Humboldt River Basin Water Authority
Taylor, M., et al., 2021. The article develops economic models for a cow-calf ranching operation and an alfalfa hay operation in the Humboldt River Region (HRR) that use surface water for irrigation.
This article appeared in the Journal of the Nevada Water Resources Association, Winter 2021 and can be viewed at NWRA’s website by clicking here.
Click here to read the Cortez Mine Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring Plan 2021 ANNUAL REPORT – February 25, 2022 that will be presented on March 23, 2022 at the Nevada Division of Water Resources
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Quality Planning (BWQP) announced that the final Nevada 2020 – 2022 Water Quality Integrated Report, prepared in accordance with Clean Water Act sections 303(d), 305(b) and 314, was submitted to EPA for approval today. The report documents the methodology used and assessment results of Nevada’s surface waters for the seven-year period October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2020.
The Final 2020-2022 Water Quality Integrated Report has been modified based on feedback from public and EPA comments and further review of the report and data. BWQP included all pertinent information (solicitation of data, public comments with NDEP responses, etc.) into the FINAL Nevada 2020-2022 Water Quality Integrated Report document as attachments to keep all the information in one package with the hope of making the Integrated Report process more accessible to the public.
All documents and the web map (under development) for the Nevada 2020 – 2022 Water Quality Integrated Report are available online at: https://ndep.nv.gov/water/rivers-streams-lakes/water-quality-standards/303d-305b-water-quality-integrated-report
Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA, BIB, or BIL) are flowing to Nevada through the State Revolving Fund programs. The Priority List for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is now open. Capital Projects must be on the priority lists to receive funding from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. This is your chance to get on the list to be eligible for funding. Pre-applications are being accepted until May 11, 2022 through the Nevada Infrastructure Financial System (NIFS). Eligible systems are asked to sign up with NIFS and submit their applications as soon as possible. Click here for more information.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Nevada is announcing its first-round funding signup for Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC), a new option available through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). While applications for EQIP are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by April 15, 2022, to be considered for the 2022 ranking funding period.
EQIP-CIC expands resource benefits for Nevada producers through incentive conservation practices such as cover crops, transition to resource conserving crop rotations, and precision agriculture technologies along with a similarly broad suite of incentive practices for ranchers and nonindustrial private forest operators. Additionally, EQIP-CIC allows producers to target priority resource concerns on their property by offering incentive payments for a five-year contract without needing to enroll the entire operation into the program.
EQIP-CIC is designed to be a stepping-stone between EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program, to help producers improve their level of conservation and earn benefits of longer-term conservation enhancements. For more information about conservation planning and programs to help treat natural resource issues on your land, visit www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov or call the Nevada NRCS Service Center at (775) 857-8500
The tap turned off in January which raises concern about how this water year will end up. We started with record rain in October, followed by a dry November, then record snowfall in the Sierra in December before blue skies took over in January. Many SNOTEL sites across Nevada, Utah and Colorado had their lowest January precipitation totals on record.
The dry month has caused snow and precipitation percentages to drop as median amounts continue to increase each day.
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is below normal at 78% of median, compared to 58% at
this time last year. Precipitation in January was well below normal at 37%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-January) to 109% of median. Soil moisture is at 54% saturation compared to
24% saturation last year.
Snowpack in the Lower Humboldt River Basin is below normal at 88% of median, compared to 89% at
this time last year. Precipitation in January was well below normal at 18%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-January) to 124% of median. Soil moisture is at 49% saturation compared to
30% saturation last year. Reservoir storage is 5% of capacity, compared to 30% last year.
Click here to read the full February 2022 Nevada Water Supply Outlook Report.
Contact HRBWA
775 - 443 - 7667
ccjfontaine@gmail.com
Jeff Fontaine - Executive Director