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.
Hydrologic features of the Truckee and Carson River Basins and adjacent areas, western Nevada and eastern California
Slope and aspect classifications of Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada
Geophysical, hydrogeologic, and water-quality data for areas tributary to Lake Tahoe in Douglas County and Carson City, Nevada, through 1987
Hydrologic and climatic data bases used to assess potential effects of climate change on water resources of American River, Carson River, and Truckee River basins, California-Nevada, and of Gunnison River basin, Colorado
Phosphorus in the Truckee River between Vista and Patrick, Storey and Washoe counties, Nevada, August 1984
Effect of water quality on survival of Lahontan cutthroat trout eggs in the Truckee River, west-central Nevada and eastern California
Streamflow, sediment transport, and nutrient transport at Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, 1970-73
Effect of erosion-control structures on sediment and nutrient transport, Edgewood Creek drainage, Lake Tahoe basin, Nevada, 1981-83
Data on surface-water quality and quantity, lower Edgewood Creek basin, Douglas County, Nevada, 1984-85
Documentation for a digital computer model of nutrient and dissolved-oxygen transport in the Truckee River and Truckee Canal downstream for Reno, Nevada
Modeling nutrient and dissolved-oxygen transport in the Truckee River and Truckee Canal downstream from Reno, Nevada
River-quality assessment of the Truckee and Carson River system, California and Nevada: Hydrologic characteristics
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.
- Data
- Publications
Nevada Water Science Center publications for the Truckee River Basin are listed below.
Filter Total Items: 70Hydrologic features of the Truckee and Carson River Basins and adjacent areas, western Nevada and eastern California
No abstract available.AuthorsJeffrey V. Trionfante, Lorri A. PeltzSlope and aspect classifications of Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada
A geographic information system was used to develop maps of slope and aspect data for the Lake Tahoe basin of California and Nevada. The maps were pro- duced at 1:100,000 scale by using digital-elevation data derived from 1:24,000-scale maps. The maps show slope (steepness) and aspect (compass-direction) data for the basin. Classes for slope data were set as follows: 0 percent, >0 to 2 percent, >2AuthorsL. A. Peltz, K. D. Cartier, J. LaRue SmithGeophysical, hydrogeologic, and water-quality data for areas tributary to Lake Tahoe in Douglas County and Carson City, Nevada, through 1987
No abstract available.AuthorsCarl E. ThodalHydrologic and climatic data bases used to assess potential effects of climate change on water resources of American River, Carson River, and Truckee River basins, California-Nevada, and of Gunnison River basin, Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsM.H. August, J.M. Jacoboni, A.E. Jeton, R. S. Parker, Alex Pupacko, B. C. Ruddy, J. LaRue Smith, K.T. RedmondPhosphorus in the Truckee River between Vista and Patrick, Storey and Washoe counties, Nevada, August 1984
No abstract available.AuthorsR.J. HoffmanEffect of water quality on survival of Lahontan cutthroat trout eggs in the Truckee River, west-central Nevada and eastern California
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has an ongoing program to assess the feasibility of reestablishing naturally spawning populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout in the Truckee River-Pyramid Lake system in Nevada. Previous in situ egg-survival studies have documented a 100 percent mortality of cutthroat trout eggs artificially planted in potential spawning gravels in the Truckee River downstream frAuthorsRay J. Hoffman, Gary G. ScoppettoneStreamflow, sediment transport, and nutrient transport at Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, 1970-73
Five principal creeks, First Creek, Second Creek, Wood Creek, Third Creek, and Incline Creek, having a cumulative drainage of 17.8 square miles, furnished a yearly average of about 15,000 acre-feet of runoff, mainly snowmelt, to Lake Tahoe during the 1970-73 water years. Annual runoff from the individual streams ranged from 460 to 7,070 acre-feet, and discharges ranged from 0.2 to 110 cubic feet pAuthorsPatrick A. GlancyEffect of erosion-control structures on sediment and nutrient transport, Edgewood Creek drainage, Lake Tahoe basin, Nevada, 1981-83
Three sites in the Edgewood Creek basin with a combined drainage area of about 1.2 sq mi were selected to assess the effect of erosion-control structures along Nevada State Highway 207, on sediment and nutrient transport. The flow at site one is thought to have been largely unaffected by urban development, and was completely unaffected by erosion control structures. The flow at site two was from aAuthorsK. T. GarciaData on surface-water quality and quantity, lower Edgewood Creek basin, Douglas County, Nevada, 1984-85
Selected hydrologic data were collected from August 1984 through July 1985 at three sites on the lower part of Edgewood Creek, and at a recently constructed sediment-catchment basin that captures and retains runoff from developed areas in the lower Edgewood Creek drainage. The data were collected to quantify the discharge of selected constituents downstream from recent and planned watershed restorAuthorsR. J. La Camera, S.B. BrowningDocumentation for a digital computer model of nutrient and dissolved-oxygen transport in the Truckee River and Truckee Canal downstream for Reno, Nevada
A digital water quality model was constructed as part of a water quality assessment of the Truckee River downstream from Reno. This report provides documentation on the computer code and the principal data sets used in model calibration, verification, and simulation. (USGS)AuthorsJ. O. NowlinModeling nutrient and dissolved-oxygen transport in the Truckee River and Truckee Canal downstream from Reno, Nevada
No abstract available.AuthorsJon O. NowlinRiver-quality assessment of the Truckee and Carson River system, California and Nevada: Hydrologic characteristics
A study of the Truckee and Carson Rivers was begun in October 1978 to assess the cause and effect relations between human and natural actions, and the quality of water at different times and places along the rivers. This report deals with the compilation of basic hydrologic data and the presentation of some of the new data collected during the study. Topographic, flow, and chemical data, data fromAuthorsW. M. Brown, J. O. Nowlin, L. H. Smith, M. R. Flint - Web Tools
- 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