The Truckee River is a river, 140 mi (225 km) long, in northern California and northern Nevada in the United States. It drains part of the high Sierra Nevada mountains, emptying into Pyramid Lake in the Great Basin. Its waters are an important source of irrigation along its valley and adjacent valleys.
Description
The river issues from the northwest side of Lake Tahoe, near Tahoe City, California. It flows generally northwest through the mountains to Truckee, California, then turns sharply to the east and flows into Nevada, past Reno and Sparks and along the northern end of the Carson Range. At Fernley it turns north, flowing along the east side of the Pah Rah Range and entering the southern end of Pyramid Lake, a remnant of prehistoric Lake Lahontan, in southern Washoe County in the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation .
Like other rivers in the western United States, its flow is highly regulated with most of the river water fully allocated via water rights. Disputes occur among those claiming the water. In the early 20th century, waters of the river were diverted as part of the Newlands Reclamation Act. Currently the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District supervises the diversion of approximately one-third of the river flow at the Derby Dam to the Lahontan Valley to irrigate alfalfa and pastures. Its water is also supplied to the resort communities surrounding Lake Tahoe, the greater metropolitan area of Reno and Sparks, and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses some of the water to induce spawning of the endangered fish cui-ui and to provide drought relief.
The river is heavily used for recreation, including whitewater rafting and fly fishing.
See also
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