Nearly $2.5 million in federal infrastructure funding was awarded today to improve and maintain the Marble Bluff Dam, which regulates the flow of water from the Truckee River into Pyramid Lake. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) both advocated for the funding, which will be sent to Nevada through the Bureau of Reclamation.
Funding for the dam will help Nevada’s tribal communities improve water storage and build greater drought resiliency.
Marble Bluff Dam is nearing 50 years of service – it was completed in 1975 – and stops erosion within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s reservation. It also controls water used by the Pyramid Lake Fishway, a three-mile channel used by cui-ui and Lahontan cutthroat trout to migrate from the lake to spawning habitats in the Truckee River.
“I was proud to secure these federal dollars to ensure our communities and Tribes in Nevada have access to clean, reliable water, and I’ll continue fighting to combat the ongoing drought and make sure Nevada gets its fair share of resources to protect our water supply,” Sen. Cortez Masto said.
Rosen agreed.
“As our state continues to face extreme drought, it is critical that we keep taking steps to protect Nevada’s water infrastructure,” she said.
Marble Bluff Dam is a 22-foot-high earthfill structure that extends 1,622 feet at its crest. It can control up to 19,700 cubic feet of water per second through the spillway.
