Barrier construction complete in Lemmon Valley

Information on next Community Meeting set.

Reno, Nevada. March 24, 2017. The Washoe County North Valleys Incident Command Team has completed construction of the temporary flood barrier around low lying areas of Swan Lake in Lemmon Valley. The "Hesco" barrier is four feet high, four miles long and filled with 12,000 yards of sand.

Maintenance of the barrier is ongoing and will be monitored daily. The barrier is in place in the north, east and south sides of the lake. See map here.

In several places, flood water is being pumped away from homes and onto the other side of the barrier in Swan Lake. The goal was to make sure water wasn't in contact with homes. Some water will still remain on properties (for example, in yards and driveways) so that it can evaporate naturally.

An assessment of the amount of volume of water currently stored within the snowpack on Peavine Mountain shows up to 3,800 acre feet of runoff water has the potential to flow into Swan Lake in Lemmon Valley over the next few months. That much runoff would translate to no more than approximately two feet of water rise in Swan Lake. The temporary flood barrier was designed to contain up to four feet for potential snow runoff, additional precipitation and water pumped back into the lake.

“Based on the analysis, it was determined that the minimum height of the temporary flood barrier would be built at an elevation of 4,926 feet or approximately three and a half feet above the current lake level,” North Valleys Incident Commander Chief Sam Hicks said. “We do not expect a rapid rise in water level that the temporary barrier cannot hold.”

In addition to building a protective barrier, earth berms have been strategically built to protect homes in areas more susceptible to additional flooding. Pumping of flood water is well underway. More than 4,500 gallons can be pumped per minute. A few feet of water near and in the neighborhood off Patrician and Lemmon Drive has been pumped out of the area and back into Swan Lake. 

Washoe County, the State of Nevada and the Washoe County North Valley’s Incident Command Team are hosting a community meeting at O’Brien Middle School at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, for Lemmon Valley residents affected by flood waters.

Who: Washoe County, State of Nevada and Washoe County North Valleys Incident Command
What: Community Meeting for Lemmon Valley
Where: O’Brien Middle School located at 10500 Stead Boulevard, Reno.
When: Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at 6 p.m.
Media: A press conference with Washoe County North Valley’s Incident Commander Chief Hicks will be held at 5:30 p.m., in the gymnasium.

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