Scientists to study climate change and the Truckee River
By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal
Scientists are beginning new research into how a warming climate could affect water supplies and flooding along the Truckee River, the waterway that serves as one of the region’s central natural features and the source of most of its water.
The $1.7 million study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is part of a larger effort examining eight rivers across the West, with California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers among them.
The goal is to get an early idea of what costly changes might be associated with climate change when it comes to the vital issue of water supplies and flooding along major river basins in the western United States, officials said.
“The goal is to look into the future so we can be prepared for it,” said Mary Johannis, deputy planning officer for the Bureau of Reclamation in Sacramento.
Authorized by Congress in 2009 under the Secure Water Act, the study would build on information collected through a risk assessment released last year that examined potential impacts from climate change.
