Derby Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Derby Diversion Dam
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Aerial view of the dam
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 Location in Nevada
Location in the United States
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| Location | Storey / Washoe counties, Nevada |
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| Nearest city | Fernley, Nevada |
| Built | 1903 |
| MPS | Newlands Reclamation TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001727 |
| Added to NRHP | April 26, 1978 |
Derby Dam is a special kind of dam called a diversion dam. It was built between 1903 and 1905 on the Truckee River in Nevada, United States. The dam is about 20 miles east of Reno.
Its main job is to move water from the Truckee River. This water then flows into a long channel called the Truckee Canal. Normally, this water would go into Pyramid Lake. But instead, the canal sends it to Lake Lahontan reservoir. Here, the water is used for irrigation, which means watering crops on farms.
Derby Dam was the very first big project of the U.S. Reclamation Service. This group is now known as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. They were created by the Reclamation Act of 1902.
Because of the dam, Winnemucca Lake dried up. Also, Pyramid Lake lost more than 80 feet of its water level. This nearly caused the Lahontan cutthroat trout fish to disappear completely.
The dam is managed by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. It was named after a nearby train station called Derby.
History of Derby Dam
Work on Derby Dam started on October 2, 1903. It was finished on May 20, 1905. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was in charge of building it.
The project was officially approved on March 14, 1903. It was part of the Newlands Reclamation Project. This project was named after Francis Newlands, a congressman from Nevada. He helped create the law that started these water projects. Derby Dam was the first of five projects built under the Reclamation Act of 1902.
This act meant the government would help design and build large irrigation projects. These projects were important for farming in the western United States. The Derby Dam helps provide water for about 73,000 acres of farmland. This area gets very little rain, less than 4.5 inches each year.
Derby Dam is not built to store water. It is a low concrete structure, only 31 feet high. Its purpose is to divert water from the Truckee River. The water flows into the Truckee Canal. From there, it goes into two main canals for the farms. In 1978, the dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
How the Dam Affected Nature
Derby Dam takes a lot of water from the Truckee River. Sometimes, it diverts as much as three-fourths of the river's flow. This is the biggest amount of water taken from the Truckee River after it leaves Lake Tahoe.
Taking so much water had a big impact on Pyramid Lake. It also made it hard for the Lahontan cutthroat trout to swim upstream to lay their eggs. This caused the fish to almost disappear from Pyramid Lake and its rivers.
But in 1979, a small group of these special trout was found. They were in a tiny stream on Pilot Peak, near the Nevada/Utah border. Scientists used these fish to bring the Lahontan cutthroat trout back to Lake Lahontan. This was a great success!
