Water flows from the Truckee Canal into Lahontan Reservoir on Sunday morning.
Extreme drought has reduced the Lahontan Valley’s irrigation season to the shortest in decades.
The drought, which water officials call the worst in 100 years, has crippled farmers and ranchers in Fallon and Fernley this year.
As a result, the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District Board of Directors will meet Friday at 9 a.m. at the district office, 2666 Harrigan Rd., for a special meeting to review water allocations for the Newlands Project.
At their regular monthly meeting on April 7, the board opted to keep the allocations at 20 percent in the Truckee and Carson divisions after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recommended lowering the rate to 15 percent.
However, Director Lester de Braga’s calculations supported a 20 percent allotment, which the board concurred and held off on lowering the rate.
De Braga and the board agreed there was enough water to sustain the current usage.
Although the board agreed, they decided to revisit the allocations Friday to review flows, conditions and forecasts, which may or may not reduce the allotment.
The drought has become so severe the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Elko and Eureka counties on April 8 as primary natural disaster areas, according to press release.
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