OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

NNWPC Holds Regular Meeting and Elects Leadership (April 1, 2026)

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, April 1, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateWednesday, April 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 47:52

Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

I'd like to call to order the Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 meeting of the Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission.

0:20

And as is customary, if we could start with a roll call, please.

0:25

Casey Mencer.

0:27

Chris Melton, Eric Crum, John Enlo, John Flansburg, Eddie Quaglieri, Danielle Henderson here, Mylan Newen.

0:43

Chris Mixon for Donna Noel.

0:47

Amber Sosa.

0:49

Caris Delen.

0:51

Here, Michael Whidmer.

0:54

We have a quorum.

0:57

Thank you.

0:58

All right, moving on to item number two, public comment.

1:02

Have we received any public comment?

1:07

All right.

1:08

Hearing none, moving on to item number three, approval of the agenda.

1:14

Motion to approve.

1:15

Motion to approve the agenda.

1:18

Do I have a second?

1:19

Second.

1:19

All right.

1:20

Second by Commissioner Mountain.

1:21

All in favor?

1:23

Aye.

1:24

Any opposed?

1:26

All right.

1:26

Motion passes unanimously.

1:28

All right, moving on to item number four, approval of the minutes from the February 4th, 2026, uh Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission meeting.

1:38

Looking for a motion.

1:39

Moved to approve.

1:41

All right.

1:41

Motion by Commissioner Mountain.

1:43

Do I have second?

1:45

All second.

1:46

All right, Commissioner Flansburg.

1:47

All in favor say aye.

1:49

Aye.

1:49

Any opposed?

1:51

All right.

1:52

Motion passes unanimously.

1:55

All right.

1:57

Item number five.

1:58

I believe our presenter is not here currently.

2:00

Is it possible we can take these items out of order, or we could pull number five until the end of the agenda?

2:07

He is on online.

2:08

Oh.

2:09

I'm online.

2:11

All right, fantastic timing.

2:13

All right.

2:13

Uh moving on then to item number five action discussion and possible recommendation to the Western Regional Water Commission for approval of a scope of work and funding not to exceed 46,000 from the Regional Water Management Fund for a Professional Services Agreement with Resource Concepts Inc.

2:28

to perform the Little and Big Washoe Lakes Connectivity Phase One evaluation of site conditions.

2:34

Ms.

2:35

Wittigren.

2:36

Yes, thank you, Chairman.

2:37

Commissioners.

2:38

Birgit Whittagram for the record.

2:40

And previous Northern Nevada planning water planning commission priority setting discussions, the Washoe, the Washoe County Water Conservation District identified a need to study surface water interactions between little and big um Washoe Lake.

2:58

And last year in 2025, the commission prioritized the effort and put aside a budget for it in the fiscal year 26 professional services agreement budget.

3:09

So our partners worked with RCI to develop the scope of work and the budget.

3:13

And here with us virtually is Jill Sutherland, Principal at RCI, and she will be presenting a proposal.

3:30

Can you see the PowerPoint we have there?

3:33

Great.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████████████████████67%
Procedural███████████████23%
Technology and Innovation████6%
Data Management██3%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission Meeting – April 1, 2026

The Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission (NNWPC) convened on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at the Washoe County Chambers. The commission unanimously approved the consent agenda, authorized a $46,000 study on Washoe Lake connectivity, received draft updates to the Regional Water Management Plan (RWMP), and elected new officers for the 2026-2027 term. No public testimony was offered.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the Agenda: Motion by Commissioner Mountain, second by Commissioner Flansburg. Passed unanimously.
  • Approval of Minutes (February 4, 2026): Motion by Commissioner Mountain, second by Commissioner Flansburg. Passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public provided comments during the designated periods.

Discussion Items

  • Little and Big Washoe Lakes Connectivity Study (Item 5): Staff Birgit Whittagram and Jill Sutherland (Resource Concepts Inc.) presented a Phase One proposal to evaluate surface water interactions between Little and Big Washoe Lakes. The $46,000 study will assess historical connectivity, current site conditions, and water management implications. Commissioner Flansburg expressed strong support, stating the findings are vital for informing future operations and efficiency. Commissioner Mixon, representing the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, expressed support for the study but raised concerns about potential mercury mobilization in any future phases involving dredging. The commission unanimously approved the scope of work and funding for recommendation to the Western Regional Water Commission (WRWC).
  • RWMP Draft Updates (Items 6, 7, 8): Staff Kim Rigden and Dr. Laura Hawk presented 2026 draft updates. Chapter One focused on clerical updates, policy recategorization, alignment with the 2024 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan, and the proposed removal of the obsolete Lower Truckee River Restoration Policy. Chapter Three provided significant data updates on water purveyors and introduced a new GIS mapping tool, refining terminology distinguishing reclaim water from recycled water. Chapter Four updated wastewater and effluent management planning sections, refined the effluent management planning tool (transitioning to a Power BI multi-criteria analysis platform), and integrated the One Water Nevada Advanced Purified Water Program under the effluent management strategy. These were presented for information and discussion; final drafts are anticipated for June 2026.
  • Program Manager's Report (Item 9): Staff reported quarterly project updates and fiscal status, noting revenues outpacing expenses. A kickoff meeting for the wastewater regionalization feasibility study (Phases 1B/1C) was announced.
  • Future Agenda (Item 10): The next NWPC meeting is scheduled for May 6, 2026, featuring draft RWMP Chapters 5 (Stormwater), 6 (Flood Management), and 8 (Water Conservation).

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Study: Unanimously approved a Professional Services Agreement with Resource Concepts Inc. for the Little and Big Washoe Lakes Connectivity Phase One evaluation, funding not to exceed $46,000, and recommended it to the Western Regional Water Commission.
  • Chair Election: Unanimously elected Commissioner Chris Melton (Sun Valley General Improvement District) as Chair for the April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 term.
  • Vice Chair Election: Unanimously elected Commissioner Danielle Henderson (Truckee River Flood Management Authority) as Vice Chair for the same term.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order the Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 meeting of the Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission. And as is customary, if we could start with a roll call, please. Casey Mencer. Chris Melton, Eric Crum, John Enlo, John Flansburg, Eddie Quaglieri, Danielle Henderson here, Mylan Newen. Chris Mixon for Donna Noel. Amber Sosa. Caris Delen. Here, Michael Whidmer. We have a quorum. Thank you. All right, moving on to item number two, public comment. Have we received any public comment? All right. Hearing none, moving on to item number three, approval of the agenda. Motion to approve. Motion to approve the agenda. Do I have a second? Second. All right. Second by Commissioner Mountain. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. Motion passes unanimously. All right, moving on to item number four, approval of the minutes from the February 4th, 2026, uh Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission meeting. Looking for a motion. Moved to approve. All right. Motion by Commissioner Mountain. Do I have second? All second. All right, Commissioner Flansburg. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Motion passes unanimously. All right. Item number five. I believe our presenter is not here currently. Is it possible we can take these items out of order, or we could pull number five until the end of the agenda? He is on online. Oh. I'm online. All right, fantastic timing. All right. Uh moving on then to item number five action discussion and possible recommendation to the Western Regional Water Commission for approval of a scope of work and funding not to exceed 46,000 from the Regional Water Management Fund for a Professional Services Agreement with Resource Concepts Inc. to perform the Little and Big Washoe Lakes Connectivity Phase One evaluation of site conditions. Ms.

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