| Truckee Meadows | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| Coordinates | 39°27′N119°45′W / 39.45°N 119.75°W /39.45; -119.75 |
 Interactive map of Truckee Meadows | |
TheTruckee Meadows is a valley in NorthernNevada, named for theTruckee River, which collects and drains all water in the valley. Truckee Meadows is also colloquially used as a name for theReno–Sparks metropolitan area, even though the metro area includes areas outside this valley. The name for the valley in theWasho language is Welganuk.[1]
Per theUSGS, The Truckee Meadows is one of a series a north-south trending basins bounded by theSierra Nevada on the western edge of theGreat Basin. The Truckee Meadows covers approximately 94 square miles (240 km2) in western Nevada. It is bounded on the west by theCarson Range, on the east by theVirginia Range andPine Nut Mountains, on the south by theSteamboat hills, and byPeavine Peak to the north.[2]Steamboat Creek is the main tributary supplying the Truckee River through the Truckee Meadows. Steamboat Creek, flows northward into Steamboat Valley. Steamboat Valley is considered part of the Truckee Meadows. The Spanish Springs Valley drains into the Truckee Meadows area from the north.[3]
Truckee Meadows has been used interchangeably with theReno metropolitan area,[4] However, the metro area's official definition includes all ofWashoe County andStorey County.[5] Several Reno suburbs are located in separate valleys, includingLemmon Valley,Golden Valley,Sun Valley, Nevada,Cold Springs valley andWashoe Valley.
Along Steamboat Creek of the Truckee Meadow, the most common plants, include lush grasses like theGreat Basin wild rye (Leymus cinereus) and tule (Scirpus sp.). Riparian vegetation of the meadow includeblack cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), willow species (Salis sp.), andsilver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea). At elevated and better-drained valley margins grows the typical sagebrush-grass zone. Common plants in this habitat consisted ofbig sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate), rabbitbrush (chrysothamnus sp.), greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus),horsebrush (Tetradymia glabrata), andspiny hopsage (Grayia spinosa) Common bunch grasses included wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum), bluegrass (Poa sp.), Great Basin Wild rye (Elymus cinereaus), Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix), and needle and thread (Stipa comate).[2]
In 1857, pioneer rancherPeleg Brown, a Rhode Island native arrived in the Truckee Meadows with his brother, Joshua. The two brothers introduced alfalfa to the area and built their home (Damonte Ranch House) in 1864; the home still stands today. The house is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, which caused the Nevada Department of Transportation to divert the construction ofInterstate 580 andU.S. Route 395 freeway around the property to preserve the home and ranch.[6]
The Truckee Meadows is a valley in western Nevada located within the western Great Basin. Named for the Truckee River, which flows through the valley from west to east, this area contains archaeological evidence of aboriginal human occupation.[2]
The Truckee Formation, is the oldest deposit of the valley and yields very little water to wells. Most of the discharge of water is byevapotranspiration and by seepage to ditches and streams. Some water in the area is unsuitable for many uses because of its poor chemical quality. Water in the Steamboat Springs area is hot and has high concentrations of chloride and dissolved solids. Both water draining areas of bleached rock and ground water from areas of leached rock have high concentrations of sulfate and dissolved solids.[3]
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