Fifty people on a list of more than 100 waiting to get water hookup permits will be able to apply, now that Storey County commissioners have approved an amendment to the water ordinance.
The amended water ordinance will allow 50 connections during 2008. It will also increase the number of annual connections from 12 in Virginia City to 15, from two to five in Gold Hill, and from two to ten in Silver City.
Previous annual limits were set at 13 for Virginia City, three for Gold Hill and three for Silver City.
Those limits led to an 11-year wait for water hookups for those who were building homes in the three historic communities.
Though Silver City is in Lyon County, the Storey County Public Works Department is its water purveyor.
Public Works Director Mike Nevin said that if a person in the top 50 on the list was not able to build, their name would go to a comparable slot or higher on the following year's list.
Nonrefundable fees for water and sewer permits cost $550 for water and sewer in Virginia City; and $250 for water only in Gold Hill and Silver City.