Weber Reservoir access restricted

Public access to several beaches at Weber Reservoir on the Walker River Paiute Reservation south of Fallon will be restricted until the end of the year while the Weber Dam modification project is underway.

Construction began in February and will continue until mid-December, said Chris Hall, project manager for Barnard of Nevada, the general contracting company in charge of the project.

Beaches can be accessed between Fallon and Schurz from U.S. Highway 95. However, other access points will be closed to the public for safety reasons, according to a press release from Genia Williams, chair of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. Signs clearly mark where access is restricted.

According to the press release, access is prohibited, and unauthorized persons caught in the designated construction zone will be cited and prosecuted.

"The use of all vehicular access of unauthorized persons, including access of any and all off-road vehicles within the posted construction area" is prohibited, states the press release.

A resolution by the Walker River Paiute Tribal Council was enacted to enforce the closure.

"There are a lot of open excavations, obstacles and construction material that are difficult to see that could be a hazard to vehicles or people on foot," said Hall. "Even when we're not actively working there are risks including other hazards like soft or wet dirt and unstable slopes where people can be harmed."

Large equipment haul patterns change regularly, making small vehicles or those on foot difficult to see and avoid, he said. No one should be within the construction site without authorization and an escort.

For more information on permits or accessible areas, call the Walker River Paiute Tribe at 775-773-2306.