The Walker River is a river in west-central
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the 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. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
in the United States, approximately long. Fed principally by snowmelt from the
Sierra Nevada of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, it drains an arid portion of the
Great Basin southeast 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 ...
and flows into the
endorheic basin
An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...
of
Walker Lake. The river is an important source of water for
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
in its course through Nevada; water diversions have reduced its flow such that the level of Walker Lake has fallen between 1882 and 2010. The river was named for explorer
Joseph Reddeford Walker, a
mountain man and experienced
scout who is known for establishing a segment of the
California Trail.
Course
The Walker River is formed in southern
Lyon County, south of
Yerington, by the confluence of the
East Walker and
West Walker rivers. The West Walker River originates at Tower Lake in
Mono County, California
Mono County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport. The coun ...
, above sea level in the
Stanislaus National Forest. It flows north through a rugged canyon which provides the route for
U.S. Route 395. It then emerges into
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California, and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated between the Tehachapi, Sierra Pelona, and t ...
, where some water is diverted to the
Topaz Lake
Topaz Lake is a reservoir located on the California-Nevada border, about south of Reno. The census-designated place of Topaz Lake, Nevada, is located along its northwest shore.
The modern reservoir was formed by diverting waters from the West ...
reservoir, enters Nevada in
Douglas County, and turns northeast. It flows through Hoye Canyon into Lyon County, then across the
Smith Valley, past
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wi ...
, and finally through
Wilson Canyon
Wilson Canyon is a gorge cut by the Walker River through a series of volcanic cliffs. The canyon is located west of Yerington, Nevada, Yerington, along Nevada State Route 208. It is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Description
Th ...
into the
Mason Valley, where it joins the East Walker.
The East Walker River also begins in Mono County, California, in the
Bridgeport Valley, fed by several Sierra streams originating in the
Hoover Wilderness, including Buckeye, Robinson, Green, and Virginia creeks. After forming the
Bridgeport Reservoir at the town of
Bridgeport, the East Walker flows northeast into Nevada in Lyon County, receives Rough Creek, and flows north along the eastern edge of the
Toiyabe National Forest before its confluence with the West Walker.
Below the forks, the Walker River flows initially north through the Mason Valley, past Yerington, into central Lyon County. It turns sharply to the southeast around the north end of the
Wassuk Range, flowing through the
Walker River Indian Reservation
The Walker River Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in central Nevada in the United States. It belongs to the Walker River Paiute Tribe, a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute people.
The tribe represents two Northern P ...
where it is dammed to create Weber Reservoir. It flows past
Schurz, where most of the remaining water is diverted for irrigation. The river seasonally continues south to empty into Walker Lake, approximately north-northwest of
Hawthorne.
The Walker River naturally discharged about of water into Walker Lake, although this varies greatly between wet and dry years. Large irrigation diversions have reduced the average flow into Walker Lake to about .
As a result, the level of Walker lake has dropped by between 1882 and 2010, with about of that occurring between 1996 and 2010. The lake has lost more than half its original surface area and 80 percent of its water volume.
Watershed
The Walker River's
endorheic drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
covers an area of , which is approximately 80 percent of the total Walker Lake watershed of .
The
U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...
divides the basin into 4 sub-basins:
*
West Walker of
[
* East Walker of ][
*Walker River of ][
* Walker Lake of ][
The Walker River ]headwaters
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
originate along a large section of the Sierra Crest
The Sierra Crest is a roughly generally north-to-south ridgeline that demarcates the broad west and narrow east slopes of the Sierra Nevada and that extends as far east as the Sierra's topographic front (e.g., Diamond Mountains and Sierran e ...
at elevations of or more. The southern boundary of the Walker River drainage basin forms the northern border of Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...
. The Sweetwater Mountains lie between the West Walker and East Walker rivers, and the Pine Nut Mountains lie northwest of the West Walker. The lower Desert Mountains form the northern edge of the Walker River watershed. The Wassuk Range lies between the main Walker River watershed and Walker Lake in the east; the Walker River makes a long detour around the north end of the range in order to reach Walker Lake.
The river irrigates a total of , of which about 38 percent is in California and 62 percent in Nevada. Of the irrigated areas, 23 percent are in the Bridgeport Valley (California), 15 percent are in the Antelope Valley (California), 15 percent in the Smith Valley (Nevada), 44 percent in the Mason Valley (Nevada), and 2 percent on the Walker River Indian Reservation. Average annual consumptive use between 1939 and 1993 was , leaving only to flow to Walker Lake, mostly in wet years such as 1997–98.
Geology
Sedimentary evidence suggests that the Walker River has changed course in the past, flowing northwest through the Adrian Valley from a point near present-day Wabuska into the Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long although the addition of the East Fork makes the total length , traversing five counties: Alpine Coun ...
. There were some anecdotal observations of this phenomenon during the early 20th century. During these course changes, the Walker River ceased to flow into Walker Lake, causing it to dry up. Sediment deposits around Walker Lake have happened at least twice in the previous 13,000 years, although this may also have been due to severe drought.
History
The first humans to inhabit the Walker River basin may have arrived as early as 11,000 years ago. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Walker River was part of the territory of the Northern Paiute people
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
.
The first European to see the Walker River was probably Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
fur trapper Peter Skene Ogden, who had discovered the Humboldt River in 1828 and returned in 1829 to trap beaver south of the Humboldt Sink, although records are scant.
In 1833, Joseph R. Walker led a party sent by Captain Benjamin Bonneville to find a route from the Great Salt Lake to California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
via the Humboldt River, the Humboldt Sink, the Carson Sink
Carson Sink is a playa in the northeastern portion of the Carson Desert in present-day Nevada, United States of America, that was formerly the terminus of the Carson River. Today the sink is fed by drainage canals of the Truckee-Carson Irrigat ...
, and then up into the Sierra Nevada by either the Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long although the addition of the East Fork makes the total length , traversing five counties: Alpine Coun ...
or the Walker River to near the headwaters of the Merced River and thence down to the San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...
. John C. Frémont named Walker Lake after the trapper, and the United States Geographic Board named the river after Walker in its Fifth Report.
Due to a very heavy snowpack in the winter of 1996/1997 and a very warm spring, the West Fork of the Walker River flooded to unprecedented levels. Much of Highway 395 for the 30-mile span where it shares a canyon with the river was completely washed away.
Ecology
That North American beaver
The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and introduced in South America ( Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland ...
(''Castor canadensis'') were once native to the Walker River is evidenced by a 1906 article in the ''Nevada State Journal
The ''Reno Gazette Journal'' is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. It came into being when the ''Nevada State Journal'' (founded on November 23, 1870) and the ''Reno Evening Gazette'' (foun ...
'' newspaper by newspaper mining writer Fitz-James MacCarthy (aka Fitz-Mac), who stated that the Mason's Valley of the Walker River in Yerington was well known to "the early trappers and fur hunters...Kit Carson
Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...
knew it to the bone...The beavers of course were all trapped long ago, and you never see an elk nowadays..." Beaver have since re-colonized the Walker River watershed.
The Walker River and Walker Lake formerly supported Lahontan cutthroat trout
Lahontan cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi'') is the largest subspecies of cutthroat trout, and the state fish of Nevada. It is one of three subspecies of cutthroat trout that are listed as federally threatened.
Natural history ...
(''Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi'') or LCT; however, increases in salinity due to the declining water level have decimated the fishery. The last confirmed catch of LCT from Walker Lake was in 2009. A remnant population of LCT are still extant in By-Day Creek, a tributary of the East Walker River.
The riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...
of the lower Walker River and its delta at Walker Lake provide important habitat for migratory birds.
In popular culture
In music
The popular song '' Darcy Farrow'', written in 1964, references the Walker River and geographic features from around the associated region in Nevada:
See also
*List of Nevada rivers
List of rivers of Nevada (U.S. state).
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Great Basin
*Amargosa River
*Carson River
*Humboldt River
**Little Humboldt Ri ...
* List of rivers in the Great Basin
References
External links
Hydrology of the Walker River Basin
{{authority control
Rivers of Nevada
Rivers of the Great Basin
Rivers of Lyon County, Nevada
Rivers of Mineral County, Nevada