NID agrees to annex 19 parcels in Nevada City

Nineteen parcels in Nevada City will be annexed into the boundaries of the Nevada Irrigation District, under action taken on May 26 by the NID Board of Directors.

The annexations were requested by the City of Nevada City and will allow the property owners who are already using NID water to receive water at NID rates, which are 25 percent less than rates charged outside of NID boundaries.

The parcels to be annexed are along the city’s perimeters, including parcels on Zion Street, Brock Road, Nursery Street and Willow Valley Road.

NID Assistant General Manager Tim Crough said the district’s annexation strategy is intended to facilitate the expansion of treated water pipelines and make more water available to areas where it is needed.

In other business, NID directors:

• Heard concerns from Division I Director Nancy Weber about NID’s recent replacement of Flume No. 13 on the D-S Canal near Nevada City where unseasonal rains caused muddy conditions at the construction site. General Manager Ron Nelson and Chief Engineer Gary King took responsibility for the storm water incident, which had resulted in a citizen complaint to state regulators. They said NID needed to get the job done before the irrigation season and that the state’s concerns were immediately addressed and rectified. Weber requested a full report at the board’s next meeting.

• Amended a lease agreement with Gene and LaDyne Luster, who hold a grazing lease to a 555-acre NID parcel near the Bear River and Magnolia Road. The lease is based on actual market prices for beef and was adjusted to $1,900 per year.

• Approved a new job description for a safety analyst, a planned position that has been budgeted but not filled for the past three years. The position is expected to pay about $72,000 in salary and benefits; recruitment is planned in coming months.

• Heard a water-supply update from Operations and Maintenance Manager John Kirk, who reported that most NID reservoirs are full and spilling. He said the NID storage system would reach capacity this year, except Jackson Meadows Reservoir where a slightly lower level is being maintained for operational purposes. General Manager Ron Nelson added that this should be a very good year for hydroelectric power production. “The only dark cloud is that the meters aren’t spinning,” he said, noting that lower water sales would translate to lower revenues to the district. “Given the choice,” he said, “we’ll take the good water supply.”

The next regular meeting of the NID Board of Directors will be held at 9 a.m. on June 9 at the NID Business Center in Grass Valley.  NID board meetings are open to the public.