Lower Carson River Watershed

The boundaries for the lower watershed are marked by the Lahontan Dam and extend to the terminus of the watershed in the Carson Sink. The Dam is part of the Newlands Irrigation Project that was completed in 1914. The Project provides water for farming in Churchill and Lyon Counties. Water from the Truckee River is diverted into the Truckee Canal at Derby Dam, and water from the Truckee Canal and the Carson River flow into Lahontan Reservoir. A series of irrigation ditches convey the water to various entities throughout the lower watershed and also to the Stillwater Wildlife Refuge.

The lower watershed is home to the City of Fallon, Stillwater Wildlife Refuge, the Fallon Naval Air Station and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe. Land use is dominated by agriculture in the lower watershed.

Issues in the lower watershed include excessive soil loss from wind erosion on lands that were previously under irrigation.