| Plumbing the Truckee: Water, Diversion, and the Creation of Community Along the Truckee River, Nevada examines the historical development of diversion, irrigation, and water use along the Truckee River from settlement in the 1850s to present. Water diversion has shaped and re-shaped the landscape and the communities along the Truckee River. Early diversions for agriculture in the Truckee Meadows sought to support the booming Comstock mining operations and fueled the growth of Reno. Turn-of-the-century Progressive politics would divert the Truckee from its original terminus at Pyramid Lake to support the Jeffersonian Ideal and federal reclamation. A century of conflict would follow, as the communities along the Truckee would struggle to gain control of the dwindling water supply for growth, flood and drought control, and community and cultural enhancement. |
