Water Services
The Carson River and its tributaries help feed the Carson Valley aquifer from which Minden draws its water.
There is an extensive proposed capital improvement budget created by the Town of Minden Water Company. It is the philosophy of the Town of Minden Water Company to take a proactive, rather than a reactive, approach to improvements within their utility district. It seems a prudent way to conduct business so that the general functioning of the utility district is kept in good repair. Anticipated problems can be addressed, budgeted for, and handled before they spiral into emergency situations, which can be very costly to the rate payers. The rate payers of this district may wish to be thankful for this forward thinking and responsible approach.
- Douglas County Grand Jury
The Town of Minden owns and operates a municipal water system that serves approximately 3500 residents and over 200 commercial customers. Water is pumped from six municipal wells through a gridded distribution system to meet both domestic use and fire flow requirements. The Town source of water supply is the Carson Valley Aquifer. The Town uses the aquifer as its storage system and has no other storage such as tanks or reservoirs.
Should an interruption in electrical services occur, there are backup generators on six of the wells, plus a portable generator that can be utilized as well. We have a system to monitor the system which notifies operators of any problems. The Town has a back-flow protection program and many of its service connections are protected including fire service connections.
Every pump is rated at capacities from 600 gallons per minute to 2000 gallons per minute. Every pump in the system can supply water to any location in the system through an extensive pipeline distribution system. The well pumps will run in any number of combinations or as stand-alone pumps. The system is equipped in such a way as to allow the pumps to vary the pumping rate from no-flow all the way up to the pumps' rated capacity. The total pumping capacity is 8400 gallons per minute, which is ample capacity to meet the Town's demand. Currently, the Town of Minden pumps approximately 515 million gallons of water each year to its customers; this equates to around 1.2 million gallons a day.
The Town has an eight inch connection with the Town of Gardnerville which can deliver water in either direction-to Gardnerville or Minden-depending on system pressures. This connection is metered using a two-way flow meter. The Town is also in the process of connecting to other local water systems as well, selling water to Douglas County, Indian Hills, and Carson City.
The Town meters its commercial customers and charges a flat rate for residential service; however, all new construction and properties that change ownership are required to install water meters.
The Town of Minden charges residential customers a flat quarterly fee for water service, though meters are being installed on every home. While there are no plans to start charging residential accounts based on usage, knowing the amount of water used by each household is a very valuable tool for recognizing over-usage, as well as, being able to detect possible unknown leaks.
The Town has a well-trained staff of certified water distribution operators. A Town water system operator also visits each well at least once a day, every day of the year. There is a proactive maintenance plan in place. System fire hydrants are inspected and serviced annually along with system water valves, pumps, and other appurtenances.
Presently, no water treatment of any type is required due to the good quality of the Town's water supply. The Town of Minden is very proud of its water system. Our water quality meets all state and federal standards naturally, without any chlorination or other chemical treatments. It is delivered to you directly from the wells it is pumped from-no storage tank. This means you get crisp, clean, healthy water every time you turn on your tap.
There are many more simple techniques that can add up, making a significant impact on reducing the amount of water pumped each year. Water is one of our most precious resources, and you can do your part to help preserve this valuable asset.
There is an extensive proposed capital improvement budget created by the Town of Minden Water Company. It is the philosophy of the Town of Minden Water Company to take a proactive, rather than a reactive, approach to improvements within their utility district. It seems a prudent way to conduct business so that the general functioning of the utility district is kept in good repair. Anticipated problems can be addressed, budgeted for, and handled before they spiral into emergency situations, which can be very costly to the rate payers. The rate payers of this district may wish to be thankful for this forward thinking and responsible approach.
- Douglas County Grand Jury
Distribution System
The Town of Minden owns and operates a municipal water system that serves approximately 3500 residents and over 200 commercial customers. Water is pumped from six municipal wells through a gridded distribution system to meet both domestic use and fire flow requirements. The Town source of water supply is the Carson Valley Aquifer. The Town uses the aquifer as its storage system and has no other storage such as tanks or reservoirs.
Should an interruption in electrical services occur, there are backup generators on six of the wells, plus a portable generator that can be utilized as well. We have a system to monitor the system which notifies operators of any problems. The Town has a back-flow protection program and many of its service connections are protected including fire service connections.
Every pump is rated at capacities from 600 gallons per minute to 2000 gallons per minute. Every pump in the system can supply water to any location in the system through an extensive pipeline distribution system. The well pumps will run in any number of combinations or as stand-alone pumps. The system is equipped in such a way as to allow the pumps to vary the pumping rate from no-flow all the way up to the pumps' rated capacity. The total pumping capacity is 8400 gallons per minute, which is ample capacity to meet the Town's demand. Currently, the Town of Minden pumps approximately 515 million gallons of water each year to its customers; this equates to around 1.2 million gallons a day.
Expansion
The Town has an eight inch connection with the Town of Gardnerville which can deliver water in either direction-to Gardnerville or Minden-depending on system pressures. This connection is metered using a two-way flow meter. The Town is also in the process of connecting to other local water systems as well, selling water to Douglas County, Indian Hills, and Carson City.
Cost
The Town meters its commercial customers and charges a flat rate for residential service; however, all new construction and properties that change ownership are required to install water meters.
The Town of Minden charges residential customers a flat quarterly fee for water service, though meters are being installed on every home. While there are no plans to start charging residential accounts based on usage, knowing the amount of water used by each household is a very valuable tool for recognizing over-usage, as well as, being able to detect possible unknown leaks.
Staff
The Town has a well-trained staff of certified water distribution operators. A Town water system operator also visits each well at least once a day, every day of the year. There is a proactive maintenance plan in place. System fire hydrants are inspected and serviced annually along with system water valves, pumps, and other appurtenances.
No Water Treatment
Presently, no water treatment of any type is required due to the good quality of the Town's water supply. The Town of Minden is very proud of its water system. Our water quality meets all state and federal standards naturally, without any chlorination or other chemical treatments. It is delivered to you directly from the wells it is pumped from-no storage tank. This means you get crisp, clean, healthy water every time you turn on your tap.
Conservation
The Town of Minden does not have watering restrictions, but strongly encourages good conservation practices both inside and outside the home. Just a few simple steps can save thousands of gallons of water per household. For your lawn or garden, water early in the morning or late evening when evaporation is limited, water for shorter periods of time so there is less wasted in runoff, and perform routine maintenance checks on your pipes and irrigation system to limit water waste from leaks. Inside your home, you can switch to low-flow toilets and shower heads, or just turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth.There are many more simple techniques that can add up, making a significant impact on reducing the amount of water pumped each year. Water is one of our most precious resources, and you can do your part to help preserve this valuable asset.