Water Quality

RENO — With much of the State of Nevada listed as in extreme drought, Nevadans are facing forecasts for a mild winter, with little precipitation since the rainy season started. With these designations, southern Nevadans are facing a mild and dry winter and northern Nevadans are looking at an uncertain forecast. All could face water restrictions, crop or pasture loss and, with exceptional drought, water shortage emergencies.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection announced Tuesday that it has received $1 million in Clean Water Act grant funds provided by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency that will be used to complete 11 projects to reduce “nonpoint source pollution” and improve water quality across the state.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in partnership with NV Energy and the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, is seeking public comment on the NV Energy Resilience Corridors project. This project proposes vegetation treatments along roughly 43 miles of power line corridors on approximately 5,300 acres of National Forest System lands.

Local non-profit GREENevada announced Thursday the winners of the 2020 Golden Pinecone Sustainability Awards, a prestigious annual event recognizing local individuals and organizations working towards a more sustainable Nevada.

Carson City, Dayton area youth conservation organization River Wranglers will meet Friday, October 23, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. for a work and education event designed to help protect cottonwoods from beaver damage.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) reminds residents and visitors that recreational fires, including campfires, bonfires, warming fires, wood fires, charcoal fires, or any other kind of outdoor fires, involving solid fuels are not permitted on public or private property including residential properties, vacation/short-term rentals, campgrounds, resorts and other recreational areas throughout the Lake Tahoe/Truckee Region until the end of November or until rescinded.

LAKE TAHOE — A new control tool for aquatic invasive plants that clog waterways, reduce water clarity and provide cover for other invasive species at Lake Tahoe continues to show impressive results in its third year of testing. The tool is a light array mounted under a working barge, which trolls through the marina dousing the plants on the lake bottom with ultraviolet-C light.

CARSON CITY — Single lane closures will take place on U.S. 50 between Carson City and Spooner summit beginning July 30 as the Nevada Department of Transportation wraps up a project to reduce roadside erosion and help preserve water quality.

The Bee Informed Partnership is a national collaboration of leading agricultural science universities and research labs that examines and tries to better understand honey bee declines in the United States.

The July 4 holiday weekend at Lake Tahoe will look and feel different this year with basin firework shows canceled and social distancing safety practices required on beaches, campgrounds and along hiking trails. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Forest Service says it is hopeful the holiday period will be a great opportunity for people to get outside to celebrate Independence Day and all the wonders of Lake Tahoe.

MASON VALLEY — The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection says work to revitalize and restore the former Anaconda Copper Mine site continues to progress on schedule. The first phase of the project began in August 2019, and all necessary construction work at the site is on track to be complete by 2029.

RENO — The forest of the Sierra Nevada mountains is an important resource for the surrounding communities in Nevada and California. Thinning the forest by removing trees by hand or using heavy machinery is one of the few tools available to manage forests.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners on April 16 approved 3 to 2 a bond issuance for the Tahoe South Event Center, the final step in the project’s approval process.

CARSON CITY — Did you know you live in a watershed? Everyone does. The "I Am Carson River Watershed" campaign aims to connect our community to the watershed they live in and provide a few easy-to-do actions that can help keep our water healthy.

The Carson River Coalition in conjunction with the Carson Water Subconservancy District invites you to the 2020 Carson River Watershed Management Forum. This year’s forum will be a 2-day event at Marlette Hall, Cedar Building, Western Nevada College, Carson City.

• Tuesday, March 10, 2020: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Day 1 events will focus on water quality and watershed health from our science and land management partners.

• Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 9 am – 4:30 pm

SACRAMENTO – State fish advisories issued Thursday for Bridgeport Reservoir and Topaz Lake in Mono County provides safe eating advice for multiple species of fish. The advisory for Bridgeport Reservoir provides safe eating advice for Brown Trout, Golden Shiner, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, and Sacramento Perch. The advisory for Topaz Lake provides safe eating advice for black bass species, Mountain Sucker, Rainbow Trout, and Sacramento Sucker.

Learn about the theories of how life formed on Earth and the possibility of life on other planets during aquatic ecologist Marianne Denton’s presentation “Astrobiology: We’re Still Figuring Out How Life Started on Earth” this Saturday, Jan. 25 at Western Nevada College's Jack. C. Davis Observatory.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is excited to announce that Zachary Ormsby has been hired as the new Program Manager for the Nevada Conservation Districts Program. As NCDP’s Program Manager, Ormsby will work with Nevada’s 28 conservation districts to help advance natural resource conservation and management throughout the State’s diverse rural and urban landscapes.

PLACERVILLE, Calif. - Incident Commander Kevin Breitwieser has declared that the Caples Fire is now 100% contained and in patrol status at 3,435 acres. There has been almost no change in fire size since October 18. The extreme wind event on October 26 that prompted a public safety power shutoff was a good test of the containment lines and resulted in three small spots which were extinguished. Traces of smoke from interior burning will continue to be visible, but no additional fire growth is expected.

American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn wrote, “My mentor said, ‘Let’s go do it,’ not ‘You go do it.’ How powerful when someone says, ‘Let’s!’” The power of “Let’s” is evident in the partnership between Pioneer High School and Al Seeliger Elementary School in Carson City.

While haze from nearby Sierra fires may linger some, we're looking at another pleasant fall day around the capital city heading into Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. Events locally include a ribbon cutting and outdoor moving showing at the new Schulz Ranch Park, workshops, a women's safety meeting, a pumpkin patch for kids at Carson Mall, plus art showings and public talks. After hours it will be toasts, cheers and business networking all around at the Dayton Taphouse. Enjoy the day.

Carson City and Lennar Homes will host the grand opening of Schulz Ranch Park this Wednesday, Oct. 16. Schulz Ranch Park is the first new park in Carson City in 12 years.

Built by Lennar Homes, the park is owned by Carson City, with maintenance funded through the City’s first Landscape Maintenance District. The 3.5-acre park, located in the Schulz Ranch subdivision, is at the corner of Race Track Road and Wheeler Peak Drive, is home to the second universally accessible playground in Carson City.

CARSON CITY — Wetlands are the link between land and water, where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients, and the energy of the sun meet to create highly productive ecosystems with unique plant and animal life.

In broad terms, wetlands refer to all wet areas that provide ecosystem services and habitat for plants, wildlife, and aquatic species, including wet meadows, seeps and springs, playas, and riparian areas.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will be hosting their upcoming meeting on Thursday, October 17 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, located at 851 E. William Street.

California’s native Paiute cutthroat trout, the rarest trout in North America, swims once again in its high Sierra home waters for the first time in more than 100 years.

The Nevada Department of Transportation, Tahoe Transportation District and partners opened the new Tahoe East Shore Trail in Incline Village on Friday, June 28 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Eminent scientists Dr. Charles Goldman, Dr. Sudeep Chandra and other panelists will be featured guests at Western Nevada College in Carson City where they will talk about local impacts of droughts, floods, fires and warming temperatures on the regional economy and future generations.

Overnight road closures will take place on State Route 28 south of Incline Village June 17 and 18 as the Nevada Department of Transportation places final roadway striping as part of installation of the State Route 28 shared used path.

Both directions of SR 28 will be closed between Lakeshore Boulevard in southern Incline Village and the U.S. 50 junction from 8 p.m.-6:30 a.m. nightly June 17 and 18 as final roadway striping is placed on the highway.

Editor’s note: The following was written by Carson High School biology teacher Megan Schuler.
Recently, several CHS freshman Biology classes had the opportunity to work with fourth graders from Empire Elementary in Carson City. Students learned about conservation, the water cycle, and the Carson River watershed. CHS students, trained by the River Wranglers conservation group, and on a very windy day, met up with Empire Elementary students at Baily Pond.

CARSON CITY — Wetlands are the link between land and water — where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients, and the energy of the sun meet to create highly productive ecosystems with unique plant and animal life.

In recognition of American Wetlands Month in May, the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, within the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is providing education on the vital importance of wetlands to Nevada’s ecological, economic, and social health.