This cistern collects water from the roof of a restroom. Photo by Susan Donaldson for Nevada Cooperative Extension.

My friend Marie was told recently it was illegal to harvest rainwater in Nevada. She was referring to putting large barrels under gutter downspouts to catch and store water running off a roof. Many people have done this for years, but actually it was illegal in Nevada until 2017.

In 2017, then Gov. Brian Sandoval signed Assembly Bill Number 138 which amended existing water law to allow homeowners to collect precipitation “from the rooftop of a single-family dwelling for nonpotable domestic use.”

Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting and storing runoff from rooftops for later use on lawns, gardens and other landscaping. Harvesting rainwater is ancient and was followed for thousands of years as a way to supplement water supplies during dry periods.

Once centralized water supply systems were developed, people got away from harvesting water. In dry areas such as Nevada, saving rainwater makes sense.

Rainwater is soft, low in salts and dissolved minerals and excellent for leaching desert soils. It can be used for pet and livestock watering, car washing and sometimes even to supplement non-potable water uses such as toilet flushing and evaporative cooling.

Harvested water should never be used for drinking water unless it has been purified. Pollutants can collect on roofs because of our infrequent rainfall. The first flush of rain on a roof may contain dust, debris, bird or other animal droppings. To eliminate these substances, many commercial rainwater-collection systems have devices that divert the first few gallons of runoff onto the ground.

Rainwater harvesting does not need to be complicated. If you have a gutter system, you can attach a variety of low-cost products to downspouts to divert water to plants. Because most of our rain occurs in winter, storing rainwater can help provide water in summer months when the need is highest.

Fifty-five-gallon barrels are one way to store water. With the barrel up on cinder blocks or a platform to encourage gravitational flow and a spigot a few inches above the bottom of the barrel, you can attach a hose to direct the water to needy plants. That few inches of space below the spigot will allow debris to settle out.

For detailed information read the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension publication: “Rainwater Harvesting” by Susan Donaldson. Ph.D. at http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/nr/2009/fs0924.pdf

Looking Ahead: May 10, 2:30 to 5 and May 11, 8:30 to 1:30 are The Greenhouse Project’s big Mother’s Day plant sales. Get tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and flowers for your favorite mom.

— JoAnne Skelly is Associate Professor and Extension Educator Emerita with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

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Just before 6 p.m. Friday night a crash was reported in the 600 block of Hot Springs Road.

Two vehicles are involved and at this time it does not appear that there are injuries.

Deputies are enroute to the scene.

Motorists should seek alternate routes or use caution while in the area.

The Carson Chamber Singers, a performing group of the Carson City Symphony Association, will kick off their 38th season on Tuesday, August 2, from 5:00 to 6:45 p.m. at the LDS church, 411 N Saliman Road in Carson City. A social gathering at 7:00 p.m. at Great Basin Brewing Co. in Carson City will follow.

Agriculture producers and others are invited to tour field plots in northern Nevada where the University of Nevada, Reno and its partners are researching drought-tolerant and high-demand crops. Three free field tours will be hosted, two in Fallon on Aug. 5 and 9, and one in Reno on Aug. 12.

Hello fellow anglers. The heat is on and the fish are taking a vacation.

With the recent extreme temps, the rivers are getting lower and the water temps are rising. The fish have not flown south, they have just gone deeper or lay dormant in currents.

This report may not be a favorable one, but I will always give you the truth on what is hot and what is not.

Happy Friday Carson City! Let's take a look at what is happening throughout the region this weekend!

The Carson City Historical Society will be hosting ongoing events every Saturday at the historic Foreman-Roberts House and Carriage House located at 1207 North Carson in Carson City.

On a pleasant summer afternoon we gathered together at the Jones Mansion in Gold Hill to celebrate a Nevada life well lived, extremely well lived. Several of us stood patiently in line to articulate our encomiums.

Nevada has lost a favorite son, and the world has lost a sage. David Toll was the SS Tahoe, the V&T Railroad, and the CC Mint, incarnate.

The University of California, Davis, Tahoe Environmental Research Center, or TERC, released its annual Tahoe: State of the Lake Repor on Thursday. The report informs nonscientists about important factors affecting the health of Lake Tahoe and provides the scientific underpinnings for restoration and management decisions within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Happy Thursday Carson City! Do you have any plans for the weekend? If so, the one thing that would make those plans really shine is bringing along a new best friend.

Following the arrest of the father whose family was allegedly living inside of the Northern Nevada Children's Museum after a toddler wandered into traffic and guns and cannabis were discovered inside, the board of the children's museum stated the facility would be closed for one week.

During that time, they said, the museum would be deep cleaned, a new manager would be hired, and the board would determine a new path forward.

More than 20 years of providing a fun-filled event has made the Western Nevada College Foundation’s Golf for Education Tournament one that can’t be missed.

As the new school year quickly approaches, Greater Nevada Credit Union has launched the Greater School Supplies Drive to support Nevada students, teachers and schools by gathering the supplies needed for a successful academic year.

Many students lack the necessary supplies to succeed in the classroom, and teachers often use personal funds to purchase them. The average K-12 teacher spends an average of $750 of their own money to supplement their classroom’s supplies, without reimbursement.

A 36-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for alleged felony possession of stolen property after he was found riding an electric bicycle that was reported stolen Monday, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office report.

A Heat Advisory for western Nevada, the Carson City region and northeast California is in effect Thursday through Saturday due to temperatures expected to be near or exceed 100, according to the National Weather Service.

The Carson City Classic Cinema Club, Garrett Lepire, and Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space are once again teaming up to present a schedule of free summer outdoor family movie nights at Mills Park. This Friday, July 29, will be the viewing of "Soul," a 2020 computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios that won two Academy Awards.

UPDATE 9:10AM: The condition of the patient is unknown at this time. He was flown by Care Flight to the trauma ward at Renown Medical Center in Reno. Traffic in the area of Market and College and Emerson has been reopened, according to Carson City Sheriff's Office deputies. *** Carson City Fire Department and sheriff's deputies responded Thursday morning to a person who reportedly jumped at the overpass of northbound I-580 and Emerson Drive.

The live music experience keeps on rolling in Carson City this weekend when alt-rockers The Vindys take the downtown Change Companies stage as the Levitt AMP summer concert series headliners Saturday, July 30.

Plus, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Part of the Machine, Rock & Pinball" exhibit happens Saturday, with free admission from 5 to 7 p.m.

A saw mill is being built behind Topsy Lane south of Carson City as part of a Washoe Tribe project aimed at thinning the Lower Clear Creek forest to prepare for wildfires.

The Washoe Development Corporation has leased 37.2 acres to Tahoe Forest Products.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, August 2, at 5 p.m. until sundown, in Carson City’s Mills Park, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office will again host Sheriff’s Night Out, featuring every state and local public safety organization in the area.

Inspired by landscapes and the endless details within, James McCarthy’s photography exhibition presents innovative compositions in his exhibition, "Alignment" with the Capital City Arts Initiative.

While monkeypox vaccines are being made available to high risk individuals in southern Nevada, in the north, vaccine appointments are still unavailable.

In mid-June, Vegas reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox. Since that time, the number has grown to 8 confirmed cases.

According to a recent study, summer temperatures in Reno, Nevada, have risen 10.9 degrees since 1970, making it the nation’s fastest-warming city. Ranked second is Las Vegas, which has seen an increase of 5.8 degrees.

On July 27, 28, and 29 the Sand Harbor Boat Beach from the boat ramp to the group area will be closed to the public for a special event. On July 28, the Sand Harbor Boat Ramp Parking Lot will be closed to all parking. Visitors can still access the park through the main entrance until the parking lot is closed for the day due to capacity, or by riding the East Shore Express.

The Nashville Social Club opened its doors two weeks ago to an enthusiastic community. The new southern fusion restaurant, bar and music venue is quickly becoming a local favorite as a place to “hang” in Carson City.

For those in Carson City struggling with addiction, a new type of help is on the horizon: Carson City CrossFit has recently partnered with "The Phoenix" to support those wishing to lead a sober lifestyle.

The Phoenix is a nonprofit organization that helps people in their journey to sobriety and healthy living through fitness.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is seeing a spike of fraudulent scams with a large increase of citizens becoming victims. The following are examples of fraudulent scam activity being seen.

Discussions relating to the amount of retail cannabis locations in Carson City will be returning for a second time to the Planning Commission after the commission changed their previous recommendation at last month’s meeting.

CARSON CITY — Last year in the U.S. more than 20,000 teens aged out of foster care without a permanent home. In Nevada, the Division of Child and Family Services and our partner agencies are working to change that and recently two adoption program Youth Connections Managers were honored for their work to provide permanency for youth through reunification, guardianship and adoption.

Pillar Income Asset Management has requested a one-year time extension to December 2023 in regards to the previously approved five-story downtown Carson City apartment complex.

Near record high temperatures later this week across western Nevada and the Carson City region has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory Thursday through Saturday.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Pollution Control has entered the public notice period for the new Class II Air Quality Operating Permit for Redwood Materials, Inc.

A 39-year-old woman was arrested early Tuesday morning for a felony warrant issued out of California, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office booking report.

A whopping 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. At Eyemart Express, the Carson City community can support Stand Up To Cancer’s research efforts by purchasing new glasses.

Keep Saturday, August 27, open so you can attend a true blockbuster event here in Carson City. It will begin with a fabulous picnic at the Carriage House, catered by John Hurzel of “A Catered Affaire.” Following the best picnic you will ever eat, the premiere performance of ‘The Life of Annie Roberts” will be presented by noted Chautauquan Kim Harris, who has spent over a year researching all the details of the woman who lived in our historical treasure — the Roberts House — and raised her family 50 feet from where you will have lunch.

Carson City’s 19th annual Jazz & Beyond Music & Art Festival, presented by the Mile High Jazz Band Association, offers 17 days of free entertainment and more than 30 performances.

Nevada’s “red flag” law that allows police and family members to petition a court to temporarily take away an individual’s firearms has been used just over a dozen times over the last two years.

CARSON CITY — On Monday, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation announced that Lisa Levine is now serving as Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation.

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