After decades of work on a long-range flood mitigation plan for the Reno-Sparks area in Nevada, the Truckee River Flood Management Authority (TRFMA) has developed a strategy that is intended to be environmentally responsible and lower the risk of flood impacts along the river.
The major project in that strategy has reached final design. TRFMA plans a $50 million effort to excavate the Vista Narrows, a tight bend in the river where federal crews removed a natural rock outcrop in the 1960s.
That earlier flood control work confined the channel and caused significant erosion along the banks. During major storms, water backs up at this point and forms a temporary lake that floods industrial areas, the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and nearby neighborhoods. A catastrophic flood could cause billions of dollars in economic losses.
For about 20 years TRFMA has pursued a local and environmentally focused approach with designs that fit the landscape and a funding plan that utilizes a special Washoe County sales tax. Other measures include buying land and relocating residents and businesses to create overflow basins, restoring floodplain areas and reinforcing levees throughout the corridor.
The Vista Narrows project is central to this strategy. Crews will excavate about 450,000 cubic yards of material along roughly 8,600 feet of riverbank. The work will reshape the banks into terraces with natural vegetation that will slow erosion, improve habitat in and along the river, and help ease flows during high water. TRFMA expects to reduce upstream flood levels by a few inches to more than 2 feet depending on location. When complete, the project will create about 13 acres of new wetlands and restore several acres of river corridor. Designers say the method provides the most sustainable way to reduce flood risk.
The authority is finalizing permit applications and completing detailed engineering. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 or 2028 once permits and contracts are in place. The work could be finished in one construction season, followed by several years of revegetation.
TRFMA has studied the impact of this project on downstream communities and has begun mitigation efforts with local partners. One such effort is the Wadsworth Bridge Project, which is intended to improve protection for the Wadsworth area. Design and permitting are underway.
Photo by Connor McManus from Pexels
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