Carson, Lyon plan water agreement for emergency supplies

Carson City and Lyon County are working on an agreement that would help them better deliver water during emergencies, such as a fire or drought.

It also would help keep water flowing to the two areas reliably when system problems and work occurs.

Carson City supervisors and Lyon County commissioners are set to vote on the agreements at their respective July 6 meetings.

"We've been working together for the past couple of years," said Tom Hoffert, the city's public works operations manager. "It's a good practice for utilities to have interconnections in times of emergencies."

Washoe County water providers, for example, have these types of exchange agreements, Hoffert said. So do Minden and Douglas County.

Any eventual water exchanges will be metered.

Cost for the system to be built hasn't been determined. The city, however, completed work on a well near Mound House this spring.

Recent events that would have been made easier with this type of arrangement include the Waterfall fire and last week's Linehan Complex fire.

Linehan, for example, "surrounded two of our tanks and a booster station," said Mike Workman, utilities director for Lyon County.

"If the fire had been worse, we would have had no water supply," Workman said.

The agreement could also prove useful to Carson once construction of the Marlette Lake and Hobart Reservoir pump station begins next summer. Carson received 10 percent of its water from this area in 2005, and without the system in place there would be service issues as the work is being done, Hoffert said.

Carson City has 16,000 water customers. Lyon County serves 5,300 customers in Dayton and Mound House.

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.

If you go

WHAT: Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting

WHEN: 8:30 a.m. Thursday

WHERE: Sierra Room, Community Center, 851 E. William St.

WHAT: Lyon County Commission meeting

WHEN: 9 a.m. Thursday

WHERE: 27 S. Main St., Yerington

CALL: (775) 463-6531