Volunteers needed to fill sandbags

Churchill County needs volunteers to fill sandbags as city, county and federal officials collaborate on flood mitigation efforts and information.

Volunteers will fill sandbags at the Churchill County Fairgrounds between 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Jorge Guerrero, director of Facilities, parks and Recreation for Churchill County, said Boys Scouts, firefighters, Navy personnel and residents have filled sandbags. If groups are interested in filling sandbags on Saturday, they must contact Guerrero at 775-423-7733.

“We’re delivering them faster than we can fill them,” Guerrero said, adding the process would last for a month.

Rusty Jardine, executive director of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, said Thursday the precautionary drawdown of the Lahontan Reservoir is in progress with water being released in the Carson River. He said increased flows should be expected. For example, he said the river flow at Bafford Lane is 773 cubic feet per second.

“We have a true river once again,” Jardine said of the Carson River’s flow. “We encourage residents along the river to take caution and keep an eye on children.”

Jardine said the Lahontan Dam 18 miles west of Fallon is an earth-filled embankment structure on the Carson River. He added the dam is in very good condition and may be expected to perform well during the upcoming spring runoff season or a seismic event.

Thursday’s level at the reservoir is more than 247,000 acre-feet. Each acre-foot of water equals less than 326,000 gallons of water and is enough to cover one acre of land one-foot deep.

In a media release disseminated by the Emergency Operation Center, all property owners and farms in the Carson River corridor are advised that these releases will most likely continue into early to mid-summer and may cause disruptions to land use.

Jardine said an emergency safety spill is being installed on the V-Line Canal, which will be used to release water onto federal land south of Sheckler Reservoir. Jardine said TCID and the county road departments will begin pouring cement to shore up the canal’s structure.

The EOC said the new safety spill will provide added safety to the more densely populated areas. This water is expected to reach U.S. Highway 50 and may cross the highway after the V-Line release point becomes operational.

Jardine said homeowners who may be affected by the water have been notified.

For all persons interested in obtaining Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) or residential flood insurance, TCID stated important eligibility deadlines will apply, including the effective date of coverage. People are encouraged to contact an insurance carrier of their own choosing immediately for further information; furthermore, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency website contains information and agents for farm insurance programs.

The EOC said the 10-day weather forecast shows snow falling in the higher elevations over the weekend with 1-2 inches on the valley floor. Many areas of the Sierra report snow depths of more than 200 percent above normal.