Lahontan Basins IRWM (planning stage)
The purpose of the Lahontan Basins IRWM efforts is to expand and enhance the collaborative network of water management agencies to effectively manage all aspects of water use and conservation within the defined region, and where appropriate across regions. The IRWM will build upon the on-going watershed scale management planning efforts such as the Pine Creek/Eagle Lake CRMP and the Susan River Watershed Group. Also included are programs such as Lassen and Sierra County’s groundwater management plans; the city of Susanville’s flood water management, wastewater management and recreational enhancement projects; irrigation water management by the Honey Lake Valley RCD and Lassen Irrigation Company; as well as municipal water use by outlying Community Service Districts, and Susanville Indian Rancheria. As the name implies the Lahontan Basins IRWM will integrate and coordinate water management activities across the many existing agencies and public stakeholders and strive to do so in an open collaborative process.
Lahontan Basins submitted their IRWMP for review in April 2015, and intend to apply for Round 3 implementation funding in August 2015. To find out more about Lahontan Basins IRWM , please visit their website and read the IRWMP.
*UPDATE:
The Lahontan Basins Integrated Regional Water Management Plan has been deemed compliant in accordance with the IRWM Planning Act. Review the final review! Or
DWR's formal correspondence letter! Great work everyone!
2014 Accomplishments:
- Rapid stakeholder correspondence to progress plan development and the Technical Studies
- Submitted IRWMP to DWR for review April 2015
2015 Goals:
- Apply for Round 3 implementation funding of Prop. 84
- Coordinate Lassen County with MOU
- Sustaining relationship and resource management as primary objectives
REGIONAL DESCRIPTION
The Lahontan Basins IRWM region is comprised of three distinct major watersheds: Susan River Watershed, Madeline Plains Watershed, and the Smoke Creek Watershed adjacent to the Nevada State line. Within these major watersheds there are numerous sub-regions with distinct water needs and issues. The entire boundary falls within the area of Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and mostly within Lassen County, including 14 identified groundwater basins, which tie historical data and governance together in this region. In pursuit of effective resource management, cultural continuity, and community involvement, these watersheds are best managed as a single IRWM region. The Lahontan Basins Region encompasses approximately 1,421,573 acres or 3,170 square miles in Lassen and Sierra Counties. Susanville is the County seat of Lassen County and the only incorporated city within the region. Other unincorporated communities within the region include: Janesville, Johnstonville, Standish, Wendel, Ravendale, Spalding, Milford, Doyle, Herlong and Madeline. The region was approved by DWR through the 2011 Region Acceptance Process and is the newest region in California’s IRWM program. As a result, this area has yet to be awarded implementation funding.
There are no known overlapping areas with adjacent IRWM regions. There will be coordination with the adjacent Upper Pit and Upper Feather River IRWMs, particularly with regard to groundwater planning, management, and monitoring. Also, due to the geographic proximity and similarity in resource issues, there is a history of coordination of education and outreach efforts between Lahontan Basins and these two IRWM areas. Integrated efforts will benefit all three regions and the watersheds of Northern California as a whole. This will be accomplished via information sharing (groundwater and surface water data, potential projects) and planning for the future with each of the neighboring regions in mind.
The Lahontan Basin IRWM area is hydrologically unique. Many Lahontan area watershed basins are terminal or closed, and the region generally flows eastward into terminal lake basins, as opposed to neighboring watersheds and IRWM regions, which flow westerly and eventually reach the Pacific Ocean. The Lahontan Basins Region is home to approximately 35,000 people living in many different communities, including a number of distinct Native American tribes with aboriginal territories and historical interest in natural and cultural resources conservation and management. People use water for drinking, household and landscape uses, agriculture, business endeavors, recreation, and to sustain and enhance natural habitats. Agricultural water use is regionally significant, and dependency on water use links the entire Lahontan Basin community.
SUSAN RIVER WATERSHED
The Susan River Watershed originates at the southern end of the Cascade Range, immediately east of Lassen National Park (Figure 2.5). Beginning above 7,000 feet in elevation, the Susan River flows for a distance of over 40 miles in a southeasterly direction until it drains into Honey Lake at an elevation of about 4,000 feet. There are four major tributaries of the Susan River Watershed: Paiute Creek, Gold Run Creek, Lassen Creek, and Willow Creek. Paiute Creek and Willow Creek enter the Susan River from the north, while Gold Run Creek and Lassen Creek enter from the south.
MADELINE PLAINS WATERSHED
The Madeline Plains Watershed is an arid region of northwestern California encompassing 793 square miles. The watershed receives water from the Sacramento Hydrologic Region and the Pit River.
SMOKE CREEK WATERSHED
The Smoke Creek Watershed is an arid region of northwestern California/Nevada, that lies about 60 miles (97 km) to the north of Pyramid Lake, west of the Fox Range and east of the Smoke Creek Mountains. The southern desert lies on the Pyramid Lake Reservation. The Smoke Creek Watershed is southwest of the Black Rock Desert's South Playa and is between the Granite Range and the Fox Range. The Smoke Creek Desert basin itself is composed of three large oval sub-basins, all of which reach depths to basement of up to about 2 km (1.2 mi).
Contact:
Tim Keesey
Watershed Coordinator
Honey Lake Valley RCD
530-260-0934
