Water Availability and Use

This project evaluates how groundwater withdrawals affect streamflow in the Humboldt River Basin. It focuses on understanding the timing, magnitude, and causes of streamflow depletion, including agricultural pumping and mine dewatering, to support sustainable water management in Nevada.

The Humboldt River flows east to west through north-central Nevada and is about 330 miles long. It is an important water source for residents and agriculture, and it also supports one of Nevada’s largest industries—gold mining. Most of the state’s mines are in the Humboldt River Basin along the Carlin Trend. Nevada produces about 72 percent of all U.S. gold, making it the fifth largest producer in...

Since 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Nevada Water Science Center (NVWSC) has worked with with the Bureau of Reclamation to update evaporation estimates for Lake Mead.

Migratory wildlife need to balance the benefits of migration and reproduction with the physiological costs. This is particularly challenging in dynamic environments like wetlands, where food levels can vary greatly from year to year. For shorebirds in the Great Basin region, saline or terminal lakes provide essential habitats during their annual life cycle. To understand how changes in hydrology...

Walker Lake is one of the few natural terminal lakes in Nevada. The ecological and recreational value of Walker Lake and other terminal lakes in the Great Basin is at risk due to consumptive water use.

The Walker River begins in the Sierra Nevada as the East Walker River and the West Walker River. In Mason Valley, just south of Yerington, Nevada, the rivers converge to create the the Walker River. The Walker River terminates in Walker Lake.

The National Park Service, Nye County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USGS Nevada Water Science Center (NVWSC) have established a water-level and spring discharge monitoring network in the southern Amargosa Desert to identify long-term trends and monitor potential impacts of activities on groundwater resources. The Amargosa Integrated Monitoring Network (AIMN) continues the long-term...

The Carson River is an important water resource for residents, agriculture, and wildlife. The USGS provides science support on water quality and quantity, as well as on the impacts of climate change on water resources in the basin.

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...

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...

The Colorado River is one of the longest rivers in the Western United States. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows southwestward until it reaches Mexico where it becomes a small stream or dry riverbed. The Colorado River forms the border between southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. In Nevada, Hoover Dam and Davis Dam control the flow of the river and create two...

Demand for water resources in the Carson River basin is increasing due to steady population growth and the resulting development and changes in land and water use throughout the middle part of the basin. Agricultural land is being urbanized while land not previously irrigated may be converted for agricultural use.