NRS540.141. Required provisions of plan or joint plan of water conservation; review by Section; posting of plans and joint plans on Internet website.

      1.  A plan or joint plan of water conservation submitted to the Section for review must include provisions relating to:

      (a) Methods of public education to:

             (1) Increase public awareness of the limited supply of water in this State and the need to conserve water.

             (2) Encourage reduction in the size of lawns and encourage the use of plants that are adapted to arid and semiarid climates.

      (b) Specific conservation measures required to meet the needs of the service area, including, but not limited to, any conservation measures required by law.

      (c) The management of water to:

             (1) Identify and reduce leakage in water supplies, inaccuracies in water meters and high pressure in water supplies; and

             (2) Where applicable, increase the reuse of effluent.

      (d) A contingency plan for drought conditions that ensures a supply of potable water.

      (e) A schedule for carrying out the plan or joint plan.

      (f) Measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan or joint plan.

      (g) For each conservation measure specified in the plan or joint plan, an estimate of the amount of water that will be conserved each year as a result of the adoption of the plan or joint plan, stated in terms of gallons of water per person per day.

      2.  A plan or joint plan submitted for review must be accompanied by an analysis of:

      (a) The feasibility of charging variable rates for the use of water to encourage the conservation of water.

      (b) How the rates that are proposed to be charged for the use of water in the plan or joint plan will maximize water conservation, including, without limitation, an estimate of the manner in which the rates will affect consumption of water.

      3.  The Section shall review any plan or joint plan submitted to it within 30 days after its submission and approve the plan if it is based on the climate and living conditions of the service area and complies with the requirements of this section.

      4.  The Chief may exempt wholesale water purveyors from the provisions of this section which do not reasonably apply to wholesale supply.

      5.  To the extent practicable, the State Engineer shall provide on the Internet website of the State Engineer a link to the plans and joint plans that are submitted for review. In carrying out the provisions of this subsection, the State Engineer is not responsible for ensuring, and is not liable for failing to ensure, that the plans and joint plans which are provided on the Internet website are accurate and current.

      (Added to NRS by 1991, 521; A 2005, 2571; 2007, 1254)