Feature

RN&R photographer Eric Marks goes in search of signs of drought STORY & PHOTOS BY ERIC MARKS

I don’t want to blow any minds here, but Marlene Olsen of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority tells me that we aren’t actually in a drought.

“You know what the misconception is, right?” she asked. “We don’t really have drought years. We live in the high desert. We have wet years.”

I’ll leave that debate up to the meteorologists, though. As I drove around Northern Nevada and California, looking for signs of this drought that isn’t, I didn’t seem to have any trouble finding dry spots.

From Lake Tahoe to Boca Reservoir through Reno to Pyramid Lake, every user can expect to be impacted by the dwindling resource. The fastfading snowpack will soon be gone, and things may begin to get grim for all of us this summer. Here’s hoping next winter is a wet one.

Water levels are so low, the pier at Kings Beach is now beyond reach of boats. Scattered clouds and barren mountains offer little hope for any significant increase in the lake’s level. After one of the warmest and driest winters on record, the lake is expected to lose a few more feet. The parched shoreline has now become home to dozens of rock sculptures as the receding water uncovers the rocky lake bottom. The boat launch has been closed and water sports enthusiasts have to carry their gear approximately 100 feet to the shallow water.

University Car Wash owner Vickie Draper stands in front of her touch-free car wash. Draper reports that the car wash recycles 80 percent of its water regardless of weather conditions. Her recycling efforts result in the business using less water than a family of four uses in the summer.

Gondolas at Northstar Ski Resort hang in a light breeze over an already arid landscape. The resort closed early this season. A Northstar employee said the resort has plans to manufacture snow next year in order to extend the ski season.

The fountains at the Atlantis Casino Resort use recycled water. The casino has installed wind sensors to turn off the fountains to reduce water waste. According to Atlantis publicist Tracie Barnthouse, the casino has a propertywide conservation effort. She says the resort has also switched the shower heads and toilets to water-efficient models, thus saving an average of 1.7 million gallons of water annually.

From left:

A lone tuft of grass clings to life at Washoe Lake, once a thriving habitat for wildlife. Home to an Audubon Society Important Bird Area, the lake is an important stop for migratory birds looking for a place to rest and refuel. Now completely dry, it can no longer provide the necessary support for wildlife, which included Bald Eagles and Great Egrets.

Boca Reservoir, a man-made “Truckee Storage Project constructed to provide a supplemental supply of irrigation water to approximately 29,000 acres of land in the Truckee Meadows surrounding Reno and Sparks, Nevada” is noticeably low and suffering from drought conditions, mostly stemming from lack of snow runoff. A popular destination for people who enjoy water sports and camping, the water level is so low that the boat launch has already been closed for the season, leaving recreational users of the reservoir to find alternative routes into the water.

The view from the Boca Dam Bridge shows a controlled water release from the reservoir. We’re not likely to see a lot of those in August.

Professional fishing guide Russell Fortier at one of his favorite spots on the Truckee River just outside of Truckee, California. Fortier says this part of the river has been “very productive and active” for him already this year. The Truckee resident usually buys a Nevada fishing license but does not think he will this season because of the poor fishing conditions near Reno and Verdi.

Scattered rock sculptures and sparse vegetation now occupy once-submerged lake bottoms. The lake, barely visible in the background, has become a living frame for the sculptures.

Left, a water-level marker just outside Tahoe City offers a bleak portrayal of this year’s water levels in Lake Tahoe. The marker shows signs of erosion where it has been submerged in years past.

Above, a boat hangs high and dry on the outskirts of Tahoe City. The water level is so low that the boat can’t be launched.