Lahontan outflow to be lowered

At Tuesday morning’s weekly briefing of all the participating parties, snow pack, Carson River flows and Lahontan Reservoir forecast and projections were carefully evaluated.

A joint decision was made to lower the outflow from Lahontan to give some relief to the residents along the river corridor. This decision is made with the understanding that if we have unplanned major events in the upstream of the Carson River the flows may have to be increased.

It is highly recommended that residents leave their defensive precautions in place and to be vigilant of weather and run-off events. Irrigation deliveries may cause some fluctuations in Carson River flows throughout the summer months.

The reduction will be approximately 300 cubic feet per second (cfs). It will begin Wednesday and will continue until June 1, when another evaluation will be made. Due to the saturation along the Carson River corridor, it is uncertain if the reduction of flows will be immediately apparent. It will take time to drain back areas where water has migrated over the past months.

This reduction is made possible because of the co-operation of local governmental entities and many local individuals who have worked to improve and in some cases build new infrastructure to protect the community. These efforts have allowed some 567,000 acre feet of water to enter Lahontan Reservoir this season and of that amount 361,000 acre feet to be passed through in order to mitigate flood potential from a reservoir with a capacity of 313,000 a/f. Lahontan Reservoir continues to do her part and the citizens of this community who have participated unselfishly are greatly appreciated.

QUICK FACTS:

•Outflows from the Carson River will be lowered by approximately 300 cubic feet per second effective Wednesday.

•Should we encounter an unplanned major event flows may have to be increased

•The situation will be continually monitored with another evaluation on June 1.

•It is recommended that residents leave defense precautions in place and be vigilant of weather or run-off events

•Due to irrigation, the river will fluctuate throughout the summer