News Release Archive

Reclamation Schedules Public Meetings to Discuss the Newlands Project Planning Study

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916 978-5100, 08/11/2011 16:33

For Release: August 11, 2011

The Bureau of Reclamation will host three public meetings in August to discuss the Newlands Project Planning Study (Study). The Study will investigate a range of potential alternatives to serve Newlands Project (Project) water rights and reduce public safety risks associated with operating the Truckee Canal. The meetings will occur in Fernley, Nixon and Fallon - three communities within or near the Project. 

Each meeting will begin with a presentation followed by an open house during which attendees can review Study information and interact one-on-one with Study team members. During the meeting, Reclamation will present information and receive public feedback on the Study's objectives and purpose, outline steps in the planning process and discuss an initial list of actions that could be combined to form alternative plans for safely serving people, communities and lands that rely on Truckee or Carson River water delivered by the Project.

Meeting dates, times and locations are:

Fernley
Monday, August 22
6 - 8 p.m.
Fernley City Council Chambers
595 Silver Lace Boulevard
Nixon
Tuesday, August 23
6 - 8 p.m.
Pyramid Lake
Paiute Tribal Council Chambers
208 Capitol Hill
Fallon

Thursday, August 25
6 - 8 p.m.
Churchill County
Commissioners' Chambers
155 N. Taylor Street, Suite 145

The Study was motivated by a January 2008 breach of the Project's Truckee Canal that flooded nearly 600 properties in the city of Fernley and led to restrictions on the amount of water the canal may convey. The Study is a federal effort to investigate options for safely serving Project water rights, and will culminate in a special report to help guide decisions about the Project's future.

Originally known as the Truckee-Carson Project, the Project is one of Reclamation's oldest irrigation projects. Since 1903, it has served water users in the Truckee and Carson River Basins for agricultural and, increasingly, other purposes. Operation and maintenance of Project facilities is performed by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District under a contract with Reclamation. For information about the Project, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/lbao/.

If special accommodations are needed or for additional information, please contact Donna Potter with Reclamation's Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5103 (TTY 916-978-5608) or lpotter@usbr.gov.   

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.