After years of dry winters starting with winter 2011-12, the current winter season of 2016-17, brings a surge of water for the Truckee River, Lake Tahoe, and Pyramid Lake. This spring’s high water covers floodplain lands along the Truckee River for the first time in a decade where restoration of the river have occurred at The Nature Conservancy’s McCarran Ranch, the 102 Ranch, Lockwood and other areas downstream of the Truckee Meadows. Through Reno and Sparks, water laps at park benches and smacks into bridge abutments bringing residents and visitors alike to witness the racing runoff. The Truckee River’s flowing at a rate 7 times greater than last year. (Even more telling, the flow rate is 29 times greater this April 21 verses the meager flow in April 20, 2015.)  And Lake Tahoe’s storage has increased by 27 times over last year.

Truckee River April 2017 in at Whitewater Park.

•   Truckee River flow at Tracy
  •   169 CFS: April 21, 2015
  •   714 CFS: April 20, 2016
  • 4970 CFS: April 20, 2017
•   Tahoe water surface elevation and storage
  • 6222.74 feet, storage is negative 31,522 acre-feet: April 21, 2015
  • 6223.17 feet, storage is 20,640 acre-feet: April 21, 2016
  • 6227.69 feet, storage is 571,400 acre-feet: April 21, 2017

Flow rate in cubic-feet-per-second (CFS). [Note: 1 CFS =  7.5 gallons-per-second = 448.8 gallons-per-minute (GPM); Water volume in acre-feet: 1 acre-feet = 325,851 gallons].

Pyramid Lake has risen from its low point at the beginning of 2017 by some reports of more than 4 feet. The last official measurement from the USGS is reported at troa.net as 3796.56 feet above sea level on March 31, 2017. It was at elevation 3792.16 feet on December 1, 2016. Diversions to Lahontan Reservoir ended January 12, 2017 after it became clear that Lahontan Reservoir would reach capacity from flows from the Carson River. As of today, managers at the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, who control the Dam at Lahontan, are dumping water from the reservoir as rapidly as possible due to expected high flows of the Carson River for the next few months.

Have we made up for the drought conditions that have plagued western Nevada since 2000? Not likely with any single high flow year, but this will be an exceptional year and will go a long way to help the area streams, lakes, and groundwater to see a significant rebound over conditions of just a year ago.

American White Pelicans and Double Crested Cormorants rest waiting for a feast of Cui ui and Lahontan Cutthroat Trout migrating from the Lake to spawn in the Truckee River.

The Truckee River mouth at Pyramid Lake is close to 1/4 mile across as it enters Pyramid Lake.

Truckee River April 2017 in at Whitewater Park.

Truckee River flows at Pyramid Lake are hitting 5,000 CFS April 20, 2017.

Flows from Lake Tahoe to the Truckee River jumped 40% yesterday to 700 cubic-feet-per-second. Lake Tahoe continues to rise standing 6,227.07 feet above sea level. The Lake rose nearly 3 inches over the past 7 days. Truckee River flows surged during the week topping out at nearly 7,000 CFS through Reno and Sparks on March 22. Current Truckee River flows run at slightly more than 5,000 CFS in Sparks.

Tahoe water surface elevation and Truckee River flow at Farad, CA on March 23, 2017.

Increased flows from Lake Tahoe come before snow melt begins in earnest. More storms – although not as strong as previous storms – are expected to continue through the weekend adding additional precipitation and snowpack to the Tahoe and Truckee River basins. Tahoe stands four feet above its rim and 2 feet below its maximum elevation dictated by court decree. Tahoe has risen above its maximum elevation during periods of extreme precipitation events such as occurred in 1997.

Releases from Lake Tahoe increase from 500 CFS to 700 CFS on March 23, 2017.

Google Earth Image from June 2011 Truckee River at Lake Tahoe

As some of the snowpack melts during the past several days, flows in the Truckee River are increasing. Today, flows through Reno reached 2,200 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) rising more than 400 CFS over the past 5 days. The Federal Watermaster continues to hold flows out of Lake Tahoe to 500 CFS.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service in an Reno Gazette-Journal story that the Sierra around Tahoe could exceed the previous record snowpack set in 1983. The March 1 snow survey showed that the Truckee River basin was at more than 200 percent of normal.

Truckee River Delta at Pyramid Lake March 4.

The gates at the Lake Tahoe Dam opened on February 22 and are likely to remain open, barring another flood event. Flows from the Lake into the Truckee River went from 50 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) to 500 CFS at the end of the day last Wednesday. Lake Tahoe’s water surface elevation now stands at 6226.74 feet – 2.36 feet below its maximum elevation of 6229.1.

The Truckee River sees significant flows from Lake Tahoe Dam beginning February 22.

That Lake Tahoe will reach its maximum water surface elevation is a “foregone conclusion” according to a quote in the Reno Gazette-Journal on Feb. 26 by Truckee Meadows Water Authority hydrologist, Bill Hauck. Federal Watermaster, Chad Blanchard, controls water releases from Lake Tahoe based on the recently finalized Truckee River Operating Agreement (Dec 2015) and the 1930’s era Court Decree that governs the Truckee River. The Watermaster regulates flows to the river through releases from the numerous reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada west of Reno.

Rainfall record in Reno broken

The 12-month precipitation record for Reno stood since the 1982-83 winter season at 12.72 inches. On February 22, that record was exceeded and now stands at 12.74 inches with 7 months left to go in the water year (Oct 1 – Sep 30). (Check the record here.)

National Weather Service Report 2-23-2017

With sunny weather and warming temp-eratures forecast for the rest of the week we will have to wait to see if another storm of significance is waiting out there to add to the precipitation total. Given that we have seen many years of drought since 2000, the water we are receiving this year is helping to make up for those deficits. The high water flows have already set the stage for a significant improvement in conditions for the Truckee River, tributaries, and Pyramid Lake.

While flows from Lake Tahoe to the Truckee River have increased ten-fold since last week, flows in the Truckee River through Reno show declining flows, indicating that flows from other reservoirs in the Sierra have been reduced. Indications presently are that all area reservoirs will be filled by the snowmelt that will occur over the spring and early summer months.

Truckee River flow at Reno 2-28-17

Truckee River flow near Pyramid Lake.

Reno Gazette-Journal Photo in printed newspaper 2-26-17