•
Section 319
• NONPOINT SPURGE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
0
Improved Grazing and Agricultural Management Reduces Nitrogen in the
Truckee River Watershed
Waterbody Improved
Uncontrolled cattle grazing and poor agricultural practices
resulted in the loss of instream and riparian habitat, degrading
the water quality of the Lower Truckee River and Pyramid Lake within the Pyramid Lake Indian
Reservation. Livestock fencing, laser leveling of agricultural fields, and other agricultural
best management practices have succeeded in reducing in-stream nitrogen levels and
achieving water quality standards in the Lower Truckee River.
Problem
The Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation, in north-
western Nevada about 35 miles northeast
of Reno, encompasses 474,000 acres. The
Lower Truckee River originates in the Sierra
Nevada and flows through the reservation for
31 miles, terminating in Pyramid Lake within the
reservation. The installation of Derby Dam (on
the Lower Truckee River upstream of Pyramid
Lake), and the channelization (and removal of
streamside vegetation) of the Lower Truckee
River in the early to mid-1900s by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers have historically affected
the river, causing increases of total dissolved
solids, increases in alkalinity due to the loss
of inflow, and a loss of habitat, resulting in the
depletion offish species.
Over the past two decades, uncontrolled cattle
grazing and feral horses have further contribut-
ed to soil erosion, the loss of native vegetation,
and destabilized streambanks. As a result, the
Lower Truckee River experienced high turbid-
ity and increased nitrogen levels, affecting the
recovery of the endangered cui-ui fish and the
threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Spring area 22 months after enclosure.
-• •
Spring area before fence enclosure.
-------
Laser leveling of
agricultural fields uses
water more efficiently,
which significantly
reduces return flows to
the river as shown in
the lower photo prior to
laser leveling.
Project Highlights
In 1998 the tribe initiated activities with section
319 funding to address unmanaged cattle graz-
ing on the reservation. With assistance from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the
tribe developed and implemented a range man-
agement plan covering lands along the Truckee
River corridor, which included efforts to install
60 miles of fencing, as well as solar-powered
wells and water tanks to serve as alternative
water sources to keep livestock out of the river.
Laser leveling of agricultural fields—using a
laser beam device mounted on a tractor that
controls tillage depth—was also implemented
to reduce nutrient runoff. Leveling reduces
the amount of water required to irrigate fields,
allows for a more uniform distribution of
water across the field, reduces the amount of
fertilizers and pesticides needed, provides a
uniform-moisture environment for crops, and
as a result, allows more uniform germination
and growth of crops.
The tribe revegetated, restored, and stabilized
some sections along riverbanks to reduce sedi-
mentation and nutrient loading into the river.
Restoration efforts also included wetland devel-
opment to reduce the amount of wastewater
nutrients from the Numana Fish Hatchery enter-
ing the river. Upstream of the river, the City of
Reno/Sparks, Nevada, and the City of Truckee,
California, installed new denitrification plants to
lower nutrient inputs that had been previously
discharged from the municipal treatment plant.
Results
Project activities have resulted in significant
reductions in total nitrogen levels from 0.584
mg/L in 2001 to 0.292 mg/L in July 2004,
and in N02 + N03 levels from 0.127 mg/L in
May 2001 to 0.084 mg/L in 2004. The tribe
conducts monthly water quality monitoring
at various locations along the lower Truckee
River, and results indicate that the project has
succeeded in reducing in-stream nitrogen
levels and achieving water quality standards in
the Lower Truckee River.
Partners and Funding
This project included support from the NRCS
Environmental Quality Incentives Program, The
Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and tribal
farmers and ranchers. Approximately $400,000
in section 319 funding has supported the
implementation of alternative water sources,
as well as the installation of pipes, wells, and
tanks on the range and along the Truckee River.
'. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
\ Off ice of Water
a Washington, DC
EPA841-F-05-004U
September 2005
For additional information contact:
Gerry Emm
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
775-574-0101
------- |