The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Levee & Floodwall is a unique public-private partnership between the Truckee River Flood Management Authority project partners (Reno, Sparks and Washoe County), the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Walmart and the State of Nevada.
This was the first floodwall and levee (e.g. “flood damage reduction” feature), and is just one of the more than 40 features included in the Flood Protection Plan. The structural part of the project was constructed from January 2009 to September 2009. Landscaping and vegetation establishment has been ongoing since then, and is proving to be successful.
The floodwall and levee system is built along the south bank of the Truckee River from U.S. 395 to Glendale Avenue. The height reaches 16 feet from grade near the end at the Glendale Bridge with a height of six feet at the start near the U.S. 395 Bridge. The levee consists of over 41,000 cubic yards of soil with the floodwall coming in at over 2,000 cubic yards of concrete. The project also features a trail along the river’s side.
Benefits of this project are that it:
- Manages flood waters and floodplains to protect life and property
- Improves access to the river for recreation
- Enhances redevelopment of the area and achieves the Colony’s goals
- Leverages private dollars to achieve public community goals
- Gets project built 10 years in advance of Corps schedule
- Builds now and avoids inflation in costs of materials and services
- Builds earlier to protect from a 1997-type flood or any other flood instead of a 100-year flood (as required by federal insurance regulations), thus avoiding expense of retrofitting later, saving both time and money.
