North Lyon County Fire Protection District have released new information about a critical water shortage that impacted Fernley Tuesday.
At about 11:20 a.m. Tuesday, Lyon County Emergency Management notified North Lyon Fire of an issue at the City of Fernley Water Treatment Facility affecting the city’s water supply.
Fire officials recognized that fire hydrant availability could be affected if the water system reached a certain level.
North Lyon Fire quickly contacted partner agencies to secure additional water resources for emergency fire suppression without drawing from the city’s hydrants.
The Nevada Department of Transportation provided four water tenders, Lyon County provided three and the City of Fernley provided one. Combined with North Lyon Fire’s own tender, nine units were ready for immediate response if a fire occurred.
North Lyon Fire Chief Brian Bunn said. “Established partnerships allowed North Lyon Fire to quickly coordinate additional resources and prepare for potential fire suppression needs while supporting the community’s water conservation efforts.”The coordination did not require resources from North Lyon Fire’s regular mutual aid partners, allowing those agencies to remain available for other emergencies across the region.
“The response demonstrates the value of emergency planning and the relationships built between agencies before an emergency occurs,” North Lyon Fire Chief Brian Bunn said. “Established partnerships allowed North Lyon Fire to quickly coordinate additional resources and prepare for potential fire suppression needs while supporting the community’s water conservation efforts.”
North Lyon Fire thanked Lyon County Emergency Manager Taylor Allison, Nevada Department of Transportation representative Brent Slobe and Fernley Public Works Director Adrian Gonzalez for their assistance, along with the personnel who staffed and supported the resources.
The district said the effort highlights the importance of preparedness, interagency cooperation and responsible use of shared resources to protect the community.
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.
