4 P.M. UPDATE:
Fernley's Water Treatment Facility is back to normal operations after a failure caused a critical water shortage on Tuesday.
The facility is working at full capacity now, according to an alert sent to residents.
The city thanked people for water conservation efforts while repairs were made.
“Our water treatment facility suffered a temporary loss of communication. There was no loss of water to our residents, and there were no health concerns. We put measures into place as an abundance of precaution,” said the city in a statement.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE (1:15 P.M.):
The City of Fernley is facing a critical water supply shortage and is implementing immediate water conservation measures.
The measures will ensure the community has enough water for essential daily needs, sanitation, and emergency fire protection.
All residents are asked to stop all outdoor watering. This includes stopping lawn, turf, and decorative plant irrigation, as well as hardscape washing like driveways, sidewalks, or patios. People are also asked not to wash their cars, except at commercial car washes that use recycled water.
People are also asked to cut back on indoor water use. Run full loads only when using your washing machine or dishwasher, keep showers to five minutes, turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing dishes by hand.
You should also consider catching running water in a bucket while waiting for it to heat up, and using it to water essential indoor plants.
You should check toilets, faucets, and pipe connections for leaks. A single leaky toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a day.
The water conservation is necessary due to a failure at the Drinking Water Treatment Facility.
The City of Fernley says there is no evidence of a cyberattack, and that the issue appears to be a failure within computer control systems.
Please report any visible water leaks or water waste in public areas to the town utility office immediately at (775) 784-9930.
