Rye Patch Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rye Patch Dam |
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 Location of Rye Patch Dam in Nevada
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| Location | Pershing County, Nevada |
| Coordinates | 40°41′53″N 118°17′15″W / 40.6981075°N 118.2873959°W |
| Purpose | Irrigation |
| Status | In use |
| Opening date | 1936 |
| Operator(s) | Pershing County Water Conservation District |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earth-fill |
| Impounds | Humboldt River |
| Height | 78 ft (24 m) |
| Length | 1,074 ft (327 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Rye Patch Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 213,000 acre⋅ft (263,000,000 m3) |
| Surface area | 11,970 acres (48,400,000 m2) |
| Normal elevation | 4,136 ft (1,261 m) |
The Rye Patch Reservoir is a large lake created by people on the Humboldt River in Nevada, USA. It's about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of the town of Lovelock. This reservoir is super important because it holds water for farms in the Lovelock area.
Farming in Lovelock needs a lot of water because it only gets about 5.76 inches (14.6 cm) of rain each year. The Humboldt River doesn't always have enough water, sometimes it even dries up! So, storing water in the reservoir helps farmers grow their crops all year round.
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The Story of Rye Patch Town
The area called Rye Patch started as a small settlement in the early 1860s. It was named after the wild, dry grass that grew there. At one point, it even had a school and a place for people to stay.
In 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad built tracks through the region. This led to the opening of the Rye Patch train station. A special mill in Rye Patch helped process valuable rocks (ore) from nearby mines until the late 1870s. The Rye Patch Post Office served the community from June 1872 until November 1916.
Building Rye Patch Dam
In 1933, a government agency called the Bureau of Reclamation decided to build the Rye Patch Dam. The dam was built between 1935 and 1936 to hold back the Humboldt River and create the reservoir.
This project was part of the "New Deal". The New Deal was a set of programs created by the government to help people find jobs during a tough time called the Great Depression. The dam project got money from the Public Works Administration and hired workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps. These were government programs designed to create jobs and build important things.
The dam was made even bigger in 1975–1976. They raised it by three feet (about 1 meter) to allow the reservoir to hold even more water.
Other Reservoirs: Pitt–Taylor
The Rye Patch Reservoir system also includes two older storage areas called the Pitt–Taylor Reservoirs. These were built way back in 1913 by a private company. They are not as good at holding water as Rye Patch because a lot of water evaporates from them. So, they are mostly used only when there's a lot of extra water from the river.
Challenges for the Reservoir
One problem for the reservoir is something called sedimentation. This happens when dirt and sand carried by the river settle at the bottom of the reservoir. Over time, this makes the reservoir hold less water. A study in 1972 found that the reservoir had already lost 10% of its water-holding ability because of this.
Sometimes, people who live upstream (further up the river) have complained about the dam. They feel that farmers near Lovelock try to keep too much of the river's water for themselves. For example, in 1992, the reservoir was almost completely emptied to provide water for farms. This caused many fish to die, which made people who like to fish at the Rye Patch State Recreation Area very upset.
Also, a study in 1987 found that when the Rye Patch and Pitt–Taylor Reservoirs were built, they covered up important historical sites. These sites had signs of people living there long, long ago.
