The Walker Basin Project is a comprehensive, research-based
project to sustain the basin’s economy, ecosystem and lake.
Walker Lake waters originate as the East and West Walker Rivers in California, which then flow into Nevada and combine to form the Walker River in Mason Valley and ultimately flow into Walker Lake near Hawthorne in central Nevada. These waters support agriculture, recreation and wildlife within the ecosystem of the Walker Basin, which includes the river and its tributaries, the lake and related water bodies and habitats. It is a closed lake system, meaning that Walker River ends at Walker Lake and no water flows from the lake. Walker Lake is one of only three desert, closed lakes with a fresh water fishery in the world.
This federally funded project involves collaborative environmental and economic research conducted by researchers with the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and the University of Nevada, Reno. It also involves the acquisition of water and water rights from willing sellers under the coordination of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The research will explore the best means by which to get additional water to the lake while maintaining the Basin’s economy and ecosystem. The research is also anticipated to have application to other arid and high desert regions.
The role of two research institutions as collaborators and project leaders, coupled with the project’s scope and complexity, make this a unique undertaking.
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DRI Research Foundation Field TripDRI Research Foundation trustees learned firsthand about the Walker Basin Project during a daylong field trip to the Basin on September 26, 2008. (more) |
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International Symposium on Terminus Lakes in
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Economic Impact and Strategies
Draft Report
Researchers have completed the draft economic impact and strategies report for the Walker Basin. (PDF) Residents in Yerington, Smith Valley and Hawthorne in Nevada (PDF), and those in Bridgeport and Antelope Valleys in California (PDF) made suggestions at community meetings prior to the draft report.