Topaz Lake is a reservoir located on the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

border, about south of

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. The

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Topaz Lake, Nevada Topaz Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. The population was 157 at the 2010 census. Geography The CDP is located on the northwest shore of Topaz Lake just north of the California border. U.S. Rout ...

, is located along its northwest shore. The modern reservoir was formed by diverting waters from the

West Walker River The West Walker River is a tributary of the Walker River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 17, 2011 in eastern California and western Nevada in t ...

into a nearby basin that had previously contained a smaller, natural lake. That lake had historical significance since it lay on the route taken by American explorer Jedediah Smith in late spring of 1827 when leaving California at the end of his first journey, the first crossing ever of the Sierra Nevada by a non-native. Smith came southeast through

Monitor Pass Monitor Pass (el. 8,314 ft / 2,534 m) is a high mountain pass in California in the Sierra Nevada southeast of Lake Tahoe. It is traversed by State Route 89 near that highway's southern terminus at U.S. Route 395 near the community of Topaz. W ...

, then east past Topaz Lake into Nevada. The initial dam construction took place in 1922, resulting in a reservoir with a capacity of . In 1937, a new levee raised the capacity to its current . Topaz Lake is a relatively large reservoir, with a maximum pool of , with surface, a length of , a width of , and a maximum depth of . The levee and reservoir have been owned and operated by the Walker River Irrigation District since its construction.Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, ''Walker River Irrigation District - Topaz Reservoir Improvement Project''
/ref> Topaz Lake is popular for boaters, water-skiers, campers, and fishermen. Fishing season runs year-round, and the lake is stocked with trout by the

Nevada Department of Wildlife The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is the state agency responsible for the restoration and management of fish and wildlife resources, and the promotion of boating safety on Nevada’s waters. NDOW has responsibility for the wildlife resour ...

and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The lake is easily reachable by

U.S. Route 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...

. On the northwest shore of the lake is the Topaz Lodge and a residential area. There is also a volunteer fire station in the area.

passes by the west side of the lake at the California-Nevada state line. The southeastern terminus of

California State Route 89 State Route 89 (SR 89) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in the north–south direction, serving as a major thoroughfare for many mountain communities in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. It starts from U.S ...

is south of the state line. The western terminus of

Nevada State Route 208 State Route 208 (SR 208) is a state highway in Douglas and Lyon counties in Nevada, United States. It connects U.S. Route 395 (US 395) north of Topaz Lake to U.S. Route 95 Alternate in Yerington. The road serves as the primary transportatio ...

is north of the state line.

References

External links

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map
{{authority control Reservoirs in Nevada Lakes of Douglas County, Nevada Reservoirs in Mono County, California Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Nevada Lakes of the Great Basin Tourist attractions in Douglas County, Nevada Reservoirs in California Reservoirs in Northern California

See also

References

External links