Drought in the West A Photographic Essay     
Reno/Truckee Meadows
Interactive Cartograph: Clickable place names, horizontally scrollable.
Bucks Lake Whites, Thomas Creeks & Alexander Lake
Webber Lake Cold Stream/Sierraville CreekSierra Valley (Alfalfa) → Feather River (North Fork)Lake Oroville Brown, Davis & Franktown Creeks
Little Truckee River
Little Truckee River
Steamboat CreekWashoe LakeOphir Creek Tahoe Meadows
Independence LakeIndependence Creek
Davis/Davies & Merrill Creeks Lake Tahoe
Rock Lake(Upper) Price Lake
Stampede ReservoirLittle Truckee River 3Boca ReservoirLittle Truckee River 4Truckee River Donner CreekDonner Lake
Prosser CreekProsser Dam
Sierra Valley: 3.2015
Sierra Valley in northeastern California is a large alfalfa production area, bordered on the north by Highway 70, the Feather River Canyon Highways 49 and 89 to the south and west.

The Sierra Valley forms the headwaters of the Feather River which empties into Lake Oroville.

The Federal Water Master has the discretion of switching water out of the Little Truckee River soon after it leaves its headwaters at Webber Lake through the Cold Stream diversion channel to drought-sticken alfalfa farmers in Sierra Valley, diverting fresh drinking water heading to Stampede and Boca reservoirs, already critically low.


All content, including images © Billy Howard, 2015. —All Rights Reserved— High resolution versions available upon request to witness@diresituation.photos. Larger.
Camera icon shows position where these photos were taken looking both south into the valley and looking north above the valley. The location icon at the bottom of the map shows the postition of Sierraville where water is being diverted from the Little Truckee River for alfalfa farms in the Sierra Valley.



Looking north above Sierra Valley from Hwy 70 near Chilcoot in early March. These wetlands would normally host a deep blanket of snow which slowly melts, forming the headwaters of the Feather River which empties into Lake Oroville. Not only is there no snow to watch for in these wetlands, there is none on these northern High Sierra peaks to continue to feed the headwaters through early summer.
All content, including images © Billy Howard, 2015. —All Rights Reserved— High resolution versions available upon request to witness@diresituation.photos. Larger.