THE CARSON RIVER WATERSHEDTHE CARSON RIVER WATERSHEDA Lifeline Connecting Our Communities

Reno

NI

Lake Tahoe

Carson City

Minden

Gardnerville

Hope Valley

Jobs Peak

Monument Peak

Snow Valley Peak

Carson PassEbbett’s Pass

Area Monitor Pass

Mt. Siegel

Ea

st Fork Ca

rson Rive

r

Carson River

Carson River

Carson River

West Fork Carson River

Truckee Canal

West Fork Carson River

Brockliss Slough

Lahontan Reservoir

Carson Lake

Soda Lake

Indian Creek Reservoir

Marlette Lake

Hobart Reservoir

Spooner Lake

Mud Lake

Topaz Lake

Gardnerville Ranchos

Ruhenstroth

Johnson Lane

Indian Hills

Markleeville

Genoa

South Lake Tahoe

Stateline

Woodfords

Dayton

Virginia City

Moundhouse

Silver Springs

Weeks

FallonCarson Sink

Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

Naval Air Station

Fernley

Yerington

StagecoachMark Twain

Fort Churchill Historic State Park

P I N E N U T M O U N T A I N S

D E S E R T M O U N T A I N R A N G E

D E A D C A M E L R A N G E

4 0 M I L E D E S E R T

V I R G I N I A R A N G E

C A R S O N R A N G E

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RR

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NE

VA

DA

50

Lyon County

Carson RiverTruckee River

Truckee Canal

Carson City

Fernley

Reno

Fallon

Lake Tahoe

Pyramid Lake

Churchill County

Carson Sink

Carson River Watershed Basin Boundary

Alpine County

Douglas County

Storey County

NE

VA

DA

CA

LI

FO

RN

IA

50

50

5080

80

395

395

395

50

50

28

89

88 89

89

89

88

395

395

395

395

341

95A

95A

50

50

95A

50

95

95

50A

50A

95

ST

ILLWAT

ER

RAN

GE

HUMBOLDT RANGE

Lost Lakes

Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection

Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection

Courtesy of TCID

The Carson River is our lifeline in the desert. Its precious water supports our watershed’s environment, economy, and quality of life. The

Carson River meanders 184 miles from the snow pack in California’s high Sierra (elev. ~11,000 ft.) through green alpine meadows, wide valleys,

rock-lined canyons, cottonwood galleries, and high desert sage brush plateaus to the intermittent lake beds and wetlands in Nevada’s Carson

Sink (elev. ~3,000 ft.). The Carson River Watershed connects several rural and urban communities, tribal lands, irrigated agricultural areas, historic

sites, parks, open space, and recreation areas. There are approximately 3,965 square miles of land from which drains water into the river creating

the Carson River Watershed. The river itself is terminal, meaning it is one of a few rivers in the world that does not flow to an ocean.

The Carson River Coalition (CRC) is a watershed-wide stakeholder group that serves as the steering committee for the integrated watershed

planning process (IWPP). The idea for the CRC was created during a watershed-wide conference held in 1998 in response to the 1997 floods.

Participants in the CRC include private individuals; local, state and federal agencies; tribal governments; and citizen-driven groups. The IWPP

program focuses on management of watershed resources long-term and addresses the diverse needs and concerns of all stakeholders.

Flora and Fauna HabitatWildlife habitats range from the upper watershed forests, aspen groves, and high mountain forests to the lower watershed dry, salt desert shrub lands. There is abundant diversity in the plants and animals that make the Carson River Watershed their home, and many of these species are pictured on the map. Go to www.cwsd.org for a list of fish and wildlife species that live in our watershed! Can you identify the upper and lower parts of the watershed on the map?

Agriculture and RanchingEvery valley in the watershed produces food and supports a variety of livestock. Ranching is one of the oldest businesses in the watershed, dating back to the 1840s. Can you identify specific areas on the map where agriculture takes place?

Recreational OpportunitiesOur watershed has many diverse options for recreating, such as snow skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, soaking in hot springs, hot air ballooning, mountain biking, boating, hiking, and much more! Can you find each of these activities on the map? Visit www.cwsd.org/recreation/ for recreation locations throughout the Carson River Watershed!

Educational Resources:• View links on www.cwsd.org to obtain

additional information on watershed challenges.

• Try a scavenger hunt between the front and back of this map! Where is Hope Valley, Lost Lakes, V&T Railroad, Lahontan Reservoir, Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, etc., on the timeline and map?

• Interactive map is online at www.cwsd.org/watershed/

• Large scale map with flashcards is available at the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada in Carson City

• Nevada Academic Content Standards that align with the content in this map: http://www.cwsd.org/outreach-and-education/

• Watershed map lesson plans are available at www.cwsd.org/watershed/

Resources and Cooperators:

Carson River Watershed Water and Land Use Timeline11,200 years ago — First record of human

settlement in the Carson River basin.12,000-75,000 years ago—Last Ice Age and Historic Lake Lahontan.

1840—Pioneers settled in Carson Valley.

1851—Towns established in Genoa and Dayton.

Early 1800s — Before the white man’s arrival, the Washoe people inhabited the upper watershed region and the

Northern Paiute people lived in the lower watershed.

1873—Marlette Water System was created to provide water for Virginia City, Gold Hill, and Silver City, and is still a major source of water to these

communities.

1860s—Comstock Mining Boom: silver and gold are first discovered in Nevada.

1844—John C. Fremont and his expedition guide Kit Carson came upon the Carson River in

Lahontan Valley.

1864—Nevada became the battleborn state and Carson

City is designated the capital.

1869—Construction began on the Sutro Tunnel.

1869—First section of V&T Railroad constructed.

1903-1914—Construction of Lahontan Dam and Truckee Canal, known as the

Newlands Project, was the first US Bureau of Reclamation project.

1925—Alpine Decree initiated; 55 year water rights litigation ensued.

1937—Major flooding occurred East Fork near Carson Valley flowed at 12,000 cfs and

Cradlebaugh bridge was under 18 inches of water.

1949—Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge was established in the Lahontan Valley.

1955—Major flooding occurredEast Fork near Carson Valley flowed at 16,700 cfs.

1959—Carson Water Subconservancy District formed as a part of the Federal

Washoe Project.

1968—Tahoe Basin treated wastewater is exported to Alpine and Douglas counties.

1972—Federal EPA Clean Water Act becomes law.1980—Alpine Decree established, water

rights litigation resolved.

1977—Drought year of record. 42,278 acre feet of water measured at Carson City in the river system.1986—Friends of Hope Valley

established. 1983—Wettest Year on Record. 825,323 acre feet of water

measured at Carson City in the river system, nearly 20 times more than in 1977.

1989— The Nevada Legislature changed the function of CWSD to

conduct regional watershed planning.

1990—Carson River Mercury Site listed as a Superfund Site by EPA.

1992—The Carson River was placed on the Clean Water Act’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters.

1997—Most severe and extensive flood on record

East Fork flowed at 20,000 cfs.

1998—Carson River Coalition formed in

response to the 1997 flood.

2000—Leviathan Mine listed as a Superfund site by EPA.

2003—CWSD was appointed the Clean Water Act Section 208 planning entity.

2000—CRC developed the Vision and 11 Guiding Principles.

2007—The Carson River Watershed Adaptive Stewardship Plan was adopted by CWSD, becoming the first integrated

watershed management plan created by the CRC.2008—Regional Floodplain Management Plan adopted by all

five counties along the river.

2014—Alluvial fan flash floods occurred in Douglas County and Carson City after severe summer

thunderstorms.

2013—Bison Fire was started by lightning on western slope of the

Pine Nut Range in Douglas County, burning 24,136 acres.

Challenges in the Carson River Watershed

River Projects

Water Quality

Outreach and Education

Floodplain Management

Invasive Species

Water Supply

Carson River Watershed: Our Home

2015 reprint made possible through funding from:

The Carson River Watershed Map

1900

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1850

2000

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Photo courtesy of Judy Wickwire

Full rights remain the property of Wolf Products, Inc.— www.wolf-products.com

Photo courtesy of Steve Dunleavy www.stevedunleavy.com Photo courtesy of Craig Swartz

Photo courtesy of CWSD

Photo courtesy of CWSD

Photo courtesy of CWSD

http://www.jqjacobs.net/rock_art/grimes_point.html

Photo courtesy of Juanita Schubert

A Lifeline Connecting Our Communities

■ What is a watershed?

■ Where does your water come from?

■ When was the last major flood?

■ Where is the largest reservoir in the watershed?

■ Where does the Carson River end?

■ Access the interactive map online www.cwsd.org/watershed/