The Pelican-- Water Issues at Swan Lake

​By Tina Nappe

Swan Lake is again a top priority. Northwest Nevada Bird Alliance is breathing new life in the currently defunct Swan Lake Advisory Board to address emerging threats and opportunities. With 80% of Nevada’s wetlands gone, the remaining ones like Swan Lake must not be lost. Our primary concern is to ensure that the current reliable waste water continues to supplement the more unreliable snow and rain fall contributions. Our wetland birds need us.

But first a few sentences of appreciation. This fall Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space successfully applied for a $1,106,000 grant to acquire 13.326 acres adjacent to the Swan Lake Nature Study Area road leading to the parking lot. The grant will address constant Horse Creek flooding, construct  a board walk from the parking lot to the Gazebo, create new signs. consider the whitetop problem, and address other issues as funds allow. Thank you, Washoe County and especially Joanne Lowden who has pursued funding for this project for several years.

Secondly, thank you to the National Guard, the largest landowner at Swan Lake. The Guard placed goats next to the County’s Swan Lake trail late summer to consume a forest of tall whitetop. Annual grazing is needed to impact whitetop expansion.  

Now onto the new issues rising to the surface. Because of extensive flooding in 2017,   North Valley homeowners in 2021 successfully sued the City of Reno for $4.5 million. With a changing climate more atmospheric rivers causing flooding  are possible; excess water may be good for the lake but not for homeowners. 

Lemmon Valley Drive is being realigned to raise the road level out of the flood zone. The  new route cuts off a small inlet  of water when high water occurs. A flow through system is proposed. NNBA  met with key staff and followed up with a letter to express our concern. 

Swan Lake has no water rights of its own. Nor is there an agreement between agencies to maintain a defined water level. Currently Swan Lake benefits from the City of Reno’s Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility, a wastewater treatment plant. The water is used on the North Valleys park and golf course. The remainder goes to Horse Creek which discharges into Swan Lake. The facility now has a permitted capacity of 44 million gallons a day. Swan Lake benefits from the waste water discharged into what historically was called Lemmon Valley Marsh. (1) 

A concern is an emerging technology whereby waste water is injected underground and stays there until it is clean and reusable. Washoe County’s water purveyors have united under OneWater Nevada to clean up to 2 million gallons of water, most of which now goes into Swan Lake, and use it for development. The future of Swan Lake again could be jeopardized.

Swan Lake owes its recognition in part to the Lahontan Audubon Society (LAS). In the early 1990’s Ken Pulver, then President of LAS called upon the National Guard, Washoe County, City of Reno, Nevada Department of Wildlife and other agencies to recognize Swan Lake values. Longtime NNBA member Bob Goodman, who lives in the North Valleys, was a tireless advocate for many years and remains active today. Jane Burnham continues that advocacy. Because of Swan Lake Advisory Board support, BLM underwrote purchase of private lands, by then underwater, and Washoe County developed public access, signage, and a gazebo on its 40 acres. LAS birder reports confirmed the value of Swan Lake habitat by designating it as an Important Bird Area in 1999. Over 150 bird species use the lake (2).

NNBA wants to secure Swan Lake’s future with sufficient water to maintain key habitats and Tundra Swans. Every wetland today and tomorrow is needed to secure the future of wetland dependent birds.

(1) Swan Lake, once called Lemon Valley Marsh, was so dry the land was subdivided and sold.
(2) https://www.nevadaaudubon.org/area-birding-guides/swan-lake-nature-study-area