1. Science to Sustain At-Risk Terminal Lakes The Walker Project

2. Progress Report To Walker River Paiute Tribe August 25, 2005 By Project Hydrologist: Kip K. Allander Project Chief: Thomas J. Lopes

3. Location of Walker River Basin West Walker R. near Hudson Walker R. near Wabuska East Walker R. above Strosnider Ditch near Mason Walker R. at Lateral 2-A near Schurz

4. Overview Problem Purpose and objectives of project Status of activities and accomplishments Plans for upcoming year

5. Walker Lake Salinity Lake-level declines of 4.1 ft/yr occur during periods when no flow enters Walker Lake from Walker River. Thomas, J.M., 1995, Water budget and salinity of Walker Lake, western Nevada: USGS Fact Sheet FS-115-95, 4 p.

6. Walker River Streamflow

7. Objectives Better quantify streamflow in the Walker Basin Estimate evapotranspiration losses from the lake and natural and agricultural vegetation Develop an improved water budget for Walker Lake Develop a model to predict how changes in upstream irrigation practices would affect flows into Walker Lake

8. Accomplishments Surface-Water (SW) network Ground-Water (GW) network Evapotranspiration (ET) network Mapping Web Site

9. SW Network SW Sites

10. SW Network -upgrades

11. New Stream Gages Green Ck near Bridgeport Virginia Ck near Bridgeport

12. Real-Time Data on Walker Lake Gage

13. Recent Daily Data on Walker Lake Gage

14. GW Network GW sites

15. Ground-Water/Surface-Water Sites Willows ET (above Weber) Cow Camp Gage Lateral 2-A Gage Powerline Road Walker River at Mouth

16. GW/SW Site LocationsWillows Cow Camp Lateral 2A Powerline Road Walker River Mouth

17. ET Network

18. Evapotranspiration (ET) Stations Alfalfa (2) – Mason Valley WMA Willow – Above Weber Reservoir Greasewood – Southeast of Schurz Rabbit Brush – Near Feedlot Salt Grass – South of Feedlot Tamarisk – South of Powerline Road Open Water – Walker Lake

19. Alfalfa – Mason Valley WMA

20. Willows – Above Weber

21. Rabbit Brush – Near Feedlot

22. Greasewood – Southeast of Schurz

23. Salt Grass – South of Feedlot

24. Salt Cedar – South of Powerline Road

25. Open Water – Walker Lake

26. Mapping: Satellite imagery Lidar Bathymetry Side-scan sonar Bathymetry

27. Lidar Principle Transmit Pulse Returned Backscatter First Return Range Last Return Intermediate Return Canopy Ground

28. Walker Lake bathymetry Refined elevation/volume relations

29. Bathymetry Provisional Data, Subject to revision Maximum depth in January 2005 was 81.4 ft

30. Walker Lake Spring Deposits Side-scan sonar

31. Side-Scan Sonar High Resolution Sonar technique Used for detailed mapping Shipwreck (located in Gulf of Mexico) is an example of resolution of detail of side-scan sonar technique.

32. Web Site http://nevada.usgs.gov/walker/ Click on data link for interactive map page

33. Plans for Upcoming Year Continue to collect data – Data network is essentially in full operation Develop elevation/volume relations for Walker Lake Classify and map vegetation Geophysics near Double Springs and river mouth Obtain water level at Double Springs Well Install additional observation wells to refine hydrologic understanding of GW system

35. Click on Wabuska Streamgage for example of real-time data retrieval

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