Senators push ahead on local water projects

RENO — Two major projects involving water are taking shape in western Nevada.

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen announced the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District will receive more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior for water delivery efficiency and infrastructure upgrades. The amount is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Both senators announced water conservation funding in the amount of $2.1 million for TCID that will help upgrade six gates on the Lahontan Dam.

The upgrade on the input tower gates will annually save more than 782 million gallons of water and help Northern Nevada combat drought conditions, officials said.

The tower has 12 gates located near the ground, but Ben Shawcroft, general manager of TCID, said six leaky gates on the south side will be replaced. The gates open and close on the tower and send water underneath the dam to feed two power plants. Shawcroft said the electricity is then released for delivery. Hydroelectricity provides power to Churchill County and the surrounding area.

Lahontan Dam was completed in 1915 and the structure transformed the Lahontan Valley into an agriculture region.

“Protecting access to clean, reliable water sources is critical for the health, economy and security of the Silver State,” Cortez Masto said.

Rosen added it’s vital to invest in Nevada’s water infrastructure and resilience.

Tuesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Cortez Masto, Rosen and officials from the Reno-Sparks area kicked off the Arlington Bridges Project in Reno that will replace the north and south bridges on one of the Truckee Meadows vital roadways.

According to Cortez Masto, two bridges on Arlington Avenue have the worst structural rating of any bridge in Washoe County. The north side was constructed in the early 1920s while the south bridge came in 1939. Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson, chairman of Washoe County’s Regional Transportation Commission, said the project represents a thoughtful process and hard work to make construction come to fruition.

Lawson and the senators touted the Biden administration for its investments in infrastructure with the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021. The bill was designed to help expand high-speed Internet and provide funding for roads, bridges and other major projects.

In prepared remarks, Lawson said half the funding for the Arlington Avenue bridges comes from the federal government.

“This is a vital part of downtown Reno,” Lawson said, noting the bridges and Wingfield Park are used for transportation and culture such as the recently concluded Art Town.

While the bridges are still safe for the public, Lawson said it’s time for an upgrade.

The Arlington project is one of several planned in downtown Reno. Eventually, he said the Sierra Street bridge and the Keystone Bridge west of downtown will need replacing.

Rosen said the Infrastructure Bill will provide $3.5 billion for 250 projects.

Buttigieg, who traveled to Fernley in August 2022 to award $25 million federal grant for a logistic hub to connect Interstate 80 to U.S. Highway 50, referred to his time as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a city that was also known for its river.

“I know how important it is to look after your parks, downtown, your bridges,” Buttigieg said. “So many communities are seeking a project of this kind for a long time.”

Buttigieg said many bridges are deficient but they are important to the areas in which they serve.

“The Reno community gave a lot of input to ensure leaders were taking this opportunity to not just rebuild the Arlington Avenue bridges, but to make them even better — and the Biden-Harris administration listened,” Buttigieg said.

The cost to replace the bridges will be between $27 to $32 billion.