The upper part of the Carson River watershed is in Alpine County, California, and is divided into two parts — the West Fork Carson River and the East Fork Carson River. Both branches of the river originate in the Sierra Nevada at altitudes above 8,000 ft and have characteristics common to many mountain streams: steep gradients (slope of the channel) and bedrock channels. The East and West Forks become more gently-sloped channels as they enter Carson Valley where a long-history of irrigation has created a complex network of diversions and canals. Most of the East Fork is diverted leaving little flow during the dry years (Hess, 1996), while the West Fork branches into the West Fork and the Brockliss Slough near Dresslerville. The East Fork, West Fork, and Brockliss Slough combine near Genoa, Nev., to form the main-stem of the Carson River which continues north toward Eagle Valley and the Carson City gage, located two miles downstream of where Clear Creek enters the Carson River.
Reference:
Hess, G.W., 1996, Progress report on daily flow-routing simulation for the Carson River, California and Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-211, 41 p.
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