Join River Justice for a Truckee River Riparian Ecosystem Workshop
Diversity and River Functions are Key
Our work with River Justice continues to help focus on the diversity on the river. This will overall benefit riparian functions, bring improvements to water qualitv and protections to fish habitat.
In this workshop, you will learn about the historical impacts of river projects. You will also understand the threats to LCT and the Kooyooe, Truckee River flow management, data center threats to watershed, bird surveys, solid waste pollution, decreasing cottonwood canopy, bird response to riparian recovery, and river flows influencing cottonwood growth.
A vibrant, multi-paneled mural displaying Native American’s deep ancestral connection to the Truckee River, Pyramid Lake, and Lake Tahoe now greet students, visitors, and faculty on the UNR campus. Envisioned and created by Pyramid Lake Tribal member Autumn Harry over a couple of months and dedicated in mid-September 2024, the panels capture the spirit found in the four tribes: NUMU, WÁ-SIW, NEWE, and NUWU.
Located just north of the UNR Quad between the Pennington Student Achievement Center and the Ansari Business Building.
Autumn’s work was selected out of several mural proposals.
One of the four panels depicting Indigenous people’s connection to Pyramid Lake and its Cui Ui and Cutthroat Trout
Open House Thursday, July 11, 4:30 to 7:30 PM at Reno City Hall
An email arrived in my inbox yesterday afternoon to announce that in just 48 hours the City of Reno and Washoe County scheduled a meeting to discuss the Truckee River Vision. The public has just 19 days (18 now) to complete an online survey.
To understand the “vision” and take the survey, the public presumably is to review the 127 page “Truckee River Vision Plan” with graphics, text, and conclusions. The visioning PDF, which can be downloaded in pieces, divides an 18-mile stretch of the river into 4 parts: rural, west, downtown, and east.
So please take the time to review the vision and take the “Speak Up-ee for the Truckee” survey and attend the extremely short-noticed public meeting if at all possible.
Community Open House Details:
When: Thursday, July 11, 2024 4:30-7:30pm
Where: Reno City Hall, 1. E. 1st Street
4:30-5:30- Open House
5:30-6:30 – Presentation from Dig Studio, the project’s consultant
6:30-7:30- Q&A
The presentation and Q&A will also be available virtually.
The email concludes as follows:
The purpose of the Truckee River Vision Plan is to deliver a blueprint to transform the Truckee River. From more restaurants, vendors and shops to more trails, river access and shade, we want to hear from you. The official campaign is called, ‘Speak Up-ee for the Truckee.’ In addition to this larger planning process, Dig, the project’s consultant, helped the City to identify immediate projects that could be funded through America Rescue Act Funding. These projects which were passed by City council include: new animal resistant trash cans and pet waste receptacles, paint refresh on railings, light poles, and bridges a long the river downtown, infrastructure improvements to West Street plaza with a River Ranger station and event programming for two summer seasons, design for a cantilever path behind the Automobile Museum, and design and physical improvements like lighting along Riverside Drive.
City staff will bring a draft plan to council later this summer for review and approval. We look forward to seeing you out and about — and around the river!
Conservation and drought management ranked high by 90% of respondents to TMWA’s (Truckee Meadows Water Authority) survey of topics of importance to be addressed in the 2020-2040 TMWA Plan 5 year update. And, as before, TMWA talks generally about conservation but has no definitive goals and no new actions to achieve water efficiency to reduce per capita demand for its customers.
Fly fisherman on Truckee River in mid-November 2018
TMWA’s update, like the previous plan, doesn’t look to water efficiency instead calling for “enhanced conservation” by its customers only during drought. TMWA’s “Enhanced conservation” asks customers to reduce water use by 10% during level “2” to “4” droughts for between 3 months to a maximum of 5 months. In a level 1 drought or non-drought, TMWA’s plan update calls for “standard conservation”. But standard conservation offers no incentives, strategies or goals to reduce per person water use and appears to rely exclusively on an even-odd address, 3 days per week outdoor watering. TMWA has no plan to implement programs to help its customers be more water efficient over the next 20 years of the plan during all conditions. Hardly forward looking for a desert community with less than 7″ average annual precipitation, long, hot, dry summers, and rising temperatures year-after-year.
This year Reno saw just 3.81 inches of precipitation in the form of rain and snow since October 1, 2019 – over 10 months. And, Reno’s summer temperatures are hot and likely for overall average annual temperature to approach or even top those of the past. Indeed, we live in a desert and need to be efficient and conserve the little water the region has to support people and the environment.
A Chart in TMWA’s plan update shows that for the past five years water use in its service area has been right around 150 gallons per person per day (GPD). That’s more than many other western cities including Las Vegas where customer water use has declined to 120 GPD. And, Las Vegas expects to continue to lower the GPD through its water efficiency programs. TMWA should be doing the same to lower its need for expensive engineering solutions and new groundwater sources.
water runs down gutter from lawn sprinklers
Too often water runs down the gutter from over-watering and inefficient or broken outdoor sprinkler systems. Once water is running down the gutter it will eventually end back up in the Truckee River with contaminants of all kinds – discarded waste and oil being common. Water waste becomes more common with ineffective incentives for customers to conserve. People-unfriendly, grass-fronted roads in business districts send water spraying into adjacent streets. These water wasteful spaces offer little to the public and could and should be replaced with appropriate water conserving landscapes, instead. With proper water efficiency incentives adopted, TMWA’s plan update could encourage appropriate low-water landscaping that offers more interesting plantings that offer more shade and function. TMWA needs a plan update that identifies implementing better options for customers to save water and lower overall demand.
The 2020-2040 TMWA Plan update doesn’t contain any new initiatives or changes to its water pricing structure. While TMWA’s website promotes the plan as an call to action, the plan update contains no new direction regarding water use.
Of the customer insights collected so far, the top concerns are related to two topics: population growth and extreme climate variation. TMWA’s approach to these issues are woven throughout this plan.
TMWA, however, continues its past approach of drilling wells, diverting more water, and pumping water underground just like its previous plan. Other cities have consistently seen the error in this approach and have found customer friendly ways to reduce demand and delay or eliminate the need for expensive new water infrastructure. Further, TMWA’s own projections show that its approach will lead to shortages under climate change scenarios. Nevertheless, the plan essentially ignores these results saying that the problem will only occur in-the-future and outside of the planning horizon. Such an approach lacks credibility and puts the entire plan in doubt.
Low flows along the Truckee River Trail near Idlewild Park
The Truckee River watershed saw more rain than snow this year. So, this year appears to continue the trend of at least the last decade as rain replaces snow – especially at lower elevations. The maps show just how significant the effect is as we approach the end of the first month of spring. Many sites in the Truckee River basin (including the Tahoe basin) are reporting 101% of the longterm average for precipitation. The picture is different for snow water equivalent, however. Snow water equivalent (the amount of water in the snow pack) is almost or well below the longterm average for this date for sites at lower elevations. You have to go to the highest elevation sites to see average snow water equivalent conditions.
In the graphic below, the blue dots on the left represent sites where total precipitation is 101% and the white sites represent 100% of the long-term average. On the right the 3 sites (between 6400′-7700′) in red have 0% of snow water left; the orange sites have 50% of snow water left compared to the long-term average. Only the site at Big Meadow (8235′) shows 101% of snow water left and one site at Heavenly Valley (8500′) shows 100% of snow water left – both high elevation sites. Click on the graphic to see full size. Or check out the site yourself here.
NRCS 4-24-2018 – Total Precipitation vs. Snow Water Equivalent for water year to date
If the trend continues as expected, there will be very little snow left to melt in the late spring and early summer. When snow disappears earlier, natural stream flow of tributaries and the Truckee River itself decrease. Less natural stream flow often results in additional releases from reservoirs or increased ground water pumping because of our long, dry summers. Ultimately, it will negatively affect recreation and fish and wildlife that depend on water in the Truckee River.
