With one, possibly two new housing developments coming to Verdi, one of the biggest concerns from residents is that there won't be enough water for everyone.
Hydrologist David Carlson has surveyed the area and says that because the Meridian 120 development would be getting most of its water from the Steamboat Ditch that averages 1,100 gallons of water per minute, residents shouldn't be concerned.
"The Steamboat Ditch supplies almost all the water to the Boomtown development. That is 1,100 gallons a minute off the Steamboat Ditch and around 6,000 gallons a minute infiltrates the Verdi area. Through the Power Canal and the Power Canal Bypass, both of them contribute to that system," said Carlson.
Many residents say that their own wells are running dry and question how these numbers are sustainable. Carlson says that there is a likely reason resident's wells are running dry.
"A lot of the wells in Verdi being old. It's a combination of it being shallow, perforations could be plugged, but a lot of it is that the power canal and the power canal bypass are shut off," said Carlson.
The state water engineer also has to approve the area's water sustainability, which is something developer Chip Bowbly of the Meridian 120 project says shouldn't be an issue.
