Science in the Truckee River Basin Active
Upper Truckee River at South Lake Tahoe
Truckee River at Reno
Truckee River near Tracy
Truckee River below Derby Dam
Pyramid Lake
The Truckee River flows for 120 miles from the outlet of Lake Tahoe in California, into Nevada, through the city of Reno, until it terminates at Pyramid Lake and is the only source of surface-water outflow from Lake Tahoe. The majority of the streamflow in the Truckee River comes from the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Contributions to the river in Nevada are small due to the Sierra Nevada’s “rain shadow effect” which limits annual precipitation in the Nevada part of the Truckee River basin to less than 10 inches per year. The Truckee River supplies water to a diverse group of water users: power generation, municipalities, industry, and agriculture as well as being the primary source of water for Pyramid Lake. The Truckee is critical to maintaining Pyramid Lake water levels and supporting the endangered cui-ui lakesucker and the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.
The Truckee River basin (hydrographic region 6) covers over 4,700 square miles and straddles the California-Nevada border. The Truckee River Basin includes the following hydrographic areas: Winnemucca Lake Valley, pyramid Lake Valley, Dodge Flat, Tracy Segment, Warm Springs Valley, Spanish Springs Valley, Sun Valley, Truckee Meadows, pleasant Valley, Washoe Valley, Lake Tahoe Basin, and the Truckee Canyon Segment. Major cities in the Truckee River Basin are Truckee, California, and Reno and Sparks, Nevada.
Conflicts regarding Truckee River water rights have been long-standing and intense among various economic, political, ecological, and institutional interests because the average-annual demand for water is greater than the supply. Water rights are fully or over-allocated with respect to annual water volumes. Diversions from the Truckee River, along with the arid desert enviroment, caused water levels in Pyramid Lake to drop more than 90 feet between 1891 and 1966. Water levels in Pyramid Lake have stabilized although they still fluctuate in response to hydrologic conditions.
One of the first large diversions of the Truckee River was authorized by the 1902 Reclamation Act for agricultural irrigation. Allocations of water from the Truckee River are now governed by the Truckee River Operating Agreement which is a major part of Public Law 101-618, the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights
Settlement Act of 1990.
USGS Nevada Water Science Center maintains more than 42 streamflow gages on the Truckee River.
AVAILABLE DATA
Real-Time Streamflow :: Daily Values :: Peak-Flow:: Water Quality
ACTIVE STUDIES IN THE TRUCKEE RIVER BASIN
Hydroclimatic-Socioecolgical Modeling Science
Lake Tahoe Science
Lake Tahoe Tributary Monitoring
Lake Tahoe Water Quality Shorezone Monitoring
Nutrient Source Identification in Groundwater and Periphyton Along the Nearshore of Lake Tahoe
Water Availability and Use Science
Effects of Groundwater Withdrawals, Tracy Segment
Evaluating Artificial Storage and Recovery Potential of Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
COMPLETED STUDIES IN THE TRUCKEE RIVER BASIN
Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
Periphyton, a type of algae, is growing on bottom sediment and rocks along nearshore areas of Lake Tahoe. Periphyton is seen as a nuisance and negatively impacts the recreational value of the lake. Periphyton biomass (PB) data collected along the nearshore of Lake Tahoe exhibit increasing trends over the last decade. However, the mechanisms that have caused these changes are not well understood.
Visit the project web page: Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
If you would like information about other completed studies, please email the NVWSC at GS-W-NVpublic-info@ usgs.gov.
Nevada Water Science Center projects in the Truckee River Basin are linked below.
Quantifying watershed controls on fine sediment particles and nutrient loading to Lake Tahoe using data mining and machine learning
Nutrient Source Identification in Groundwater and Periphyton Along the Nearshore of Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe Water Quality Shorezone Monitoring
Evaluation of water-level decline and aquifer properties in the Virginia City Highlands and Highland Ranches Volcanic Rock aquifer system, Storey County, Nevada
Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
Water for the Seasons
Effects of Groundwater Withdrawals, Tracy Segment
Evaluating Artificial Storage and Recovery Potential of Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Lake Tahoe Tributary Monitoring
Documentation of VS2DH Seepage Models: Surface Infiltration and Unsaturated Zone Characterization in Support of Managed Aquifer Recharge, Washoe County, Nevada
Supplemental Data: Surface Infiltration and Unsaturated Zone Characterization in Support of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Model Archive Summary for Surrogate Regression of Fine-Sediment Particles for Lake Tahoe Tributaries
Discharge, nutrient, and suspended sediment data for selected streams in the Lake Tahoe watershed
Nitrogen and phosphorus, other water quality parameters, and sediment temperature data for Incline Creek and Marlette Creek stream-lake interface, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, September 2013
Nevada Water Science Center publications for the Truckee River Basin are listed below.
Surface infiltration and unsaturated zone characterization in support of managed aquifer recharge in Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Peak streamflow determinations in Nevada: A cooperative program with the USGS and Nevada Department of Transportation
Early warning pesticide monitoring in Nevada’s surface waters
Trends in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations and loads in streams draining to Lake Tahoe, California, Nevada, USA
Spatial patterns of meadow sensitivities to interannual climate variability in the Sierra Nevada
Linkages between hydrology and seasonal variations of nutrients and periphyton in a large oligotrophic subalpine lake
Temporal and spatial trends in nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA
Groundwater exchanges near a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth discharging to a subalpine lake
Mixing effects on nitrogen and oxygen concentrations and the relationship to mean residence time in a hyporheic zone of a riffle-pool sequence
The use of multiobjective calibration and regional sensitivity analysis in simulating hyporheic exchange
Organic Compounds in Truckee River Water Used for Public Supply near Reno, Nevada, 2002-05
Hydrologic and Water-Quality Responses in Shallow Ground Water Receiving Stormwater Runoff and Potential Transport of Contaminants to Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, 2005-07
Lake Tahoe Hydro Mapper
The Hydro Mapper is an interactive map viewer which allows users to see real-time information on stream flow discharge, stage, nutrient, turbidity, sediment loads, and storage data.
These are the partners that we are working with currently in the Truckee River Basin. A complete list of our partners is available here: Partners page
- Overview
The Truckee River flows for 120 miles from the outlet of Lake Tahoe in California, into Nevada, through the city of Reno, until it terminates at Pyramid Lake and is the only source of surface-water outflow from Lake Tahoe. The majority of the streamflow in the Truckee River comes from the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Contributions to the river in Nevada are small due to the Sierra Nevada’s “rain shadow effect” which limits annual precipitation in the Nevada part of the Truckee River basin to less than 10 inches per year. The Truckee River supplies water to a diverse group of water users: power generation, municipalities, industry, and agriculture as well as being the primary source of water for Pyramid Lake. The Truckee is critical to maintaining Pyramid Lake water levels and supporting the endangered cui-ui lakesucker and the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.
The Truckee River basin (hydrographic region 6) covers over 4,700 square miles and straddles the California-Nevada border. The Truckee River Basin includes the following hydrographic areas: Winnemucca Lake Valley, pyramid Lake Valley, Dodge Flat, Tracy Segment, Warm Springs Valley, Spanish Springs Valley, Sun Valley, Truckee Meadows, pleasant Valley, Washoe Valley, Lake Tahoe Basin, and the Truckee Canyon Segment. Major cities in the Truckee River Basin are Truckee, California, and Reno and Sparks, Nevada.
Conflicts regarding Truckee River water rights have been long-standing and intense among various economic, political, ecological, and institutional interests because the average-annual demand for water is greater than the supply. Water rights are fully or over-allocated with respect to annual water volumes. Diversions from the Truckee River, along with the arid desert enviroment, caused water levels in Pyramid Lake to drop more than 90 feet between 1891 and 1966. Water levels in Pyramid Lake have stabilized although they still fluctuate in response to hydrologic conditions.
One of the first large diversions of the Truckee River was authorized by the 1902 Reclamation Act for agricultural irrigation. Allocations of water from the Truckee River are now governed by the Truckee River Operating Agreement which is a major part of Public Law 101-618, the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights
Settlement Act of 1990.USGS Nevada Water Science Center maintains more than 42 streamflow gages on the Truckee River.
AVAILABLE DATA
Real-Time Streamflow :: Daily Values :: Peak-Flow:: Water Quality
ACTIVE STUDIES IN THE TRUCKEE RIVER BASIN
Hydroclimatic-Socioecolgical Modeling Science
Lake Tahoe Science
Lake Tahoe Tributary Monitoring
Lake Tahoe Water Quality Shorezone Monitoring
Nutrient Source Identification in Groundwater and Periphyton Along the Nearshore of Lake Tahoe
Water Availability and Use Science
Effects of Groundwater Withdrawals, Tracy Segment
Evaluating Artificial Storage and Recovery Potential of Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
COMPLETED STUDIES IN THE TRUCKEE RIVER BASIN
Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
Periphyton, a type of algae, is growing on bottom sediment and rocks along nearshore areas of Lake Tahoe. Periphyton is seen as a nuisance and negatively impacts the recreational value of the lake. Periphyton biomass (PB) data collected along the nearshore of Lake Tahoe exhibit increasing trends over the last decade. However, the mechanisms that have caused these changes are not well understood.
Visit the project web page: Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
If you would like information about other completed studies, please email the NVWSC at GS-W-NVpublic-info@ usgs.gov.
- Science
Nevada Water Science Center projects in the Truckee River Basin are linked below.
Quantifying watershed controls on fine sediment particles and nutrient loading to Lake Tahoe using data mining and machine learning
Since the late 1980’s, the USGS has collected discharge, sediment, and water quality data at seven major drainages under the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP). Recently, continuous, real-time measurements of turbidity were added to the LTIMP. These data can be combined with in situ, model simulations, and remotely-sensed datasets available from the USGS, National Aeronautics and...Nutrient Source Identification in Groundwater and Periphyton Along the Nearshore of Lake Tahoe
High concentrations of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are responsible for excessive, or nuisance algal blooms in many ecosystems world-wide, and climate change is predicted to exacerbate the problem1,2. Excessive nutrients supplied to the nearshore zone of Lake Tahoe may have significant consequences to ecological communities, water clarity, and water quality. The nearshore zone represents the...Lake Tahoe Water Quality Shorezone Monitoring
USGS Nevada Water Science Center (NVWSC) is sampling for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in 2019 in order to confirm previous data collection efforts at Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) requested sampling in targeted locations and at times when petroleum constituents are most likely to be detected in the lake.Evaluation of water-level decline and aquifer properties in the Virginia City Highlands and Highland Ranches Volcanic Rock aquifer system, Storey County, Nevada
The Virginia City Highlands and Highland Ranches (VC Highlands) are a rural residential housing area established along the ridge of the Virginia Range in Storey County, Nevada. Approximately 1,400 residents exclusively rely on domestic wells for water supply and domestic well depths range from 75 to 1,175 ft below land surface. NVWSC monitors water levels annually in two domestic wells in the VC...Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
Periphyton, a type of algae, is growing on bottom sediment and rocks along nearshore areas of Lake Tahoe. Periphyton is seen as a nuisance and negatively impacts the recreational value of the lake. Periphyton biomass (PB) data collected along the nearshore of Lake Tahoe exhibit increasing trends over the last decade. However, the mechanisms that have caused these changes are not well understood.Water for the Seasons
Water for the Seasons (WftS) is a four year study funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. WtfS uses the Truckee-Carson River System (TCRS) as a pilot study to learn how to best link science with decision-making in snow-fed arid-land river systems. By working collaboratively with stakeholders, WftS aims to create a model for improving community climate...Effects of Groundwater Withdrawals, Tracy Segment
The USGS Nevada Water Science Center began an investigation in 2010 to quantify hydrologic effects of groundwater withdrawals on Truckee River streamflow in the Tracy Segment hydrographic area, Storey, Washoe and Lyon Counties, Nevada. Groundwater gradients have been monitored at sites near pumping wells and the river. Water-level fluctuations resulting from local pumping are interpreted with flow...Evaluating Artificial Storage and Recovery Potential of Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a public water purveyor in northwest Nevada with responsibility for providing water to approximately 385,000 people in the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area and suburban communities north of Reno. TMWA has a conjunctive use strategy, which includes aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), to both maintain the health of local aquifers and supplement limited water...Lake Tahoe Tributary Monitoring
The Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) is an essential part of integrated science in the Lake Tahoe Basin and has provided long-term, consistent, reliable, and accessible tributary monitoring data for decades. - Data
Documentation of VS2DH Seepage Models: Surface Infiltration and Unsaturated Zone Characterization in Support of Managed Aquifer Recharge, Washoe County, Nevada
Two-dimensional variably saturated heat and flow models (VS2DH) were used to examine seepage rates along the Birdspring drainage for the purpose of exploring the drainage channel for use in an managed aquifer recharge project. Six transect models were separately calibrated to sediment temperatures observed during episodic runoff events during water year 2017 and 2018. The models were calibrated toSupplemental Data: Surface Infiltration and Unsaturated Zone Characterization in Support of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
This USGS data release presents tabular data and photos used to determine (1) the duration of flow, subsurface temperature, and concurrent infiltration along an ephemeral channel and (2) vertical change of soil moisture, texture, and pore-water chemistry in the unsaturated zone at selected locations. The data were collected to investigate the feasibility of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) for aquifModel Archive Summary for Surrogate Regression of Fine-Sediment Particles for Lake Tahoe Tributaries
This USGS data release presents Model Archive Summaries (MAS) and tabular calibration data used to develop surrogate regressions to estimate fine sediment particles flowing into Lake Tahoe. Fine sediment particles in the size range of 0.5 to 16.0 micrometers (μm) represent the primary size range of suspended sediment responsible for clarity reduction in Lake Tahoe. Models will be used to create esDischarge, nutrient, and suspended sediment data for selected streams in the Lake Tahoe watershed
A time series of nutrient and mean daily discharge data were used to create models of daily concentration and loads for selected streams of the Lake Tahoe watershed. A total of 15 sites have records ranging from as early as 1972 to 2017. Nutrients in the data set include nitrate, ammonium, Kjeldahl Nitrogen, orthophosphate, and total phosphorus. Total suspended sediment concentrations are also incNitrogen and phosphorus, other water quality parameters, and sediment temperature data for Incline Creek and Marlette Creek stream-lake interface, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, September 2013
This data set contains the following parameters: sediment and water temperature, dissolved nitrate plus nitrite dissolved, ammonium, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, soluble orthophosphate, dissolved phosphorus, total phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon. - Publications
Nevada Water Science Center publications for the Truckee River Basin are listed below.
Filter Total Items: 70Surface infiltration and unsaturated zone characterization in support of managed aquifer recharge in Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) expands the portfolio of public water supply and improves resiliency to drought and future water demand. This study investigated the feasibility of ASR in the Bedell Flat Hydrographic Area using land-based methods including in-channel managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and rapid infiltration basins (RIB). Bedell Flat, one of two flow-through groundwater basins near RAuthorsTodd Caldwell, Ramon C. Naranjo, David Smith, Christian KropfPeak streamflow determinations in Nevada: A cooperative program with the USGS and Nevada Department of Transportation
BackgroundFloods are one of the most costly and frequent natural disasters in Nevada. For example, the 1997 New Year’s flood has been estimated to have caused more than $1 billion in damage across northern Nevada (Truckee River Flood Management Authority, 2017). In 2014, more than 2 miles of Interstate 15 in southern Nevada was heavily damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Norbert combined with monAuthorsKurtiss SchmidtEarly warning pesticide monitoring in Nevada’s surface waters
A pesticide is a substance, or mixture of substances, used to kill or control insects, weeds, plant diseases, and other pest organisms. Commercial pesticide applicators, farmers, and homeowners apply about 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides annually to agricultural land, non-crop land, and urban areas throughout the United States. Although intended for beneficial uses, there are also risks associateAuthorsJena M. Huntington, Derek C. Entz, Carl E. ThodalTrends in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations and loads in streams draining to Lake Tahoe, California, Nevada, USA
Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake of the eastern Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada, has 63 tributaries that are sources of nutrients and sediment to the lake. The Tahoe watershed is relatively small, and the surface area of the lake occupies about 38% of the watershed area (1313 km2). Only about 6% of the watershed is urbanized or residential land, and as part of a plan to maintain water clAuthorsJoseph L. Domagalski, Eric D. Morway, Nancy L. Alvarez, Juliet Hutchins, Michael R. Rosen, Robert CoatsSpatial patterns of meadow sensitivities to interannual climate variability in the Sierra Nevada
Conservation of montane meadows is a high priority for land and water managers given their critical role in buffering the effects of climate variability and their vulnerability to increasing temperatures and evaporative demands. Recent advances in cloud computing have provided new opportunities to examine ecological responses to climate variability over the past few decades, and at large spatial sAuthorsChristine M. Albano, Meredith L. McClure, Shana E. Gross, Wesley Kitlasten, Christopher Soulard, Charles Morton, Justin HuntingtonLinkages between hydrology and seasonal variations of nutrients and periphyton in a large oligotrophic subalpine lake
Periphyton is important to lake ecosystems, contributing to primary production, nutrient cycling, and benthic metabolism. Increases in periphyton growth in lakes can be indicative of changes in water quality, shifts in ecosystem structure, and increases in nutrient fluxes. In oligotrophic lakes, conservationists are interested in characterizing the influence of hydrological drivers on excessive peAuthorsRamon C. Naranjo, Richard G. Niswonger, David Smith, Donald O. Rosenberry, Sudeep ChandraTemporal and spatial trends in nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA
Since 1980, the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) has provided stream-discharge and water quality data—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment—at more than 20 stations in Lake Tahoe Basin streams. To characterize the temporal and spatial patterns in nutrient and sediment loading to the lake, and improve the usefulness of the program and the existing database, we have (AuthorsRobert Coats, Jack Lewis, Nancy L. Alvarez, Patricia ArnesonGroundwater exchanges near a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth discharging to a subalpine lake
The terminus of a stream flowing into a larger river, pond, lake, or reservoir is referred to as the stream-mouth reach or simply the stream mouth. The terminus is often characterized by rapidly changing thermal and hydraulic conditions that result in abrupt shifts in surface water/groundwater (sw/gw) exchange patterns, creating the potential for unique biogeochemical processes and ecosystems. WorAuthorsJames Constantz, Ramon C. Naranjo, Richard G. Niswonger, Kip K. Allander, B. Neilson, Donald O. Rosenberry, David W. Smith, C. Rosecrans, David A. StonestromMixing effects on nitrogen and oxygen concentrations and the relationship to mean residence time in a hyporheic zone of a riffle-pool sequence
Flow paths and residence times in the hyporheic zone are known to influence biogeochemical processes such as nitrification and denitrification. The exchange across the sediment-water interface may involve mixing of surface water and groundwater through complex hyporheic flow paths that contribute to highly variable biogeochemically active zones. Despite the recognition of these patterns in the litAuthorsRamon C. Naranjo, Richard G. Niswonger, Clinton DavisThe use of multiobjective calibration and regional sensitivity analysis in simulating hyporheic exchange
We describe an approach for calibrating a two-dimensional (2-D) flow model of hyporheic exchange using observations of temperature and pressure to estimate hydraulic and thermal properties. A longitudinal 2-D heat and flow model was constructed for a riffle-pool sequence to simulate flow paths and flux rates for variable discharge conditions. A uniform random sampling approach was used to examineAuthorsRamon C. Naranjo, Richard G. Niswonger, Mark Stone, Clinton Davis, Alan McKayOrganic Compounds in Truckee River Water Used for Public Supply near Reno, Nevada, 2002-05
Organic compounds studied in this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment generally are man-made, including, in part, pesticides, solvents, gasoline hydrocarbons, personal care and domestic-use products, and refrigerants and propellants. Of 258 compounds measured, 28 were detected in at least 1 source water sample collected approximately monthly during 2002-05 at the intake of the Chalk Bluff TreAuthorsKaren A. ThomasHydrologic and Water-Quality Responses in Shallow Ground Water Receiving Stormwater Runoff and Potential Transport of Contaminants to Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, 2005-07
Clarity of Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada has been decreasing due to inflows of sediment and nutrients associated with stormwater runoff. Detention basins are considered effective best management practices for mitigation of suspended sediment and nutrients associated with runoff, but effects of infiltrated stormwater on shallow ground water are not known. This report documents 2005-07 hydrogeolAuthorsJena M. Green, Carl E. Thodal, Toby L. Welborn - Web Tools
Lake Tahoe Hydro Mapper
The Hydro Mapper is an interactive map viewer which allows users to see real-time information on stream flow discharge, stage, nutrient, turbidity, sediment loads, and storage data.
- Partners
These are the partners that we are working with currently in the Truckee River Basin. A complete list of our partners is available here: Partners page
Filter Total Items: 17