After five years working closely with many stakeholders in the Truckee Meadows, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection endorsed the  "2020 Truckee Source Water and 319(h) Watershed Protection Plan for Publics Water Systems and the Truckee River in the Truckee Meadows", which was also approved by EPA. The approval recognizes the plan adequately meets the planning elements of an EPA nine-element watershed plan. The approval also increases 319(h) funding eligibility for projects which accomplish the Plan's goals.

The planning documents and GIS web based mapped can be found at

The following documents meet the EPA's nine-element watershed based plan requirements

A watershed approach is the most effective way to manage today’s water resource challenges. A watershed plan that follows such an approach is described by nine elements outlined by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The nine elements include:

In 2020, the City of Reno was awarded a 319(h) grant for $125,000 from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to restore Chalk Creek from Sapphire Ridge to Seventh Avenue. Eroding banks and channel incision threatens to encroach on private property, and erosion is contributing to downstream water quality issues. Further downstream, the Chalk Creek confluence with the Truckee River is just upstream of Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s (TMWA) Chalk Bluff Treatment Plant. The City of Reno has hired CDM Smith to design a comprehensive channel restoration project for this reach. Construction is set to break ground in Fall of 2022. The Chalk Creek Sapphire Ridge project is listed in the newly updated 2020 Watershed Management Plan for the Tributaries to the Truckee River, which made it high competitive for 319(h) funds.

The Truckee River Watershed consists of a network of tributaries originating in pristine undeveloped regions of the Sierras and high desert mountains, eventually flowing through our region's urbanized and most environmentally impacted areas. The Truckee Meadows Stormwater Permit Coordinating Committee (SWPCC) is funding Nichols Consulting Engineering (NCE) to conduct tributary assessments for several of these tributaries for FY2122, to produce the 2022 Watershed Assessment for Tributaries to the Truckee River. The last time tributaries were assessed was FY1718, before funding was shifted towards producing the 2020 Watershed Management and Protection Plan for Tributaries to the Truckee River, qualifying Truckee Meadows municipalities for 319(h) funds for water quality projects.

For over twenty years now, NDEP’s Bureau of Water Quality’s Bioassessment program has been monitoring the ecological integrity of streams and rivers throughout Nevada. The key indicator for determining ecological integrity are the benthic macroinvertebrates that live in the substrate of the streams. These organisms are large enough to be seen without magnification and include aquatic insect larva like mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, midges and dragonflies; snails, clams and other mollusks; and various types of worms. And since 2000, those samples from over 500 specific locations along Nevada’s major rivers like the Humboldt and Virgin, to the smallest streams like Galena Creek in the Carson Range or Lehman Creek in the Snake Range, have been identified, preserved and saved. Recently the Standards, Assessment and Monitoring team, decided to make these samples available as an educational tool for public engagement. Marianne Denton, Bioassessment Program Coordinator, says “the littlest of creatures can tell you about the biggest of problems.” For example, some species require very cold, highly oxygenated water. Others thrive in warm water with a lot of sedimentation. By knowing the life history strategies of the identified benthic macroinvertebrates, we can draw conclusion about the water quality in the stream.

The macroinvertebrate samples are now going out to educational groups with a specific purpose. Both River Wranglers in the Carson River Watershed and Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation in the Truckee River Watershed have received sets of samples taken from streams within their specific watershed. Currently a reference collection is being prepared for the University of Nevada, Reno’s Natural History Museum for use in teaching a research. These little creatures have provided NDEP scientist valuable indicators of water quality health for a specific date, and now the samples will educate the public about the importance of clean water for maintaining ecological integrity as a benefit to the whole watershed and community.

Great Basin Outdoor School students from northern Nevada counties were on snowshoes in February learning about our Sierra snowpack as the source of our water. They learned how Dr. Church pioneered the Mt. Rose Snow Sampler to calculate snow’s water content and predict our water supply in upcoming seasons. Our driest ever January is a concern and students discussed the importance of adequate snowpack to support our forests, animals, and communities and how we need to conserve water. They also learned about our native species dependent on this water with help from our custom local pocket field guide, Tahoe Area Plants & Animals, which is also available for sale at https://www.greatbasin-os.org.

Each season Great Basin Outdoor School brings a different way for students to learn about our watershed and water quality. During school breaks they have fun learning adventures and service learning projects right at (and in!) the Truckee River. During spring and fall they come with their classes for overnight science camps on the shore of Lake Tahoe and day field studies which are usually at Galena Creek. Students dip net to observe aquatic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality and volunteer on projects to reduce sediment runoff reaching the lake. A special highlight is study aboard a research boat on Tahoe and measuring clarity with the Secchi disc.

e) Principals of River-Friendly Landscaping for HOAs. 

As part of “I Am Carson River Watershed” campaign, Carson Water Subconservancy District (CWSD) released "Use a Car Wash", their third PSA in our Watershed Moments series. “Use a Car Wash” focuses on the importance of using a full or self-serve carwash to improve water quality, instead of washing our cars at home.

Topics Include: Water Quality, River Rehabilitation, Climate, Environmental Planning and Education, Water Supply, Noxious Weeds, Trails and Recreation, Flood Prevention and Awareness, and more. Click Here to Register. View full Agenda