Below is the complete contents of Bruce Bledsoe’s recent series on the Truckee River. Check soon to find links to this excellent series of articles. – Dennis Ghiglieri
The Truckee River © Bruce Bledsoe
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction and Apologia
Overview
The River System from Prehistoric to Modern
The Big Fish Gone—An Ecological Tragedy
The Polluting Years
Pollution: Post 2010
A Diverting History
THE WATER WARS
The Water Wars I: Early Days and the 31-Year Lawsuit
The Water Wars II: The Newlands Project: Making the Desert Bloom
The Water Wars II a: Sherlock Holmes: The Grim View of the American Desert, 1887
The Water Wars II b: “…Make a Million Apples Trees Bloom…”
The Water Wars II c: The New Eden
The Water Wars III: The Tribe Fights for Pyramid: 1964-1987
The Water Wars IV: The California-Nevada Interstate Compact
The Water Wars V: The Negotiated Settlement and the Truckee River Operating Agreement 1987-2014
The Water Wars V a: Public Law 101-618
The Water Wars VI: Water Meters
The Water Wars VII: The Desert Terminal Lakes Program
THE DAMS AND RESERVOIRS
The Big Dam Era
The Lake Tahoe Dam
Boca Dam and Reservoir
Donner Lake
Independence Lake: Disney Out, Environment In
Martis Creek—The Dam That Couldn’t
Prosser Creek Reservoir
Stampede Reservoir
PYRAMID LAKE
Pyramid Lake
CREATURES [OF THE LAKE]
The Cui-ui of Pyramid: To the Brink and Back
The Pelicans of Anaho Island
Beavers
Birds
The Fishery
DROUGHTS, FLOODS
Droughts
Floods Overview
Flood of 1950: “The Worst Ever”
Flood of 1955: Even Worse than ’50
Flood of 1963: It “Can’t Happen Again”—But It Did
Flood of 1997: 117-Year Event Savages Reno, Sparks—Better Flood Control Demanded
Flood of 2008: A Nasty Surprise in Fernley
FLOOD PROJECTS
The Flood Walls: Early and Forever
Flood Control Projects: 1950s Through the 1960s
The Living River Flood Project I: Golden Dreams
I a: Jeffrey Mount’s Seminal Flood-Control Book
I b: Protecting the Floodplain: Takings and Regulations
I c: The Living River Plan 2006-2011
The Living River Flood Project II: Successes and Setbacks
The Living River Flood Project III: Diminishment
III a: The ARkstorm
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Assuring Drinking Water Quality and Quantity
Reno-Sparks Sewerage: Stink, Infestations, Lawsuits and a Joint Venture
RIVER RESTORATION
Restoration: Prologue and the Lower Reaches to Derby
Restoration: The Sierra
Restoration: The Truckee Meadows
Restoration: Derby Dam to Pyramid Reservation
Urban Runoff Program
Weeds: Noxious Invaders
Invasive Species: New Zealand Mudsnails
Miracle at Pyramid: Extinct Fish Returns
Restoration: Epilogue
I a: Boise: The Long Haul Made Good
THE ACTIVISTS
Activists: The Truckee River Yacht Club
Activists: Champion of the River
Activists: Patty Cooke
RECREATION
Whitewater Parks, Reno and Sparks
Riverfront Parks: California Sierra
Riverfront Parks: Washoe County
Riverfront Parks: Reno I, West City Line to Downtown
Idlewild: Reno Municipal Rose Garden
Idlewild: The James D. Hoff Peace Officer Memorial
Riverfront Parks: Reno II, Downtown to Sparks
Riverfront Parks: Sparks
Reno-Sparks Pathway I: Many Green Miles Along the River
Reno-Sparks Pathway II: Flood-Control Casualty or Tourist Attraction?
Rafting
The Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway
ODDS AND ENDS
Virginia Street Bridge
Ladies and Gentlemen: The Amazing Illuminated Dam
“Home Means Nevada”—The State Song
Hunting Tree Mushrooms: A Reminiscence
Tahoe, Pyramid License Plates
The Yellow Rubber Duck Race: A Gazillion of Them
For the Kids: Nevada Discovery Museum’s 85-Foot Model
APPENDIX
Appendix A: The Living River Plan
Appendix B: The Local Rate Minimized Flood Control Plan 2013 and Comparison to the Living River Plan 2011
SOURCES
Sources