Rising Washoe Lake threatens U.S. 395

Monday, Feb. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

"Yes, there's a lot of water still coming down from the mountains, but it would take a huge amount of water to put it over the blacktop," said Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Magruder.

NDOT crews sprang into action last week after recent heavy rains and snow melt sent Washoe Lake to within a couple of feet of the highway at low spots in Washoe Valley.

Bulldozers were used to beef up both shoulders of the highway to prevent damage to the roadway. Additional dirt was piled along a two-mile stretch of the shoulders north of the Bellevue Bridge.

"There was some concern if the winds came up you could have waves lapping at the shoulders that could undermine the roadway," Magruder told the Nevada Appeal.

Amir Soltani, NDOT's hydraulics engineer, said the lake's water level also rose dramatically last spring but never actually threatened the highway.

Last spring, a second consecutive wet winter pushed Washoe Lake to its highest level in more than a decade. It's expected to rise even more this spring after a third straight wet winter.

Its level represents a major turnaround since 1994 when a persistent drought left the lake dry. The lake is a popular state park.

Recent heavy rains and snow melt also have turned the median between the highway's north and south lanes in Washoe Valley into a long, narrow lake.

"Actually, it's quite scenic," Magruder said. "It looks as though you're driving through a lake."