Water district and NyECC partner for safe medication disposal

Prescription medications should never be casually disposed of, as this presents the possibility of those drugs being used by someone else or even making their way into the public’s drinking water.

With community health a focus of the NyE Communities Coalition and water protection and preservation the objective of the Nye County Water District, the two have joined forces on the Nye County Prescription Drug Deactivation Program. Launched in November last year, the program’s first quarter came to a close at the end of February and it was such a success that these two entities are not only continuing it into a second quarter, but expanding it to reach additional Nye County communities as well.

The Prescription Drug Deactivation Program is part of the Nye County Community Source Water Protection Plan and as such, the water district sought the assistance of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) Integrated Source Water Protection Program (ISWPP) for its implementation. The first quarter of the program utilized ISWPP funding to purchase 1,000 Deterra drug deactivation pouches and the coalition utilized its own grant resources to provide another 1,944. The Deterra pouches render medications of all kinds, from pills to liquids to patches, safe for disposal with regular household garbage.

The pouches were then distributed at a variety of locations and local functions, including senior apartments, Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Community Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve Dinners, as well as via vending machines and outreach efforts. The estimated “pollutant load” these pouches were reported to deactivate came to 225,000 pills, 30,000 ounces of liquid and 30,000 patches.

“This effort has been highly successful because it combined local leadership, targeted funding and practical, easy-to-use solutions to prevent emerging contaminants from entering source waste in disadvantaged communities,” the water district stated in its request to NDEP for a second quarter of funding. “Through strong coordination between ISWPP, Nye County Water District and the coalition, nearly 3,000 pouches were distributed with documented tracking and measurable pollutant load reduction – preventing pharmaceuticals from entering groundwater while also reducing misuse risks.

“The program’s expansion through trusted community hubs in Pahrump and Tonopah demonstrates both scalability and sustained community engagement,” the letter continued. “Given its measurable impact, cost-effectiveness and strong local support, continuing and expanding this program is a logical and impactful next step for protecting source water and public health in Nye County.”

Under the second quarter of the program, ISWPP has allocated $5,000 and the water district and coalition’s aim is to distribute 3,500 pouches, as well as expand from Pahrump and Tonopah into the Beatty and Round Mountain communities. The ISWPP is providing 3,000 of this round’s Deterra bags and the coalition is providing the remaining 500.

“Getting the bags out there is important. But what I think is more important is, your body and your organization is now finally starting to accumulate the strategic partners that it needs to be effective,” Nye County Water District General Manager Dann Weeks told the water board during a report at its April 14 meeting. “People are reaching out to us. We’re completing projects and those projects are leading to new projects… Your department is growing, the state is seeing what you are doing and we’re accomplishing things.”

For more information on the Nye County Prescription Drug Deactivation Program or how to get a free Deterra pouch, contact the NyE Communities Coalition at 775-727-9970.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com