The Truckee Carson Irrigation District will make an adjustment to the 2020 Water Season Allocation at their monthly board meeting tomorrow, with the Truckee Division continuing at a 100% full water right allocation, while the Carson Division of the Project will be adjusted and increased from 95% of the full allocation to 100% of the allocation.
According to Rusty Jardine, General Manager of TCID, water supply is sufficient to meet the needs of the water rights holders in the Newlands Project. “It has been very hot and the demand by all users has been great,” said Jardine. “While we do have a 100% year going, I am not sure we will see a lot of water left at the end of the year.”
TCID serves approximately 2,500 water right holders, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service being the largest single water right holder in the Project. “Assuming a full reservoir at the start of the season,” said Jardine, “in order to satisfy the demand of all users, it requires the entire volume of water in storage to meet the demand." The reservoir holds nearly 300,000-acre feet when it is at full storage capacity.
Lowering lake levels this time of year are a direct result of this high demand for irrigation water, which has an effect on the ability for Northern Nevadans to enjoy the lake for recreation. According to Nevada State Parks, Lahontan is one of the most popular places in Nevada to boat, fish, water-ski, horseback ride, and camp. This year has been especially busy at the reservoir, as people seek outdoor activities as a relief from COVID-19 quarantines.
Jardine reminds the community that recreation in Lahontan is an ancillary benefit to the fact that TCID stores water there to serve water right holders in the Newlands Project. “There is no recreation right associated with Lahontan, people own the right to use the water, and we don’t maintain a certain lake level for those who use the lake for recreation.”
At this time, there is approximately 864 cubic feet-per-second flowing through the measuring device below Lahontan Dam, with roughly 1,700 acre-feet per day being released. “And every drop of that water is assigned an address and is used to meet a water right,” said Jardine.
He said that the district had intended to complete some maintenance on the dome valve this year, however, Bureau of Reclamation engineers have said that maintenance is not needed at this time. The dome valve is located near the bottom of the dam and acts similar to a ball valve in a toilet, raising and lowering to allow water to be released into the river.
However, there are other valves that can also be used to stop the flow and/or release water from the dam if needed. “The BOR engineers have determined the dome valve is redundant,” said Jardine.
For the time being, there are plans to stabilize the existing dome valve rather than replace the entire assembly, and that would be something done during the off season when the lake level is naturally low. “We don’t have to drain the lake to do that,” said Jardine. “It’s 120 feet down to perform the construction work, which is very involved and the fact we don’t have to do it right now is a relief.”
He says the condition of the dam is very good. “The reservoir is serving us, and serving us very well.”
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