NEMO Nevada (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) is an educational program for land-use decision-makers addressing the relationship between land-use and water resource protection. As our community continues to grow, the rapid rate of construction and development can have negative impacts on our natural resources, including water quality and quantity.

The NEMO Nevada Program is designed to provide education and technical assistance to land use decision-makers, including planning commissioners and staff, citizen and neighborhood advisory board members, and other advisory groups. With appropriate planning, we can effectively decrease the need for best management practices to mitigate development impacts. This saves the community from expensive retrofits and maintenance projects.

This program is a collaborative effort of several agencies, led by Extension. It is modeled after the highly successful NEMO Program of the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension. The NEMO network includes 33 states across the nation.

Basic Workshops

The NEMO Nevada program offers several free educational workshops that last from 30 minutes to one hour.

Water Quality Basics (30 minutes)

  • Point source pollution
  • Nonpoint source pollution
  • Types of nonpoint source pollutants and examples of sources
  • Nonpoint source pollutants that can result from various types of land uses


Urbanization and the Water Cycle (30 minutes)

  • The basic water cycle, infiltration, filtration and recharge
  • Concept of a watershed, with local examples
  • Naturally occurring challenges (soils, geomorphology, precipitation patterns)
  • Impervious surfaces
  • Alteration of the water cycle by development


Water Quality Challenges Facing Our Community (1 hour)

  • Safe Drinking Water Act
  • Clean Water Act
  • Beneficial uses
  • National Pollutant Discharge Elimintion System
  • Water quality standards
  • Total Maximum Daily Load
  • Groundwater issues


Impacts on Waterways (1 hour)

  • Hydrology
  • Geomorphology - stream widening and erosion, decreased channel stability
  • Water quality
  • Habitat - loss of buffer zones, creation of fish passage barriers, increased algae growth, etc.
  • The impervious surfaces model


Strategies for Coping With Polluted Runoff (1 hour)

  • Existing local efforts
  • Low impact development practices
  • Benefits
  • Techniques
  • Planning strategies

NEMO Nevada Partners

NEMO Nevada is a collaborative effort of several agencies, led by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, including:

  • Bureau of Health Protection Serivces
  • Carson City Utilities Department
  • Carson Water Subconservancy District
  • City of Reno, Community Development
  • City of Reno, Public Works Department
  • Douglas County Community Development
  • EPA Region 9
  • Interlocal Stormwater Coordinating Committee
  • Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
  • NEMO National Network
  • Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
  • Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency
  • University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
  • Washoe County Community Development
  • Washoe County Water Resources
  • Western Nevada RC & D

Construction Site Best Management Practices (BMPs)

Construction site BMPs help keep pollutants such as sediment and hazardous materials out of waterways. Nevada Division of Environmental Protection has issued a General Permit for construction sites greater than 1 acre. The resources on NDEP's site will help you comply with permit requirements and protect water quality.

 
News Articles, Fact Sheets, Reports...
Impacts of Development on Waterways
Local officials interested in protecting area waters must go beyond standard flood and erosion control practices and address the issue of polluted runoff through a multilevel strategy of planning, site design and storm water best management practices.
 Donaldson, S. and Hefner, M. 2004, Extension | University of Nevada, Reno

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Please contact Extension's Communication Team for assistance.