The volume of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains has activated the City of Fallon, Churchill County and TCID to start precautionary preparations for elevated water levels in the Carson River.
This week, TCID started releasing water from Lahontan Reservoir to create extra space for incoming flows. The releases are planned to rise to approximately 2,200 cubic feet per second in the coming days, which will place approximately 800 cfs in the river, 1,000 cfs in the V-line weir with the remainder in the irrigation canals.
Therefore, residents will see elevated levels of water in the Carson River and the irrigation canals this week and in the coming weeks. For your safety, stay clear of high flows.
As part of the Churchill County Emergency Operations Command being activated last week due to the threat of high water from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada, pre-filled sandbags will start to be assembled and available for pickup on Wednesday, March 8 through Friday, March 10 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day at 485 Miners Road just south of the Rafter 3C Arena.
Citizens along the river who believe they may need sandbags can call 775-423-7733 to reserve sandbags and arrange pickup.
As a reminder, this community built the V-line weir and the Big Dig ditch in 2017 to improve the safety of the community from flooding. This structure is in good working order and will be used to help maximize the volume of water needed to be released from the lake.
Careful planning is done on an ongoing basis to only release what is needed to keep the community safe while also reserving water for the upcoming irrigation season and future seasons.
The Churchill County Emergency Operations Center will continue to provide updates via websites and social media.