The tribe will tackle major areas of concern along a 20-mile stretch of river between Wadsworth and where it feeds into Pyramid Lake.
Donna Marie Noel, the tribe’s natural resources director, said flooding has eroded the riverbanks and agricultural fields affecting tribal members’ sources of income. Some power lines in Nixon are at risk of falling into the river as well.
It’s also harmed the culturally significant Cui-ui and Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.
“As the riverbanks erode, that sediment ends up depositing on the mouth of the river and forms a delta, and that delta prevents the fish from coming up the Truckee River to spawn, especially in dry years,” Noel said.
The issues stem from a number of factors, such as upstream diversions, warm and wet winters, and flooding.
In 1997, the Truckee, Carson, and Walker Rivers swelled, causing two deaths. It cost about $700 million in damages.
“Flood amnesia is real,” said Truckee River Flood Management Authority executive director George Robison.
“Whether you’re a new person coming in, or you actually lived through the 1997 flood, or the 2005 flood, or the 2017 flood, the memories go away very quickly, and people start to encroach on the flood plain, build right up against the river in places they probably shouldn’t build.”
Tribal Chairman Steven Wadsworth remembers the 1997 flood firsthand. He said the Truckee River nearly reached the Nixon Bridge.
“It literally would have cut the community in half.”
During an Aug. 22 signing ceremony on the reservation, Tribal Councilmember Harriet Brady said the agreement allows them to feel heard.
“A lot of times what I’ve seen in the past is that the tribe gets left out on the tail end of it, and I’m glad that you guys are recognizing our tribal sovereignty. You guys live here upstream, but yet this has always been our traditional homelands, so we want to keep driving that point home.”
The tribe can also use the funding to apply for matching federal grants, and they’re hiring a river restoration specialist.
Moving forward, Noel wants to see the riverbanks strengthened by nature.
“We really want to look at mostly bioengineered areas because it’s the trees and the willows that were there originally that stopped it,” Noel said. “Mother Nature knows what they’re doing, and why not just emulate what they have done for centuries?”
