Humboldt Project -
The primary features of the Humboldt Project developed
by Reclamation are the Rye Patch Dam and Reservoir,
and the Battle Mountain Water Development and Collection
System. Rye Patch Dam was completed in 1936 to provide supplemental and carryover storage for use on the Pershing County Water Conservation District irrigated lands. The
Humboldt River flows are extremely variable and carryover
storage is essential for the 30,000 acres of irrigated
lands located near Lovelock.
Facility: Rye Patch Dam and Reservoir - Rye
Patch Dam and Reservoir are located on theHumboldt River
about 26 miles upstream from Lovelock, Nevada. The earthfill,
rock-faced dam was completed in 1936 and is 914 feet wide
and 75 feet high. The reservoir is 21 miles long and can
store 190,000 acre-feet of water. The facility is operated
byPershing County Water Conservation District.
Newlands Project - The Bureau of Reclamation has a contract with the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District to operate and maintain the Newlands Project on behalf of the Federal government.
The Newlands Project has features in both the Carson and Truckee River
basins with the Truckee Canal allowing interbasin diversions from the
Truckee River to the Carson River. The Newlands Project is made up of two divisions, the Truckee Division and the Carson Division. The
Truckee division includes: Lake Tahoe Dam, Derby Diversion Dam,
the Truckee Canal and irrigation delivery system for service to approximately
5,000 acres of irrigated lands. The Carson Division includes: Lahontan Dam, Lahontan Power plant, Carson River Diversion Dam and canals, laterals, and drains for irrigation of approximately 55,000 acres of farmland.
Facility: Lake Tahoe Dam - Lake Tahoe Dam was built in 1913 but was not acquired by the Bureau of Reclamation for the Newlands Project until 1915. The concrete dam has 17 vertical gates and is used to regulate the outflow into the Truckee River. It is 18 feet high and 109 feet long. The storage capacity is 744,600 acre-feet.
Facility: Derby Diversion Dam - This concrete dam
was built in 1905 on the Truckee River about 20 miles east of Reno. This feature of the Newlands Project was the first construction project of the Bureau of Reclamation. It is 31 feet high and 1,331 feet long. The dam diverts water into the Truckee Canal for delivery to the Truckee Division of the Newlands Project and to Lahontan Reservoir.
Facility: Lahontan Dam - Lahontan Dam was completed in 1915. It is an earth and gravel fill structure 162 feet high and 1,500 feet long. The storage capacity of Lahontan Reservoir at the spillway level is 289,721 acre-feet and with the addition of 20-inch flashboards will hold 312,984 acre feet. The dam is the only major reservoir on the Carson River and stores water diverted from the Truckee River and the natural flows of the Carson River.
Facility: Carson River Diversion Dam - The Diversion Dam is located on the Carson River approximately 5 miles below Lahontan Dam. It is a contrete structure 23 feet high and 241 feet long. It is used to divert water into two main canals for irrigation of lands in the Carson Division of the Newlands Project.
Truckee Storage Project - The only feature of the Truckee Storage Project is Boca Dam and Reservoir located
near the mouth of the Little Truckee River. Boca Reservoir is
operated in conjunction with Lake Tahoe Dam to provide regulation of
Truckee River flows to meet the needs of the Truckee Meadows, the Newlands
Project and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation.
Facility: Boca Dam and Reservoir - The dam, completed in 1939, is located on the Little Truckee River. The dam is an earthfill, rock-faced structure 116 feet high and 1,629 feet long. The storage capacity is 41,100 acre-feet of water used for flood control and irrigation on the Newlands and Truckee Storage Projects. It is operated by the Washoe County Conservation District.
Washoe Project - The Washoe Project originally planned for facilities in both the Carson and Truckee River basins. The basic plan for the Project was to provide supplemental irrigation water for existing projects, flood control, municipal, and industrial water supplies for Reno and Sparks, fish and wildlife benefits, and recreation. The features of the Washoe Project which have been constructed include: Stampede Dam, Reservoir and Power plant; Prosser Creek Dam and Reservoir; and Marble Bluff Dam and Pyramid Lake Fishway.
Facility: Stampede Dam and Reservoir - Completed in 1969 this rolled earth and rock-filled structure is 239 feet high and 1,511 feet long. The water storage capacity is 226,500 acre-feet which is reserved by court decree for fishery enhancement, primarily for the spawning of the endangered cui-ui, along the Truckee River downstream from Derby Dam and facilities operation of the Pyramid Lake Fishway. The reservoir also provides flood control, recreation, a reservoir fishery, and other fishery improvements on the main Truckee River, Little Truckee River, and Boca Reservoir.
Facility: Prosser Creek Dam and Reservoir - Prosser Creek Reservoir was the initial feature of the Washoe Project. The dam is an earthen structure 163 feet high and 1,830 feet long. It is capable of storing 29,800 acre-feet of water for flood control, recreation, and improvement of fishery flows in the Truckee River. Storage began in January 1963.
Marble Bluff Dam and Fishway - Marble Bluff Dam is located on the Truckee River about 3 miles upstream from Pyramid Lake. This rolled earth dam is 1,622 feet long and 35 feet high and was completed in 1975. It functions to reduce down-cutting of the river channel and to help stop erosion of Indian lands. It also can serve as a diversion and water control structure for the Pyramid Lake Fishway. The Fishway extends from the dam approximately 3 miles to Pyramid Lake. It can provide a passageway for Pyramid Lake fish to move up into the Truckee River to spawn, but has not been used since the fish lock became operable in 1998."