South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District

Minutes of the Washoe County Well Mitigation Hearing Board, March 16, 2006 Page 4 of 12
adjacent well was 148 feet below land surface; therefore, from 1959 to 1989 the water table dropped
approximately 50 feet, or approximately L66 feet per year.
Mr. Smitherman stated that the water table in the subject area has fluctuated over time and was declining
during the thirty years prior to construction of STMGID well numbers 5 and 6 and Tessa wells I and 2.
He added that most of the welis in the Government Lots were drilled between 1985 and 1995, many of
which were drilled in bedrock. The average static water level for wells drilled in bedrock in the southern
portion of the Govemment Lots in the early 1990s was approximately 240 to 250 feet below land surface,
which is consistent with the information on the applicant's well.
Mr. Smitherman reported the Tessa wells began service in 2003. He added that the hydrograph for Tessa
I shows no decline and the hydrograph for Tessa 2 shows a fluctuation in the pumping level.
Hydrographs for STMGID wells 5 and 6 between 2002 and 2005 show pumping level fluctuations in the
water table, with a decline of approximately 19 feet in number 5 and 7.5 feet in number 6. He reported
that STMGID 6 is the closest production well to the subject well, which is approximately 3,100 feet to the
northeast. Tessa 2 and ArrowCreek 3 wells are also within one mile of the subject parcel.
Mr. Smitherman reported that the applicants claim their well failed in August 2005. The applicants also
stated that at that time, their pump was lowered to the bottom of the well but they were still unable to
pump water. Mr. Smitherrnan continued that in August 2005, the static water level in the well was 284
feet below land surface and the total depth of the well was297 feet for a saturated thiclness in the well of
13 feet.
Mr. Smitherman next reviewed the general information for the subject area. There are approximately 530
domestic wells in the Government Lots, of which approximately 45 have been converted to municipal
water in the last three years. The average metered home in the area uses approximately .84 acre-feet per
year. Septic system recharge for the area is estimated at .22 acre-feet per year. The State Engineer's
office estimates a total water use for domestic well owners at I.l2 acre-feet per year. The total amount of
water withdrawn by 490 domestic wells using that estimate is 548.8 acre-feet per year. The same number
of homes estimated by using a .62 acre-feet estimate equals about 303-304 acre-feet per year.
Mr. Smitherman reported that monitoring wells in the Government Lots that appear to have the highest
rate of decline are located closer to STMGID 6. The Melarkey well, which is located close to STMGID 6
has been measured since 1989 and shows an average decline in the water table from 1989 to 2002 of L67
feet per year. He reported that two of the wells that show a decline in the water table of less than one foot
per year (similar to the Shannon's well) showed an increase in the water level during the years with above
average precipitation.
Mr. Morros asked about two homes being served by a single well. He added that State water law requires
a permit if more than one single-family dwelling is to be served by one well. Ms. Shannon reported she
would address that issue in her comments.
Chairman Jacobson stated that in general he prefers to see for example 0.84 as opposed to .84 because it
is sometimes difficult to read the copies. He also recommended rounding the number of feet rather than
using decimals. He referred to the comment that the applicant was required to not use more than 1,800
gallons per day although the meter had not been read. Mr. Smitherman explained that there was not a
requirement that the meter had to be read. He clarified the permit was issued by the Washoe County
District Health Department.
Mike Widmer, Hydrogeologist with Washoe County Deparknent of Water Resources (DWR), stated he is
representing the water purveyor, STMGID. He noted that Birnie McGavin, a member of the STMGID
Local Managing Board was present if anyone had questions. Mr. Widmer stated in his opinion the
Item 3
Page 8