February 22, 2016

Mr. Wichman

discussed a modeling program that was developed by John Klenke which predicts when certain over-pumped areas of the valley may go dry. He also stressed that a Professional Engineering report will give the most value for the investment since it can eliminate some of the guesswork involved in bringing a project to fruition. In the process, public safety issues can also be addressed. Mr. Wichman stressed that NDEP does its best to honorably address water quality throughout the State and cannot single out specific basins (utilities) for more intensive testing as it is not allowed by law. If this Board wants to test for drugs they can, but it can only be addressed within the confines of the yearly budget. To continue to discuss this issue over and over without any concrete data is a waste of time. 6 Nye County Water District Governing Board February 22, 2016 Darrell Lacy related that a first take step needs to be taken on the long path toward solving problems in the basin. He suggested that safety issues can be part of a study relating to implementation of the plan. Greg Dann again related that flood water and partially treated wastewater are very different in quality. Dan Schinhofen responded by emphasizing that wastewater being introduced into a RIB is fully treated and is further filtered by soils as it is absorbed. This method of wastewater disposal has been in use for many years, and is a proven as a safe and effective to provide additional water to the basin especially for areas that are experiencing declining levels. Dwight Lilly again insisted that the aquifer could be damaged from the treated UICN wastewater and he will file a lawsuit if the value of his property is diminished; he wants a 100% guarantee that the aquifer will not be degraded. Wendy Barnett from UICN explained that she is charged with protecting the aquifer; there are no 100% guarantees; she is a domestic well owner and drinks from the same water source as everybody else; the water being put into the RIB is not drinkable but does meet drinking water parameters. She is continually dumbfounded why it is so hard to do a good thing for this community; you will not know what is contained in run-off water as it is not tested, whereas the water from UICN is continually monitored and tested by professionals. She doesn’t understand why the people want to run amuck with false accusations that are in the newspapers every day. It is difficult for this Board to discern the truth from hearsay and that is why she invited them the to visit Plant #3 and see the latest state-of-the-art processes which provide safe quality drinking water to over 12,000 residents daily. Bruce Holmgren, NDEP, repeated that the monitoring wells detect any potential issues before they become problematic. Daniel Burejsca attempted to explain how a septic system operates as compared to a RIB; just keep spraying the treated wastewater on the fields for irrigation; we need science that shows RIB’s are safe; there could be a bond floated to reimburse the public if the RIB fails; Utah doesn’t allow RIB’s in floodplains; Table 3 is mandatory before moving forward; how much can we rely on the government to protect us and finally, don’t trust the government. Mr. Holmgren noted that there are no standards for run-off water which can run through some toxic areas before reaching a RIB. Upon questioning by Dave Caudle, it was noted that RIB’s do help with filtration of water, but a RIB is not approved based upon the filtering actions of the soils. Joe Westerlund noted that waters going into UICN RIB’s are tested daily and a monthly test is done by the State. Mr. Holmgren was not aware of any State requirements to have domestic well water tested. Greg Dann related problems with his own personal domestic well and septic system. In his opinion septic systems do not contribute to contamination of the aquifer. In response, Mr. Holmgren noted that percolation rates were dependent on the geology in the immediate area which can be variable; that is why it is important to hire a professional engineer to do a feasibility study as was done in the case of the UICN RIB. Herman Lewis thanked the Board for their concern for the public safety. Tim Hafen related that the NDEP standards for treated wastewater are more stringent than minimum drinking water standards; water from RIB’s that percolated into the aquifer is drawn from nearby monitoring wells and tested for quality; that is how we know that the aquifer is not being contaminated; and there is a greater chance of pollution from nearby septic systems when untreated wastewater percolates into the ground. Mr. Hafen questioned why the Board was addressing topics in Agenda Item 10 when we were supposed to be talking about the Groundwater Management Plan; stop acting like the sky is falling down with regards to this RIB. Betsy Lilly read into the record a letter that had been previously prepared by her husband repeating many of the same issues that he had mentioned earlier. Kenny Bent felt this treated wastewater should be put to beneficial use for irrigation only and agreed that stormwater collects contaminants as 7 Nye County Water District Governing Board February 22, 2016 it flows across the land into a RIB; he enlightened the Board about his personal experiences in digging up septic systems. Following a break, discussion began with a request by Greg Dann for a motion to address RIB’s for discharge of wastewater. Joe Westerlund asked if the Water Board was approving or just advising on this matter. Mr. Dann’s opinion was that advanced treatment standards should be applied to water that goes into a RIB; and he did not attend the tour of Plant #3 because he was not concerned about the treatment process but only with the product produced by the plant. Jim Weeks warned that requiring only potable water for RIB’s will be an expensive process that will be passed on to the public, and making a statement like that is a bit premature. Mr. Dann felt that we need to err on the side of caution when it comes to public safety. In that case then, Mr. Weeks related that we should not allow totally untreated effluent to percolate into the soil from septic systems and require everyone to hook-up to sewer systems. Despite Mr. Dann’s claims that septic systems do not percolate into groundwater, Mr. Weeks related that he had seen many cases where septic systems did in fact infiltrate into groundwater during his career as a water treatment operator for the Town of Beatty for 17 years. John Klenke related that there is quite a large area in the Pahrump Valley where the water table is within less than 20 feet of the surface; if you are going to be serious you will need to do some sampling in those areas; he has evidence that stormwater does infiltrate deeply into the soils and it can carry with it contaminants from leach fields. Greg Dann emphasized that the topic at this point was setting of policy regarding RIB’s. He felt that this was a public safety issue and not to deal with funding at his time. Daniel Burejsca proceeded with an explanation of how a septic system functions. He discussed other options that are available to process sewage. Tim Hafen again emphasized that the water going into RIB’s is treated to State standards and that reverse osmosis has its drawbacks in that it is expensive and creates a by- product that needs to be gotten rid of. He told Mr. Dann that he was using his position on the Water Board as a “bully pulpit” and that the rest of the Board should think independently; Mr. Dann is on the wrong track. Kenny Bent questioned why you would add more contaminants to the aquifer if there is already a problem with septic systems. John Colbert, a representative from the Nevada Rural Water Association, wanted to address a few of the items mentioned in order to help educate the public: Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria are found naturally in the soil; a septic system accelerates the process of digesting contaminants; the water treatment plant in question uses that same process to eliminate contaminants but at a much higher rate; all wastewater is discharged someplace, either into the ground or into a body of water; it doesn’t just go away; all water that is used goes somewhere and some amount of it will go into the ground; all of it cannot just evaporate into the air; in order to find even a detectable level of pharmaceuticals in groundwater it would take the population on the scale of a large California city; the amount of water required to operate a valley wide reverse osmosis system is well beyond costs that are bearable, plus the brine waste product must be disposed of somewhere. Upon questioning, Mr. Colbert agreed that it would be beneficial to have a Professional Engineering Report in order to make informed decisions about the topic being debated. Oz Wichman requested that RIB’s be put into the category of requiring a PER. Greg Dann did not think that would be beneficial and would not accept the idea that a professional specialist would make a better decision than himself. Mr. Colbert said that the technology exists to provide totally pure water from effluent; and tertiary treated wastewater from Plant #3 exceeds the quality of drinking water that is supplied to many communities throughout the State of Nevada. Everything that is sprayed on the ground 8 Nye County Water District Governing Board February 22, 2016 eventually makes its way into the groundwater. Nothing is infallible; even the most expensive treatment plant in the world can fail. Dwight Lilly’s opinion was that the government was willing to risk the safety of the community by allowing treated wastewater to be put into RIB’s; it was all about economics; more water available in the aquifer would lead to more development. Mr. Colbert noted that it is not a matter of increasing development but of having enough water for the current residents because the basin is now being overdrawn. RIB’s will help to reduce the overdraft. Greg Dann did not agree. Mr. Colbert emphasized that current science shows that there is very little risk of contamination from RIB’s. Daniel Burejsca related that a new reverse osmosis membrane had been developed that requires less energy to operate; he felt that brine was being put back into the ground with a RIB; again he charged that some individuals benefit financially by promoting growth. Darrell Lacy suggested that this item be continued until the next meeting when more information can be made available to help with decision making. Greg Dann decided that the second part of Item 6 would be continued to the next meeting for further discussion.

Mr. Dann

stated that there was still more information to be gathered regarding the safety of RIB’s. Ken Searles emphasized that not moving forward did not indicate that the Board was against RIB’s. Greg Dann reiterated that there is no endorsement of Item 6 or 10 at this time. Due to time constraints Greg Dann decided to move on to Agenda Item 14, Staff Reports, and continue the rest of the Agenda until the next meeting in March.

Mr. Lacy

announced that Teddi Osburn has submitted her resignation to the Water District and has offered to stay on until at least June 1, 2016. We have a couple of months to find a replacement and get that person trained. Financial information is included in the back-up and we are doing very well at this point. II. Oz Wichman 11 Nye County Water District Governing Board February 22, 2016

Mr. Wichman

reported that advertisement for the Basin Health Outreach Program will happen this week. His efforts will be directed toward this effort for most of March. He related that he and Dave Hall recently attended a VEA outreach session in Tonopah. A lot of good water information regarding the agriculture industry was dispensed. Dave Hall noted that there is a lot of new improved water saving technology available to irrigate farmlands. III. John Klenke d. Project Status Report No comments. e. Board Liaison Report I. Dan Schinhofen Absent f. Report from other individuals, groups and or agencies regarding water-related issues: For informational purposes only. None Greg Dann requested that a motion be made to suspend hearing the remaining Agenda Items. Ken Searles made a motion to table the remaining items on the Agenda for February 22, 2016, to be heard at the March 28, 2016 meeting of the Water Board. Dave Hall seconded the motion. The motion passed with a vote of 6-0 in favor. Ken Searles thanked Ms. Osburn for her efforts during her tenure with the Water District. Oz Wichman requested that Ms. Osburn get the advertisement for her replacement placed ASAP since there is a lot of training that must be done. Ms. Osburn asked that everybody bring all of today’s back-up material to the next meeting rather having to duplicate that information.