Water Quality Assessment and Modeling of the California Portion of the Truckee River Basin (2001)

Written By
David McGraw, Alan McKay, Guohong Duan, Thomas Bullard, Tim Minor, Jason Kuchnicki

Prepared By
Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute,
University and Community College System of Nevada, Las Vegas

Prepared For
Town of Truckee
Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board

JULY 2001

The purpose of this study is to provide the technical analysis and review necessary to begin developing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for sediment for the California
portions of the Truckee River watershed. The general goal of a sediment TMDL analysis is
to protect designated uses by characterizing existing and desired watershed conditions,
evaluate the degree of impairment to the existing (and future) conditions, and identify land
management and restoration actions needed to attain desired conditions (USEPA, 1999a).
More specifically, the goals of this study are: 1) establish recommended reductions in
sediment loads for designated reaches and sub-basins in the upper basin of the Truckee
River; 2) develop a GIS-based watershed model capable of simulating erosional and
sediment transport processes over multiple physiographic settings; 3) use the calibrated
model to estimate sediment conditions under various land-use scenarios; and 4) interact with
technical advisory groups to ensure stakeholder input from project inception through
completion.
For entire Executive Summary and Final Report, please visit link.