(March 25, 2026)  

The Nevada Irrigation District (NID) Board of Directors has declared a surplus water supply for 2025, confirming that the District has more than enough water to meet customer needs this year.

Surplus water is defined as water that exceeds the demands of customers within NID’s service area. In years when a surplus is declared, the District may sell this additional supply to a small number of customers outside its boundaries, as well as to the City of Grass Valley and Nevada City under long‑term agreements.

Each year before the April 15 start of irrigation season, NID’s Hydrography team evaluates expected water availability for the summer. The analysis considers current reservoir storage and anticipated snowpack runoff based on snow survey data. These projections help determine whether the District will have adequate supply or if the Water Shortage Contingency Plan may need to be activated.

This year’s analysis shows a strong water outlook:

• Reservoir storage as of March 11 was 255,168 acre‑feet, which is 112 percent of average for this time of year and 94 percent of total capacity.
• The Department of Water Resources’ Bulletin 120 forecast projects 50 percent of average runoff in the Yuba watershed. Using this forecast, NID estimates about 61,000 acre‑feet of runoff from its own watershed.
• PG&E expects to have water available for purchase under the Coordinated Operating Agreement, though specific amounts are not yet known. Because of this uncertainty, NID completed its analysis without including PG&E supplies.

Even without that additional water, the District is forecasting an April 1 supply of 279,300 acre‑feet, which is well above the 235,000 acre‑feet required for a “normal year” under NID’s Drought Contingency Plan.

With this healthy outlook, the Board’s declaration confirms that NID will have a surplus water supply for 2025. The Board voted on the surplus water during its March 25, 2026 meeting.