The Truckee Carson Irrigation District will hold a special election on March 9, 2021 to give water right owners in the Newlands Project the opportunity to ratify the newly negotiated contract between the district and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR).
TCID is a political subdivision under the State of Nevada that was created in 1918 to represent water right holders and work with U.S. Reclamation Service, which was the precursor to the BOR. The current TCID contract with the Bureau will expire December 31, 2021.
According to Rusty Jardine, general manager of the district, board members recently approved the core of the contract and plan to approve the exhibits to the contract at their meeting next week.
Under Nevada Revised Statutes, any proposal to enter into a contract for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the existing works must be voted on by the electors of the district. “It must go to an election to ask the water right holders,” said Jardine, “They should have a say.”
In order to vote in the election, water right holders must be registered to vote with TCID by February 23rd. The office will be open with extended hours, Thursday, January 14, and Wednesday, February 3, 2021, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the District Office, 2666 Harrigan Road, in Fallon. Voter eligibility in the district is based on ownership of land in the Newlands Project that also has a surface water right attached to it.
Jardine says there are many water right holders who are not registered, and board members are urging eligible voters to register as soon as possible.
If the vote is successful, the district operations will remain constant with modifications made to the contract as needed as they may arise. Currently the O&M assessment for the district is $47.90 an acre. If electors vote no, the BOR will be forced to take over the operation and maintenance of the project. Jardine says one estimation puts the O&M charges at three times the current cost per acre should the operation shift to the Bureau.
Running on a parallel track to the TCID approval process is the federal process of approving negotiated contracts. The BOR is currently working toward that end, which includes obtaining the signature of the Secretary of the Interior and filing notice with the Federal register. According to Jardine, the entire ratification process could take most of the year.
There appears to be general support for the contract throughout the project. Most people see the need for the district to continue to operate the project and the premise is understood, “It is important the water right holders have a mechanism to voice their positions,” stated Jardine.
There will be two polling places on March 9th where electors can cast their vote. Division 1, which includes Fernley, Hazen, and Swingle Bench, will vote in Fernley at the North Lyon County Fire Protection District, 194 E. Maine Street. The remaining Divisions, 2-7, will vote at the TCID office on Harrigan Road.
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