land Holdings gravellease at Combie.

NID Asst. General Manager TimCrough said it would take three tofive years to remove the mercury-laden sediment at Combie and if theeffort is successful the equipment

could then be moved upstream toRollins for a similar effort.

‘Green Gold’“We need to raise funding to get

the project going,” said Crough.“It’s our goal to create a sustainableproject without placing the financialburden on district ratepayers.”Marketing of sand, gravel, clay,“green gold” for jewelry and environ-mental mitigation funding could sup-port the long-term effort.

Benefits of the sediment andmercury removal would includeincreased water storage, better waterquality, healthier fish habitat andreduced risk of mercury poisoning.

NID views the project as a “bestmanagement practice” and a goodexample of what other similar organ-izations might be able to accomplishin cleaning up the century-old legacyof mercury on the watershed.

Storage -Cont’d from P. 1

The downstream migration ofthese materials is more pronouncedalong the Bear River where consider-able gold mining took place in the1800s. The geology of the water-shed contributes to the movement,particularly during heavy storms.

Sedimentation occurs elsewhereas well. This year, for example, thedistrict will remove sediment fromthe small Loma Rica Reservoir nearthe Nevada County Air Park. In aproject this fall and winter, the dis-trict plans to remove between

40,000 and 70,000 cubic yards ofsediment, restoring the reservoir’soriginal capacity of 100 acre-feet.

Work along the Bear Riverwatershed has been more involved.While removal continues atGreenhorn Creek above Rollins, theaggregate contract on the Bear Riverabove Rollins expired in 2002 andhas not been renewed. At CombieReservoir, longtime contractorChevreaux Aggregates, Inc. suspend-ed dredging operations in 2002 fol-lowing adoption of new state regula-tions relating to buried mercury.

“The state used to believe thatthe mercury was safe as long as it

was buried in rivers and held behinddams,” said NID Asst. GeneralManager Tim Crough. “Our recentstudies have shown that it can bemoved during storm events. Whensediments are stirred up mercury canstay suspended in the water for along time. Under certain conditions,elemental mercury becomes methylmercury, which can get into the foodchain.”

The mercury is not a problemin treated drinking water but its pres-ence in streams can lead to publicnotifications on limited fish con-sumption like those that have beenposted for local rivers.

Government, Industry LeadersVisit Mercury Removal Site

NID sponsored and participated in three tours in June to familiarize polit-ical and water industry officials with the mercury remediation project.

On June 7, the district partnered with the Mountain Counties WaterResources Association to host nearly 50 visitors representing state, local andfederal elected officials and agencies.

On June 18, the district worked with the Sierra Fund to host an interna-tional jewelers group that expressed interest in marketing “green gold,” orgold recovered through environmentally conscious methods.

On June 20, working with The Sierra Fund, the district hosted a visit bylocal St. Assemblyman Brian Dahle, fellow assembly members WesleyChesbro, Marc Levine and Richard Gordon, staff and other representatives.

“We need to market the project,” said Asst. General Manager TimCrough.

MercuryRemediationCont’d From P. 1

PAGE 4, NID WATERWAYS, SUMMER 2013

How to Contact Your Elected Directors

DIVISION I - Nevada City AreaNancy Weber, (530) 265-0424

DIVISION II - Grass Valley-Chicago ParkJohn Drew, (530) 272-5257Board Vice President, 2013

DIVISION III - Lake of the Pines-Alta SierraScott Miller, M.D., (530) 268-8778

DIVISION IV - Lincoln-North AuburnJim Bachman, (916) 645-2059

Board President, 2013DIVISION V - Penn Valley-Lake Wildwood

Nick Wilcox, (530) 432-2171

Newsletter produced with 30 percent post-consumerwaste recycled paper and

vegetable-based inks

NID’s QR CodeScan this QR Code with

your smart phone for directaccess to the NID website.

NID News Briefs

PERSONNEL

Rate Studies This FallThe district is planning to conduct a water rate study

later this year. The study will examine how NID’s costsin providing public water service measure up against waterrate revenues. Comparisons of NID water rates to those ofother agencies in the region also are expected.Water Quality Reports

NID’s annual water quality report has been mailed totreated water customers. The report covers water qualitytesting programs of 2012. Customers who have notreceived a report may look online at www.nidwater.com. orcall NID Customer Service for a copy.

Outdoor Recreation

New Trail From Hwy. 20to Scotts Flat Campground

TT hanks to volunteers of the non-profit ForestTrails Alliance, a brand new biking and hik-ing trail has been constructed between

Highway 20, just east of the Old Five Mile House,and the NID campground at Scotts Flat Reservoir.

About 30 people,including several dis-trict representatives,turned out on May 31,a day before NationalTrails Day, for a dedi-cation of the 4.5-milemeandering trail that

crosses U.S. Forest Service and NID land.Project coordinator Zachi Anderson of Grass

Valley, a longtime local trails advocate, said about40 volunteers paid to help build the trail, which hasan average grade of five percent. He said the trailhas a value of $115,000 and was built for only about$13,000, including a key feature, a handbuilt stonearch bridge near the Scotts Flat boat ramp parkinglot.

NID Recreation Manager Peggy Davidson, whoworked with Anderson in planning the trail, said thevolunteers did an excellent job and that the trail hasbecome a nice amenity to the recreation offerings atScotts Flat.

Based in Grass Valley, the Forest Trails Alliancehas built 60 miles of trails in many California com-munities over the past 10 years. The group’s mis-sion is to inspire and educate community membersin building their own community trails. For infor-mation, see www.foresttrailsalliance.org.

Close Named WaterOperations Manager

Chip Close, a 19-year veteran employ-ee and former Treated Water Superintendent,was appointed May 6 as NID WaterOperations Manager. In his new position,

Close oversees all water treatment, distribution andadministrative functions of the 44-employee department.He resides with his family in Grass Valley.Sommers Named Hydro Manager

Keane Sommers, an engineer with thedistrict for six years, has been named as NIDHydroelectric Manager, effective July 1. Inhis new position, Sommers heads a staff of17 that operates NID’s Yuba-Bear PowerProject, which includes eight reservoirs, four powerplants and related facilities. Sommers resides with hisfamily in Grass Valley.Veteran Employees Retire

Hydroelectric Manager Bill Morro wretires July 23 following a 40-year career inpower production, the past 26 with NID.Morrow joined NID in 1987 as a power oper-ator. He moved up through the ranks beforebeing promoted to the department managerposition in 2010. Morrow and his wife,

Anita, reside in Colfax.Assistant Superintendent for Vegetation

Control Bruce Early retired in June, closingout a 33-year career with the district. Early,who joined NID in 1980, specialized in vege-tation control for 30 years, including the past15 years as assistant superintendent. He andhis wife, Debbie, reside in Nevada City.