City and county officials Wednesday said they are better prepared for anticipated water levels to rise at Swan and Silver lakes in Reno’s North Valleys.
“We’ve been very proactive in making sure that we have our infrastructure prepared for the flooding potentials, that we’ve staged equipment, that we prepared our people so that they can properly respond,” said Washoe County’s Dwane Smith. “We know [with] these events that we’re going to have localized flooding. That is a fact.”
Flooding is expected in the coming days as the region braces for yet another storm, and officials said the two North Valley lakes, as well as ditches and roadways, are at risk.
An atmospheric river is expected to hammer the region with moisture. Rain on top of an already deep snowpack has officials keeping open multiple sandbag locations around the community in the anticipation of flooding.
Officials said the HESCO barriers are back to prevent lake flood waters from entering homes. The county also has better monitoring in place, including a Swan Lake cam to show the public the lake’s level.
“Swan [Lake’s] elevation is currently 4919.47 feet, which is four feet below the highest peak in 2019,” the Washoe County website reported Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Officials stressed they know more about how Swan and Silver lakes flood after the floods of 2017 that destroyed homes and blocked roadways. The city of Reno settled for $4.5 million with complainants in a lawsuit after homes were flooded in Lemmon Valley.
“Over the last couple of years, lake levels dropped to a point at which we were effectively able to remove flood barriers,” Smith said. “Well folks, I’m here to tell you – here we go again.
“Over the last two months, we have noticed, and have been observing increases in water levels at Swan Lake,” he added. “So about a month and a half ago, we began proactive efforts to create barrier systems to protect the residents and the infrastructure around Swan Lake.”
The city and county in 2017 scrambled to mitigate flood damage, to the ire of North Valleys residents who accused the governments of green-lighting developments and exacerbated flood damage. Smith said many lessons have been learned.
“I hope our community understands what the city of Reno and Washoe County’s approach here is,” Smith said. “We’ve been in this mode for a while. We’ve learned a lot since 2017 about these closed basins and how they perform under these conditions…”
Contact information
Washoe County will respond to emergencies and flooded areas in unincorporated Washoe County. To report a problem, please call Washoe311 at 3-1-1 or 775-328-2003. Service requests can also be made online here.
To report a problem within the City of Reno, please call Reno Direct at 775-344-INFO (4636).
To report a problem within the City of Sparks, please call 775-353-2231 or download the city’s new My Sparks app.
Electricity
Heavy snow can damage trees, which in turn can damage power lines. If you suspect damage to a power line, do not go anywhere near it. Report downed power lines to 9-1-1 and NV Energy’s emergency line: 775-834-4100.
NV Energy has information on how to prepare for possible power outages here. Residents can also report street light issues here.
Traffic Signals
To report traffic signal issues, call 775-335-7623.
TravelCheck the Nevada Department of Transportation roads webcams or call 1-877-NV-ROADS for real-time road conditions and be prepared for possible delays.
