Drought prompts Reno-area officials to go after water wasters

RENO -- Facing the prospect of a fourth straight drought year, Reno-area officials say they plan to step up enforcement against water wasters this summer.

The Truckee Meadows Water Authority, which supplies water in the Reno area, can fine water wasters up to $200.

"It may sound like the little boy who cried wolf, but we really do mean it this year," said Andy Gebhardt, water conservation administrator for the water authority. "For the people who just don't want to get it, we will be enforcing."

On Friday, the Truckee River Basin snowpack measured at 93 percent of average for the date while the Lake Tahoe Basin snowpack was 84 percent.

Heavy March snowfall has rescued the snowpack in some winters, but that doesn't appear likely this year, said forecaster John Corey of the National Weather Service.

"Those things can happen but it probably won't," he told a Reno newspaper.

Gebhardt said the authority plans to increase the frequency of inspections for residents violating odd-even watering restrictions or wasting water.

If conditions remain dry, he said, the current four-member inspection team would be expanded by at least two more employees. Patrols also will take place during off-hours to catch violators watering at night.

"People have figured out when we work, so we'll work some odd hours," Gebhardt said.

The only property owner cited last summer was a chronic waster who was caught watering about 2:30 a.m. when Gebhardt responded to complaints.

The need for more effective water conservation was among topics discussed Friday at the annual Nevada Water Resources Association conference in Sparks.

While great strides have been made in curbing indoor water waste, much more needs to be done to address outdoor waste, said Mary Ann Dickinson, executive director of the California Urban Water Council.

Conservation plans should be in effect long before drought makes them critical, she said.

"If you turn to conservation in times of drought, you're not actually doing a very good job," Dickinson said.