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Washoe OKs seeking bids for levee along Truckee in Reno

Washoe OKs seeking bids for levee along Truckee in Reno
October 15, 2008

After getting side-tracked this spring, Washoe County commissioners Tuesday approved seeking bids to construct the first major levee for the Truckee River flood control project on Indian land north of the Grand Sierra Resort. Bids sought in May were rejected after re-designs and negotiations continued on a financial agreement among Wal-Mart, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and the flood project.

Earmarked for flood control are $1.72 million in county sales taxes to build the levee that will help prevent flooding of the new store, the Grand Sierra and Reno-Tahoe International Airport. In May, the project was estimated at $5.8 million.

Landmark agreement settles long-standing river dispute

By MARTIN GRIFFITH,
Associated Press Writer and published online by Lahontan Valley News
September 6, 2008

RENO, Nev. (AP) - With the scenic stream flowing behind them, officials from Nevada, California and the federal government signed a landmark agreement that settles a century-plus-old dispute over the Truckee River's water.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne joined local and state officials at the signing ceremony Saturday for the Truckee River Operating Agreement. The complex document allocates the river's waters between the two states, and balances the interests of urban users, downstream farmers and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

"I'm so happy that President Bush signed off on it," Reid told a crowd of about 400 at a downtown Reno park. "It's an example of what teamwork and bipartisanship can accomplish."

The Truckee flows more than 100 miles from the California side of Lake Tahoe to its terminus at Pyramid Lake on Nevada's high desert, about 30 miles northeast of Reno.

Under the agreement, California will get two-thirds of Lake Tahoe's water to Nevada's one-third, while Nevada will receive 90 percent of the Truckee's water to California's 10 percent. It also calls for Nevada to get 80 percent of the Carson River's water to California's 20 percent.

The two states approved an interstate compact on the Truckee's waters in the early 1970s, but it was never ratified by Congress. Kempthorne hailed the new agreement, saying it was similar to ones reached in recent years over the Colorado and Snake rivers. He stressed that no one surrendered any water rights under the latest deal.

"This day is part of a new day in the West - a day when step by step, agreement by agreement we resolve all the bitter water disputes in the new spirit of cooperation and partnership," he said.

The deal stemmed from Reid-sponsored legislation passed by Congress in 1990 that directed both states, the U.S., the tribe and the Reno area's water purveyor to settle their differences over the river.

Lawsuits over the Truckee spanning back to the 1800s gave it a reputation for being one of the West's most litigated rivers. Under the settlement, the amount of drought water storage for the Reno area will triple, and Reno, Sparks and Washoe County will provide water rights to improve water quality in the lower Truckee. The river system is the Reno area's only water source.

Officials said the agreement will improve conditions for the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and endangered cui-ui fish, as well as for Nevada wetlands. It also will enhance recreational opportunities in both states.

A final environmental study by the U.S. Department of the Interior and California Department of Water Resources found no significant adverse impacts from the agreement. The document concluded the settlement would provide a major boost to the river's water quality and fishery.

For entire article, please visit website.

Fernley Developers Targeted by Canal Proposal

KOLO TV-8
September 5, 2008

FERNLEY, Nev. (AP) - Developers would face new requirements if they build homes or commercial buildings near the aging Truckee Canal in Fernley under a proposal being considered by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District.

The district board wants to require developers to install an impermeable barrier in any section of the Truckee Canal above new development.

Dave Overvold, TCID project manager, said the barrier would be a vertical concrete wall on the canal's north bank.

A Jan. 5 breach of the canal flooded about 600 Fernley homes. The 31-mile canal, operated and maintained by the irrigation district, sends water from the Truckee River to Fallon-area farmers.

Currently, developers building homes north and downhill of the Truckee Canal are required to widen the canal bank.

Fernley City Councilman Cal Eilrich, former president of the Fernley Builders Association, said he agrees the canal needs to be reinforced, but sees it as more of a public works project than an irrigation district project. He noted that some of worst damage from the January flood occurred a half-mile downstream from the canal breech, and that a concrete wall upstream wouldn't have helped unless it extended the entire length of the canal through Fernley.

"This is an issue that affects all citizens who live in Fernley," said Eilrich, who stressed he was speaking only as a former developer.

To read entire article, please visit website.

End of water wars

North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Editorial.
September 5, 2008

Tomorrow is a historic day in the annuals of Western states water rights.The Truckee River Operating Agreement — in progress for more than 20 years and the result of 100 years of water rights controversy — will be officially signed in a ceremony Saturday morning at Reno’s Wingfield Park.

The Truckee River flows out of Lake Tahoe in California, crosses the Nevada border near Farad, and ends in Pyramid Lake. The river, claimed by California and Nevada, has been used for recreation, water supply, hydroelectric power, irrigation, fish habitat and wetlands,among other uses.

Its water was literally fought over in the 1920s when a drought caused Lake Tahoe to fall below its natural rim. Downstream water users cut a canal into the rim to drain more water, causing angry threats and beginning the legal battles over its water. Through the years, the fight has resulted in several legal decrees establishing usage of the river’s water. The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe became involved when the cui-ui fish, its historical food source, became an endangered species.

The 1990 Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act began the process to come up with a new agreement. Years and years of negotiations, research and meetings resulted in the TROA. Lake Tahoe stakeholders spent endless hours making sure the lake’s particular interests are covered, even to such items as how much water is recovered from snowmaking.

Once enacted, the TROA will replace the 1935 Truckee River Agreement, which has managed the bistate river and established rates of flow, water storage and the conditions under which Lake Tahoe could be pumped.

Now, the decades of controversy and work are culminating in this historic signing. Signing for the mandatory parties are Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Ronald Tempas, of the U.S. Justice Department; Mike Chrisman, California Secretary of Resources; for Nevada, Alan Biaggi, Director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Mervin Wright Jr. of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe; and Mike Carrigan, chair of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

Saturday won’t be the actual end of the process — federal courts in California and Nevada must now approve it. But there is an end in sight for the embattled Truckee River.

The TROA will 1) allocate the waters of the Truckee River, Carson River, and Lake Tahoe basins between California and Nevada; 2) enhance conditions for threatened and endangered fish species; 3) increase drought protection for the Reno-Sparks area; 4) improve river water quality downstream from Sparks; 5) enhance instream flows and recreational opportunities; 6) settle long standing litigation over water rights to the Truckee River; and 7) lift a 1972 moratorium on water rights applications in the affected region.

And, hopefully, cease the battle over water.

TCID to ask developers to improve the Truckee Canal

Christy Lattin, Lahontan Valley News
September 5, 2008

Developers planning to build homes or commercial property in the shadow of the Truckee Canal in Fernley may soon face added requirements from the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. The TCID policy committee and board of directors meet Monday morning to develop a written policy for development along the Fernley Reach of the Truckee Canal.

Dave Overvold, TCID project manager, said the board wants to require developers to install an impermeable barrier in the section of the Truckee Canal above their development. The barrier will be a vertical concrete wall on the north bank of the canal.

Currently, developers building homes north and downhill of the Truckee Canal are required to widen the canal bank. However, after the Jan. 5 canal breach which flooded 590 homes in Fernley, the Bureau of Reclamation instituted stringent requirements for TCID before more water could be sent down the canal. The BOR owns the Newlands Project, including the Truckee Canal, but TCID operates and maintains the project.

After the flood, BOR stepped in to shut down the canal, which diverts water from the Truckee River and channels it through the Truckee Canal to Lahontan Reservoir. The federal agency limited the amount of water flowing in the Truckee Canal and established several benchmarks for TCID to meet before the flows were increased.

Now, the canal flows at a rate no more than 350 cubic feet per second, about half the maximum capacity of the canal. BOR stated it will not allow flows to increase to 750 cfs or full capacity until permanent structural modifications are made. BOR has stated it expects the permanent fixes to take several years to complete.

"If a future developer comes in and builds next to the canal, he should be made to pay some amount of money to offset the costs (of building the concrete wall)," said Cal Eilrich, former president of the Fernley Builders Association and former board member of the Builders Association of Northern Nevada. He questioned the method of building segments of the wall which may not be continuous.

"How can you piecemeal this?" he asked. Eilrich also pointed out that residential development has essentially stalled in Fernley due to the real estate downturn and it could be another five years before a big development breaks ground.

Hundreds of vacant homes remain in inventory now, Eilrich said, with 900 finished lots that have yet to be developed. Tentative maps for some developments have already been approved without the new requirements, but Eilrich wondered if TCID would seek to institute those before building begins.

Eilrich is a current Fernley councilman but he has made it clear he was speaking strictly as a former developer. He agrees the canal needs to be reinforced, but he sees it more of a public works project than an irrigation district project. He pointed out that some of worst damage from the January flood occurred a half-mile downstream from the canal breech, and that a concrete wall upstream wouldn't have helped unless it extended the entire length of the Fernley Reach.

"This is an issue that affects all citizens who live in Fernley," he said.

The TCID Policy Committee will meet Monday at 8 a.m. at the TCID board room, 2666 Harrigan Road. The TCID Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. to review and/or approve the policy. For the complete agendas, visit www.tcid.org.

Truckee River Clean Up Day

Saturday, September 27th from 9-12 noon from Verdi through Sparks is the 2008 Truckee River Clean-up Day!! Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful and Nevada EcoNet are seeking 500 volunteers to clean-up the Truckee River. Volunteers may register at the website below.

If you would like to schedule an interview with KTMB or Nevada EcoNet please contact Lauren Siegel at the below information and we will be happy to join your show to promote this huge community event. Please feel free to pass this poster and press release (attached) to your contacts and media.

Thank you,
Lauren

Lauren Siegel
Executive Director
Nevada EcoNet
(775)323-3433
lauren@nevadaeconet.org

Reid says he will sign river deal on Sept. 6

Reid says he will sign river deal on Sept. 6 By Susan Voyles • svoyles@rgj.com • August 23, 2008

Saying it's the biggest thing he has ever done for Nevada, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he definitely will be on hand to sign the historic Truckee River Operating Agreement in Wingfield Park on Sept. In addition to settling 100 years of water wars between Nevada and California, the agreement provides storage for drought-year water supplies in Sierra reservoirs for years to come for the Reno and Sparks area.

That storage, officials said, will help meet demand in drought years when Truckee Meadows Water Authority is providing up to 119,000 acre-feet of water a year to customers. TMWA provides 85,000 acre-feet a year for 93,000 customers. In years when there's more than enough water, that water is managed for the fish. The plan already is in place and working under an interim agreement approved several years ago. Getting everyone to sign the deal has taken nearly 20 years. "I started working on this the night I was elected to the Senate," said Reid, D-Nev., of the plan and his 1986 election.
"It has been a real struggle," he said. In 1990, Reid got Congress to pass a settlement act that directed the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to negotiate an agreement for the river and its upstream reservoirs. He uses lists to talk about the obstacles in getting the agreement completed. "It involved two Indian tribes. Two endangered species. The cities of Reno and Sparks. Pyramid Lake. The Truckee and Carson Rivers. And Lake Tahoe.
The act also provides $65 million to the Pyramid Lake-Paiute tribe for economic development and to rebuild its fisheries, as well as $40 million for Fallon. The agreement required the homes served by TMWA to have meters, with the total conversion now set for January 2010.

For entire article, please visit website below.

TMWA directors nix water system lease proposal

By Jeff DeLong, Reno Gazzette-Journal • jdelong@rgj.com • July 26, 2008
A proposal to lease the water system serving the greater Reno-Sparks area to private investors was killed Friday by directors of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority.  With little discussion, the board rescinded last week's decision to have consultants explore the possible lease arrangement -- a move that prompted the utility's general manager, Lori Williams, to say she will resign come September.

Public opposition and potential impacts to the long-negotiated Truckee River Operating Agreement prompted the decision to ditch the idea, board members said.
"Their voice has been heard," Reno Mayor Bob Cashell said of the idea's critics. "We decided to pull the trigger."
Williams was vacationing and not present at Friday's meeting. She said through a representative that her decision to leave remains unchanged.  My plans have not changed. My resignation stands," Williams said.
Board members present at Friday's meeting unanimously voted to kill the lease proposal. They included Cashell, Sparks Mayor Geno Martini, Sparks Councilman Mike Carrigan, Reno Councilman David Aiazzi and Reno appointees Mike Cate and Tom Young. Washoe County Commissioner Bob Larkin was absent

TMWA Board Set To Back Off Lease Plan

Posted: 6:25 PM Jul 22, 2008Last Updated: 4:28 AM Jul 23, 2008Reporter: Ed Pearce
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A week ago the governing board of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority voted to look into the possibility of leasing the area’s water system to a Wall Street investment band. Now, it appears that a couple of members of the board are backing away from that decision.
At those member’s urging, the board has set another meeting. The only item of consequence on the agenda for that meeting is reconsideration of last week's vote. In the space of a week, there's been input and it's apparently been persuasive.
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The offer came from the investment firm of Goldman Sachs. The deal: a 50 year lease of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority's system, the company assuming $500 million dollars in bond debt and adding $100 to 160 million dollars in cash. The numbers were attractive enough that most of the board thought it worth looking at. The vote authorized a feasibility study. The lone dissenter was TMWA chairman and Sparks City Councilman Mike Carrigan who said it had taken 26 years to get the water system back into public hands and that's where he thought it should stay.
In the days that followed others are apparently finding themselves in agreement with Carrigan, significantly Sparks Mayor Geno Martini and Reno Mayor Bob Cashell.
"We've been hearing from consituents," says Cashell. "We're concerned about the employees and we don't want to do anything to jeopardize TROA."
TROA is the Truckee River Operating Agreement, a bi-state document settling a variety of complex issues concerning the Truckee's waters. It's been in the works for 2 decades and it's about to be signed by all parties. Word the possibility of a private company operating TMWA raised immediate red flags including a caution from Senator Reid's office.For entire article, please visit website.

Offer made to lease Reno-area water authority to private investors

Offer made to lease Reno-area water authority to private investors

By Jeff DeLong, Reno Gazzette Journal
July 15, 2008

Local water authority officials Wednesday will discuss whether they should consider leasing all or part of their water distribution system to outside investors.

Under one scenario, the 7-year-old Truckee Meadows Water Authority would lease its assets for 50 years in return for $100 million to $160 million payment to Reno, Sparks and Washoe County.
"Evidently, there are folks in the investment market that are very interested in investing in infrastructure assets," said Lori Williams, TMWA general manager. "It could be as broad as somebody stepping in and taking over the operation of TMWA. It could be just a piece of that."
Mike Carrigan, the Sparks councilman who chairs the nonprofit authority's board of directors, said he is open to considering a deal but is worried investors would be pressured to turn a profit by raising rates or deferring maintenance.
"The only reason somebody would do this is to make money," Carrigan said.
Williams said many employees at the utility appear uncomfortable with the proposal.

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