Chronology of the Walker Basin

During the following decade, national environmental legislation was passed that would eventually be summarized here in Table below

1837	Southwestern U.S	Introduction of tamarisk	This invasive species has displaced native tree species such as cottonwood and willow along the Walker River and its tributaries.
1859	Mason Valley	Ranching was established	Nathan Hockett Allen Mason started a ranching and cattle operation on over 30 square miles of the river.
1859	Virginia City	Gold discovered	It created a population increase in Northern Nevada.
1859	Walker Lake and surrounding areas	Land set aside for the Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation	Included Walker Lake and 318,809 acres of land near it.
1860	Upstream tributaries of Walker River	Irrigation	Diverted water for agriculture
1860s	Singatse Range	Copper discovered	Encouraged settlement
1861	Aurora	Gold discovered	Town of about 5,000 with stamping mills. The town collapsed by 1864 little mining continued until 1918.
1861	Nevada Territory	Fishing regulation	Made it illegal to catch fish with net, drag, basket, poison etc.
18611865	Mason Valley	Ditch construction
1862	Antelope Valley	Irrigation began
1862		Homestead Act	Land rush to the West
1862	Nevada Territory	Water pollution regulation	It made it illegal to obstruct the natural flow of the stream and to dump sawdust, chips etc.into the water. Intended to protect irrigation but was also good for fish and wildlife. Did not apply to mining.
1862	Walker Lake	10 year ferry franchise	Issued to J.H. Rose to ferry people across the lake.
1864	Walker Lake and surrounding areas	Official establishment of the Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation	Included all the land originally set aside for the reservation.
1864	Walker River	Alfalfa introduced	Major forage crop on the Carson, Truckee and Walker rivers.
1864	West Walker	Franchise to W.G. Alban	Float timber
1866	Nevada	Chapter 100 of Nevada Revised Statues	Anyone constructing a ditch had to file with the county.
1870	Bodie	Mining increased	Increased freight traffic and agriculture demands.
1871	Nevada	Fish regulation	Made it illegal to fish from January 1st to September 1st with anything other than a hook and line. Also mandated the implementation of fish ladders on mill dams.
1880	East Shore of Walker Lake	Railroad construction	For the shipment of ore from the mines in Bodie.
1880s	West Walker River	Cattle ranching	Thomas Rickey set up operations which included most of Antelope Valley.
1881	Walker River	Railroad construction	Carson & Colorado lines to transport Lahontan cutthroat into Dayton for the tribe for free.
1881	Walker Lake	Lahontan fisheries	Trout caught at the north end of the lake but not found in the southern part because of high alkalinity.
1881	Singatse Range	First major copper mine	Built a smelter.
1881	Upstream from Walker Lake	High irrigation use	Extremely low water flow in the fall.
1881	Walker River	Salmon introduced	2,000 released at Schurz Station.
1882	Spragg’s Dam	Lahontan fisheries	Regular use of nets to catch massive amounts of fish despite laws prohibiting it.
1885	Walker Lake	Lahontan fisheries	Lake abundant with cutthroat.
1885	Nevada	Prior appropriation	Supreme Court approved prior appropriation for water rights.
1889	Nevada	Chapter 113 of the Nevada Revised Statues	Regulation on water use and priority. Protection for irrigation interests along the major streams in Nevada.
1890	West Walker River	Construction of Colony Ditch	Diverted water for use in Smith Valley.
1892	Walker Lake	Decline of Lahontan cutthroat	Blamed on non-native fish and diversion dams which prevented spawning
1900	West Walker River	Low water	The flow of the West Walker is insufficient to meet all demands.
1906	Walker River	Native water rights	The Walker River Paiute Tribe cedes 268,000 acres of reservation land to the U.S., including all the land around Walker Lake.
1920	West Walker River	Construction of Saroni Canal	Provide irrigation to Smith Valley.
1922	West Walker River	Closure of Topaz Reservoir	Storage of West Walker River flow begins in Topaz Reservoir.
1923	East Walker River	Closure of Bridgeport Reservoir	Storage of East Walker River flow and tributaries in Bridgeport Reservoir.
19241925	Walker River	No flow at Wabuska	Drought coupled with water use depletes the Walker River.
1928	West Walker River	Construction of West Side Canal	Provides irrigation to Mason Valley.
1958	Walker River	Federal Funds received for channel improvements	Channel of the Walker River was “cleared”.
1960	Basin wide	Groundwater pumping becomes widespread	Groundwater becomes a major source of supplemental irrigation water
1988	East Walker River	Walker River Irrigation District drains Bridgeport Reservoir	Increased water temperatures and siltation downstream causes massive fish-kill. Subsequent litigation imposes minimum pool elevations and instream flows downstream of the reservoir.

The first form of legal protection of the water resources of the Basin came in a 1963 agreement between the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Walker River Irrigation District (WRID) that allowed for the enlargement of Bridgeport Reservoir under the condition that WRID would maintain a minimum pool of 1,500 acre-feet during years when conditions allowed. WRID would also have to agree to a minimum instream flow of the lesser of 50 cfs or the natural flow on the East Walker River.

During the following decade, national environmental legislation was passed that would eventually be instrumental in paving the way for more formal conservation efforts in the Basin. This legislation included the National Environmental Protection Act (1969) and the Clean Water Act (1972). The California Wild and Scenic River Act, passed in 1972 as well, would come to provide protection for some of the upper sections of the West Walker River.

The steady decline of Walker Lake’s base elevation has resulted in dramatically increased levels of total dissolved solids** (TDS) in the lake that has severely impacted the fishery. The threat of loss of this terminal lake system and its fishery has mobilized a coordinated effort to improve the ecological integrity of the Basin. In 2006, through the legislation of the Desert Terminal Lakes Program, Public Law 109-103, Section 208 (c)(1), $10 million dollars was provided to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to address riverine restoration and noxious weed eradication. This funding has prompted the USFWS to commence a Watershed Assessment of the Basin to prioritize restoration activities and guide funding of restoration projects.

**The amount of all dissolved solids in water, primarily consisting of minerals and salts, but may also include organic matter.

Walker River Basin Decree (5MB PDF)

Walker River Basin Decree Amendment

For a more detailed Chronology of the Walker Basin, visit the following sites:

http://water.nv.gov/WaterPlanning/walker/walker1.cfm external link
http://water.nv.gov/WaterPlanning/walker/walker2.cfm external link
http://water.nv.gov/WaterPlanning/walker/walker3.cfm external link

Last updated: November 24, 2009