Truckee-Carson River Basin Study
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Truckee-Carson RiverBasinStudy FinalReport JeremyPratt ClearwaterConsulting Corporation Seattle,Washington ReporttotheWesternWater PolicyReviewAdvisoryCommission Truckee-Carson River Basin Study Final Report Jeremy Pratt Clearwater Consulting Corporation Seattle, Washington Report to the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission September 1997 The Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission Under the Western Water Policy Review Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-575, Title XXX), Congress directed the President to undertake a comprehensive review of Federal activities in the 19 Western States that directly or indirectly affect the allocation and use of water resources, whether surface or subsurface, and to submit a report of findings to the congressional committees having jurisdiction over Federal Water Programs. As directed by the statute, the President appointed the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission. The Commission was composed of 22 members, 10 appointed by the President, including the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Army, and 12 members of Congress serving ex-officio by virtue of being the chair or ranking minority member of the 6 congressional committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over the appropriations and programs of water resources agencies. A complete roster is provided below. Commission Membership Denise Fort, Chair Albuquerque, New Mexico Appointed Members: Huali Chai Patrick O'Toole Secretary of the Interior San Jose, California Savery, Wyoming Washington, D.C. Represented by: John H. Davidson Jack Robertson Joe Sax, September 1995 - December 1996 Vermillion, South Dakota Portland, Oregon Patricia J. Beneke, December 1996 - John Echohawk Kenneth L. Salazar Secretary of the Army Boulder, Colorado Denver, Colorado Washington, DC Represented by: Janet Neuman Dr. John H. Zirschky Portland, Oregon Members of Congress (Ex-officio Members): U.S. Senate: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hon. Frank Murkowski, Chairman Hon. Dale Bumpers, Ranking Minority Member Hon. J. Bennett Johnston (September 1995 to January 1997) U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on Water and Power, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hon. Jon Kyl, Chairman Hon. Daniel K. Akaka, Ranking Minority Member Hon. Larry E. Craig (September 1995 to January 1997) Hon. Bill Bradley (September 1995 to January 1997) U.S. Senate: Committee on Appropriations Hon. Ted Stevens, Chairman Hon. Robert C. Byrd, Ranking Minority Member Hon. Mark O. Hatfield (September 1995 to January 1997) U.S. House of Representatives: Committee on Resources Hon. Don Young, Chairman Hon. George Miller, Ranking Minority Member U.S. House of Representatives: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Hon. Bud Shuster, Chairman Hon. James L. Oberstar, Ranking Minority Member U.S. House of Representatives: Committee on Appropriations Hon. Bob Livingston, Chairman Hon. David R. Obey, Ranking Minority Member This is an Independent Report to the Commission The report published herein was prepared for the Commission as part of its information gathering activity. The views, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and are not intended to represent the views of the Commission, the Administration, or Members of Congress serving on the Commission. Publication by the Commission does not imply endorsement of the author's findings or recommendations. This report is published to share with the public the information and ideas gathered and considered by the Commission in its deliberations. The Commission's views, conclusions, and recommendations will be set forth in the Commission's own report. Additional copies of this publication may be obtained from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia, 22161; phone 703-487-4650. Contents Page Executive Summary .............................................. S-1 1. Existing Setting ................................................. 1 1.1 Climate and Hydrology ....................................... 1 Climate .................................................. 1 Surface Hydrology and Water Development ................... 2 Groundwater Hydrology and Use ........................... 10 1.2 Water Quality ............................................. 15 1.3 Natural Resources ......................................... 18 Carson River Ecosystem ................................... 19 Truckee River Ecosystem .................................. 23 1.4 Socioeconomic Setting ...................................... 28 1.5 Public Lands and Public Trust Resources ...................... 31 Carson River Watershed .................................. 32 Truckee River Watershed .................................. 33 1.6 Institutional Setting ........................................ 34 Federal Agencies ......................................... 34 State Agencies ........................................... 36 Regional Agencies ........................................ 36 Cities and Counties ....................................... 37 Native American Tribes ................................... 38 Environmental Community ................................ 41 Lahontan Valley Environmental Alliance .................... 41 Newlands Water Protective Association ..................... 42 Truckee-Carson Leasing Authority ......................... 42 2. Water Use and Rights .......................................... 43 2.1 Water Use ................................................ 43 Municipal Use ............................................ 43 Agricultural Use .......................................... 46 Hydroelectric Use ......................................... 49 Environmental Use ....................................... 50 2.2 Water Purveyors ........................................... 51 Sierra Pacific Power Company/WestPac Utilities .............. 51 Truckee-Carson Irrigation District .......................... 52 Carson-Truckee Water Conservancy District ................. 52 Carson Water Subconservancy District ...................... 52 Small Purveyors .......................................... 53 2.3 Water Operations in the Truckee-Carson Basin ................ 53 Principal Storage Facilities of the Truckee River Basin ........ 53 Principal Storage Facilities of the Carson River Basin ......... 61 Current Diversion from the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe Basins ..................................... 61 Current Diversions into the Carson River Basin .............. 65 iii Contents Page Agreements, Decrees and Doctrines Governing the Allocation of Water in the Truckee-Carson River Basins ........................................... 67 Operating Criteria and Procedures .......................... 87 Unappropriated Water .................................... 98 2.4 Water Transfer Markets .................................... 99 Historical Development of the Regional Water Market ........ 99 Present-Day Water Transfers Market ...................... 104 3. History and Implementation of the Settlement Act ................ 109 3.1 Early Conflicts ............................................ 109 3.2 History of Settlement Act of 1990 ........................... 112 3.3 The Settlement Act Negotiations ............................ 118 3.4 Washington, D.C.: The Bigger Picture ....................... 120 3.5 The Settlement Provisions: P.L. 101-618 ..................... 123 3.6 Implementation of P.L. 101-618 ............................. 126 The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe ......................... 126 Federal Water Master .................................... 127 Water Allocation Between Nevada and California ........... 128 TROA and the PSA ...................................... 130 Newlands-Related Issues ................................. 132 Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe-Related Issues .................. 133 Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge ........................ 134 3.7 Subsequent Negotiations and Agreements .................... 136 The “Second Generation” or “Facilitated” Negotiations ....... 136 Negotiations Sponsored by Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources .................... 139 Water Quality Agreement ................................ 139 Suit Seeking Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement ............................................ 140 4. Critical Issues: Case Study Discussion .......................... 143 4.1 Water Transfers .......................................... 144 Description of Emerging Markets .......................... 144 Market Evaluation ...................................... 159 Mechanisms to Mitigate Problems ......................... 163 Evaluation of Other Issues ................................ 178 4.2 Surface-Groundwater Relationships ......................... 180 Water Use .............................................. 181 Interactions of Basin Waters .............................. 181 Effects of Land Use Changes, Particularly Changes in Irrigation .......................................... 184 Impacts from Non-Irrigation Land Uses .................... 185 Mitigation to New Equilibria in the Ground/Surface Water Interactions .................................... 187 iv Contents Page Key Lessons Learned .................................... 189 4.3 Newlands Irrigators ....................................... 189 Effects of Fundamental Change in Federal Goals on Irrigators and Rural Communities ....................... 191 Alienation of the Irrigators ............................... 192 Newlands Spokesperson .................................. 215 Negotiating