Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 53

RWPC WASHOE WATER REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN Reducing Flood Damage What is the status of the Truckee River Flood Management Project? Eight years has passed since the Truckee River flooded on New Year's Day in 1997. The estimated $680 million in physical damages and economic impacts are fresh in the minds of those who sustained losses. Truckee River flood management continues to be one of the Region's most complex water issues. A few months after the 1997 flood, the residents of Reno, Sparks and Washoe Source: MIG, Berkeley, Calif. River Banks County took on a significant challenge: Terraced develop and implement a flood management program that restores the health and vitality and terracing techniques.

Restoring natural flooding processes requires land. To take advantage of cost savings made possible by purchasing land sooner rather than waiting for the entire project to be designed, Washoe County developed the Early Land Acquisition Program. The program focuses on keeping highly developable land open while pursuing acquisition of parcels identified as necessary regardless of the final flood project design. In October 2004, The County acquired the first critical parcel, the historic East Steele Ranch at the intersection of Mill Street and South Rock Boulevard in Reno. of the Truckee River while protecting communities on the river from flood damage.

In order to develop a flood plan acceptable to the public, Washoe County's Flood Control Manager, working with Reno and Sparks, created a community-based group in 2000 known as the Community Coalition for Truckee River Flood Management. The Coalition, with representatives from the local governments, dozens of stakeholders and members of the public, works cooperatively with the agency that will eventually build the project, the Army Corps of Engineers. We cannot prevent flooding, but by working with the river, we can reduce flood damage. Today, much of the natural floodplain for the Truckee River has been developed or protected for agriculture. As a result, the natural process of flooding, where floodwater spills over the riverbanks and spreads out on the floodplain, is greatly diminished.

The Truckee River Flood Management Project, however, offers the opportunity to restore some of the natural flooding processes, allowing water to spread out naturally across designated open lands during a flood, rather than inundating the developed areas we are working to protect. The Coalition's "living river" concept can be realized with sensitively designed and located flood barriers combined with benching Can Our Community Keep Growing? Increased discharge to the Truckee River is limited by water quality standards, but restoration of a sustainable river ecology should offer future flexibility. Additionally, using highly treated effluent to offset diminishing groundwater aquifers is becoming commonplace in other western communities, and is being studied locally. Planning for wastewater disposal in the Lemmon Valley area and plans to address overly dense septic systems are high priority RWPC action items. Plans for Truckee River flood management are moving forward and promise to provide adequate protection for existing and future residents.

Mitigating floodplain storage losses is a high priority and planning is under way. Master planning for flood control outside the Truckee River basin also is a high priority action. A regional flood control master plan framework is under development and will address the planning needs in these parts of the region. Meadows, will satisfy much of the growth. However, in order to build-out all of the zoning and land uses shown in local and regional plans, new sources of water will need to be developed to serve an estimated regional demand of 147,800 acre-feet in 2025.

Plans for groundwater importation from the north currently are under environmental review. The RWPC and local water purveyors are working with the State Engineer to keep an inventory of water rights and safe water yield to avoid over-committing our water resources. Providing water for future growth, however, is only part of the picture. When new sources of water are introduced, a percentage ends up as treated wastewater effluent. Average annual wastewater flows are projected to range from 46.6 million gallons to 62.8 million gallons per day in 2025.

Providing adequately for disposal or reuse will require careful planning for water quality protection, higher levels of treatment, intergovernmental cooperation and a good measure of creativity. Planning for the region's future water needs is among the most important reasons the RWPC exists. Water, wastewater, flood control and storm water drainage services in Washoe County are provided by a variety of local governmental and private entities. Additionally, thousands of residents serve their own water and wastewater needs with private domestic wells and septic systems. Compiling plans from each service provider and integrating them into a comprehensive regional water plan is a complex, but necessary task.

The goal is to chart a course for the future while maintaining consistency with local and regional land use plans. As our community grows, water purveyors will optimize the use of available water resources. Conversion of agricultural water rights from the Truckee River, tributary streams and groundwater will continue as the market allows. Expansion of infrastructure and treatment plants, such as Chalk Bluff and those planned in the south Truckee WINTER 2085.