What’s Happening

CWSD to host its annual two-day “Get on the Bus!” Carson River Watershed Tour June 11 and 12

Our 55-passenger luxury bus will depart from the CWSD office each morning at 8 a.m. Expert guides will cover topics ranging from water rights, river restoration projects, and water quality and quantity to floodplain management, regenerative agriculture, and more. Stops include meadow restorations in Hope Valley in Alpine County, California; Comstock Farm; Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park; Ft. Churchill State Park; and Lahontan Reservoir. Videos and on-board presentations will keep travelers informed between stops. Projected return time is 5:00 p.m. each day.

Sponsors for the tour include Vidler Water Company and engineering firms Michael Baker International, Resource Concepts Inc., and HDR.

The tour provides lunch as well as the chance for engineers, planners, water operators and floodplain managers to earn continuing education credits. Cost is $175. Those who can attend for one day only will be placed on a waiting list. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

CWSD Will Begin Project Funding for FY 2024-25

Carson Water Subconservancy District (CWSD) will soon begin developing its Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget and determining projects to help fund. If you have projects you’d like considered for funding in FY 2024-25, please submit your request using the fillable Criteria for Evaluating Funding Requests and Request for Funds form by January 26, 2024.

1. Complete the form.
2. When saving the completed form, change the file name to your entity name.
3. Submit the document as an email attachment to Catrina Schambra at catrina@cwsd.org by the due date.

CWSD’s Finance committee will meet in February to consider all submitted projects. Although not required, in-person proposals to the Finance committee are strongly recommended. All applicants who submit a funding request will be notified of the Finance committee meeting date.

Providing match for your project is not required. However, projects that can provide match will be given greater consideration.

If your project is accepted, you will be required to submit a fillable Carson River Watershed Project Summary (CRWPS) form upon project completion. The form will be due with the submittal of your last invoice. A completed Sample Project Summary form is included for your reference.

Projects should address CWSD’s main focus areas: water supply, flood protection, river restoration, water quality, or outreach. For questions about whether your project meets these focus areas, please call Ed James at (775) 887-7456.

CWSD Launches Bag It PSA

Whether you already have a furry critter as a family member or are planning to add one this holiday season, we hope you’ll take a minute to watch Bag It, our inaugural public service announcement (PSA) being formally launched the week of January 3, 2022. Bag It focuses on the importance of picking up your pet waste to help keep the Carson River Watershed clean and healthy. The video is available with Spanish captions here.

The Carson River is on the USEPA Clean Water Act’s list of impaired waters in Nevada. The river is impaired due to polluted runoff and pet waste can be a source for this type of pollution, yuck! The Carson River Watershed hosts approximately 16,000 dogs and that calculates to an estimated 12,000 pounds of dog poop daily. Pet waste contains pathogens and bacteria that can seep into our groundwater and pollute our rivers, lakes, and streams. You can help keep our waters clean by bagging and properly disposing of your pet’s waste, whether in your backyard, neighborhood, or out on the trail.

Bag It is the first in a series of Watershed Moments being released as a part of our ‘I Am Carson River Watershed’ campaign. This Watershed Moment series follows two earlier campaign video releases, Water Connects Us All and A Walk Through the Watershed (available in Spanish). CWSD will be releasing a new Watershed Moment each month during 2022. These upcoming PSAs will feature local people discussing actions people can take to improve the health of the watershed, including the importance of using a car wash instead of washing cars at home, absorbing stormwater on your property, curbing chemical use (fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides), and more.

Your Actions Matter! Check out Page 9 in this newsletter which shows all the icons for our upcoming Watershed Moments. Please consider these your Watershed Resolutions and take our Watershed Pledge to confirm your commitment to adopting these personal actions to improve the health of our watershed and quality of our waters. Moreover, we hope these films inspire you to incorporate these actions into your everyday mindset. Look for the new videos each month and participate with us on social media.

Locals will have the opportunity to win various prizes that align with each month’s PSA. January winners will receive $100 gift cards to pet stores located around the Carson River Watershed. Other upcoming prizes will include free car washes, Carson Hot Springs passes, Nevada State Parks annual passes, and more! Participating community members should look for these promotional prizes and giveaways with each month’s Watershed Moment PSA release.

To be eligible for prizes, participants must:
1) Watch the PSAs on social media, YouTube, or the I Am Carson River Watershed website.
2) Complete the online pledge and/or add a photo or video of their own personal “watershed moment” in the comments section of Carson River Watershed Facebook Page. Participants can comment and tag these “watershed moments” on Instagram using the #mywatershedmoment hashtag. Comments should highlight actions citizens take personally to help maintain a healthy Carson River.

Thank you to Felicia Patterson, Sierra Canine Academy, and Neon Agency for helping create the Bag It PSA. This campaign is coordinated and jointly funded by CWSD and a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grant administered by Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. To learn more, visit iamcarsonriver.org and follow Carson River Watershed on Facebook, Instagram, and/or YouTube. Questions? Contact Brenda Hunt at brenda@cwsd.org or 775.887.9005.

Water Connects Us All: Community Drinking Water PSA Launch

During Earth Week 2021, CWSD launched the second film in the I Am Carson River Watershed campaign series, “Water Connects Us All”. This public service style announcement motivates Carson River Watershed residents to act in ways that protect the health of our environment and the quality of our drinking water. The film features over 40 community members from around the watershed reminding their neighbors to take a couple simple actions to make a big difference in preventing pollution.

The I Am Carson River Watershed campaign is an outreach and education effort to improve watershed-literacy in the community. A watershed-wide survey conducted by CWSD revealed that many residents are unaware they live in a watershed and that their actions affect the quality of the environment; thus, the campaign was born. The second film highlights individual actions we can all take such as recycling motor oil, using a car wash, maintaining septic systems, and cleaning up pet waste. “Everyone lives in a watershed”, said Brenda Hunt, CWSD Watershed Program Manager, “so these messages can be applied to help protect the quality of your environment wherever you live.”  Visit iamcarsonriver.org to watch “Water Connects Us All” and “A Walk Through the Watershed”.

I AM CARSON RIVER WATERSHED and YOU ARE TOO! Go to iamcarsonriver.org or click the image above to watch the video!

The campaign is funded through Clean Water Act 319(h) funds with support from NDEP and CWSD.

2021 Watershed Wednesdays Forum – Weaving Water Quality into All We Do

The Carson Water Subconservancy District (CWSD) is hosting Carson River Coalition’s “Watershed Wednesdays,” a free virtual forum series spanning the five Wednesdays in March! Each Watershed Wednesday will have a unique theme where speakers share their knowledge, programs, and projects focused on the Carson River Watershed. Weekly themes are Education and Outreach (3/3), Recreation (3/10), Floodplain Protection (3/17), Climate Resilience (3/24), and Floodplain management (3/31). Each virtual session will premiere on the Carson River Watershed YouTube Channel before 8am on their specified days. At 11:30am, CWSD will host a live Zoom Q & A session with the week’s speaker panel. More details on specific speakers and their topics will be provided in the next few weeks.  To receive updates, links and to register for Watershed Wednesdays click here.

CWSD is hosting Watershed Wednesdays as a speaker series throughout March, instead of its typical 2-day Spring Carson River Watershed Forum. Speakers will include non-profit organizations, government agencies, private citizens, and landowners providing a comprehensive view of the morning’s topic. Participants can watch presentations on CWSD’s YouTube Channel as they premiere or can enjoy content at their leisure if unable to attend. Each Wednesday at 11:30am everyone is encouraged to sign on for the live Q&A hosted via Zoom to ask questions of our panel of Watershed experts.

Watershed Wednesdays will showcase the immense variety of work being planned and accomplished throughout the Carson River Watershed. “CWSD staff is working with our Carson River Coalition partners to create informative and educational sessions that move participants to act in ways that improve water quality and watershed health,” stated Brenda Hunt, CWSD Watershed Program Manager. Everyone is welcome to join us for Watershed Wednesdays and support our speakers, partners, and the comprehensive efforts being made to improve the Carson River Watershed.

I Am Carson River Watershed Campaign Launches

The I AM CARSON RIVER WATERSHED campaign connects our community to the watershed they live in and asks everyone to do a few simple things to help improve the quality of our water.

We live in one of the most spectacular watersheds in the country. From the majestic views at Carson Pass down to the ‘Tatooine-esque’ salt flats of the Carson Sink, our Carson River Watershed is truly one-of-a-kind. Go to IAMCARSONRIVER.ORG to watch the amazing ‘WALK THROUGH THE CARSON RIVER WATERSHED’ film. You’ll join former KTVN news anchor Vanessa Vancour as she walks through 24 spectacular local locations in just over two minutes!

“We’re excited to work with NEON Agency to launch the I AM CARSON RIVER WATERSHED campaign with this incredible film”, said Brenda Hunt, Program Manager of the Carson Water Subconservancy District. “For background, we surveyed our watershed community and found the majority of residents didn’t know they lived in a watershed and didn’t think their actions affected its health. This film celebrates the natural wonder of the Carson River Watershed, and educates and inspires individuals in our community to take action to improve its health and water quality”.

I AM CARSON RIVER WATERSHED and YOU ARE TOO! 

The campaign is funded through Clean Water Act 319(h) funds with support from NDEP and CWSD.

CWSD Floodplain Conservation Videos Debut   

By: Debbie Neddenriep, CWSD

Carson Water Subconservancy District (CWSD) is delighted to debut its “Floodplains as a Community Asset” video series. Inspired by similar videos created by Colorado’s Urban Drainage and Control District, our goal is to underscore the critical importance of conserving the Carson River Watershed’s remaining floodplain, with an emphasis on maintaining the undeveloped nature of our watershed’s rivers and streams.

Created with funding from FEMA’s 2015 CTP “Cooperating Technical Partners” program, these videos aim to increase flood awareness, promote the importance of reducing flood hazards, and spur community action to conserve the Carson River Floodplain. The videos support CWSD’s overarching objective of informing watershed residents, policy makers, and developers on the importance of preserving the Carson River Floodplain and will be utilized in flood awareness outreach and education efforts throughout the watershed.

Please Click the links below to view our four videos:

Public Service Announcement (PSA) – Conserving the Carson River Floodplain as a Community Asset (:30)

Agriculture’s a Good Fit for Conserving the Carson River Floodplain as a Community Asset (4:31)

A Case for Developers to Conserve the Carson River Floodplain as a Community Asset (3:13)

Our Officials in Conserving the Carson River Floodplain as a Community Asset (4:19)

The videos provide a strong case for watershed communities to preserve floodplains and support conservation efforts in the Carson River Watershed. They provide vital information to our community planners and local officials, empowering them to make informed land use and ordinances decisions that encourage public safety by keeping our floodplains open and undeveloped. A desired result of this project is increased funding from federal, state and local budgets for floodplain preservation projects such as open space acquisition, conservation easements, and ecosystem service incentives.

The CWSD would like to thank everyone who made these productions possible! Let’s continue to work together to protect the Carson River Floodplain as a Community Asset!