The Nevada Division of Water Resources has announced the representatives who have been chosen to participate in the quarterly Humboldt Stakeholder Working Group meetings. The representatives and their respective positions are listed in the table below. In cases where more than one person is listed for a position, the second name indicates a designated alternate. Four of the representatives are associated with the Humboldt River Basin Water Authority; Pershing County Commissioner Shayla Hudson, HRBWA Chair Bennie Hodges, Eureka County Alternate Board Member, Sabrina Tomera Reed, and HRBWA Executive Director, Jeff Fontaine. The group’s first meeting will be held in Elko on June 25.
The water year continues through September, but according the May 1st Nevada Water Supply Outlook Report, it is already a safe bet to pencil in a win on this year’s report card especially for northern Nevada.
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is about normal at 110% of median, compared to 229% at this time last year. Precipitation in April was well below normal at 44%, which brings the seasonal accumulation (October-April) to 121% of median. Soil moisture is at 88% saturation compared to 80% saturation last year.
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is about normal at 110% of median, compared to 229% at this time last year. Precipitation in April was well below normal at 44%, which brings the seasonal accumulation (October-April) to 121% of median. Soil moisture is at 88% saturation compared to 80% saturation last year.
Nominations are now open for individuals to serve on a formal Stakeholder Working Group, which will be assisting the Nevada Division of Water Resources in identifying and evaluating measures that individually can reduce capture of the river by pumping, and collectively maximize the potential to serve senior surface water rightholders within the Humboldt River basin (i.e., develop a comprehensive conjunctive management strategy).
The formal Stakeholder Working Group will be comprised of representatives nominated by the larger group of stakeholders participating to date. Individuals may nominate themselves or others to participate as part of the formal Working Group in any of the categories listed in the attachment.
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is well above normal at 149% of median, compared to 166% at this time last year. Precipitation in February was well above normal at 188%, which brings the seasonal accumulation (October-February) to 126% of median. Soil moisture is at 65% saturation compared to 56% saturation last year. Snowpack in the Lower Humboldt River Basin is well above normal at 146% of median, compared to 158% at this time last year. Precipitation in February was well above normal at 218%, which brings the seasonal accumulation (October-February) to 133% of median. Soil moisture is at 67% saturation compared to 46% saturation last year. Reservoir storage is 43% of capacity, compared to 5% last year. March 1 forecasts in the Humboldt Basin range from 141-508% as a percent of median, or as expressed as a percent of average forecasts are 124-192%. These percentages point toward another strong runoff this spring and summer. This winter’s snowpack is very strong but still far below last year’s peak snow amounts. The Humboldt River generally has better runoff volumes when the system is primed by back-to-back above normal years. Examples include 1982-1984, 1996-1998 and 2005-2006. Each of these periods saw greater runoff volumes during the second and third years with above normal snowpacks. Click here to read the full Report.
Nevada Division of Water Resources staff have been reviewing presentations and recordings from the series of meetings held on August 1, September 6, and September 26, 2023, and are compiling the key points and ideas for further analysis and consideration. Staff have also been reviewing the reports documenting the groundwater flow models for the upper, middle, and lower Humboldt regions. Evaluation of Stream Capture Related to Groundwater Pumping, Upper Humboldt River Basin, Nevada (Carroll et al. 2023) has been published as Bulletin 49 and Groundwater Discharge from Phreatophyte Vegetation, Humboldt River Basin, Nevada (Huntington et al. 2022) has been published as Bulletin 48, both of which are available on the NDWR website. The remaining model reports are still in review and will be similarly published when they are released.
The next meeting to update stakeholders on DWR’s analysis and ideas they believe can be implemented in the near term, longer term, and those that will require legislative action to move forward will be held at 1:00 pm on March 19, 2024, at the NDWR office and via Microsoft Teams.
The Central Nevada Regional Water Authority (CNRWA) and Humboldt River Basin Water Authority (HRBWA) recently approved funding to purchase and retire groundwater rights from willing sellers. Click here to read the press release.
