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.
Nevada Water Science Center publications for the Truckee River Basin are listed below.
Planning and design of studies for river-quality assessment in the Truckee and Carson River basins, California and Nevada
Mercury in the Carson and Truckee River basins of Nevada
The Lake Tahoe basin, California-Nevada
Floods of January-February 1963 in California and Nevada
Evaluation of hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry of Truckee Meadows area, Washoe County, Nevada
Floods of November-December 1950 in western Nevada
Water storage in the Truckee Basin, California-Nevada
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.
- Publications
Nevada Water Science Center publications for the Truckee River Basin are listed below.
Filter Total Items: 67Planning and design of studies for river-quality assessment in the Truckee and Carson River basins, California and Nevada
The objectives of the Geological Survey 's river-quality assessment in the Truckee and Carson River basins in California and Nevada are to identify the significant resource management problems; to develop techniques to assess the problems; and to effectively communicate results to responsible managers. Six major elements of the assessment to be completed by October 1981 are (1) a detailing of theAuthorsJon O. Nowlin, W. M. Brown, L. H. Smith, R.J. HoffmanMercury in the Carson and Truckee River basins of Nevada
Upstream from major pre-1900 ore milling in the Carson and Truckee River basins, "background" concentrations of total mercury in the upper 1 to 3 inches of sand- to clay-sized stream-bottom sediment are less than 0.1 ug/g (microgram per gram). Downstream, measured concentrations were as much as 200 times the background level. Greatest concentrations were encountered in the Carson River basin withiAuthorsA. S. Van DenburghThe Lake Tahoe basin, California-Nevada
No abstract available.AuthorsJohn R. Crippen, Boris R. PavolkaFloods of January-February 1963 in California and Nevada
No abstract available.AuthorsL. E. Young, E. E. HarrisEvaluation of hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry of Truckee Meadows area, Washoe County, Nevada
Practically all the ground water of economic importance in the Truckee Meadows area, an alluviated intermontane basin in western Nevada is in the valley fill, which consists of unconsolidated and partially consolidated sedimentary deposits. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic consolidated rocks of the mountains bordering the valley contain some water in fractures and other openings, but they have virtuallyAuthorsPhilip M. Cohen, Omar J. LoeltzFloods of November-December 1950 in western Nevada
Record-breaking floods in the Walker, Carson, and Truckee River basins during November and December 1950 resulted from a rapid sequence of storms and unseasonably high temperatures that melted most of the early snow cover. During the period November 13 to December 8, 1950, total precipitation ranged from about 5 inches at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in Nevada to about 30 inches at the crest in CAuthorsJ. V. B. WellsWater storage in the Truckee Basin, California-Nevada
No abstract available.AuthorsLeon Henry Taylor - 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
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