Reid, Kempthorne take part in Reno signing ceremony

September 6, 2008

Reno, NV – Marking the culmination of more than two decades' work, the landmark Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA) was signed Saturday at Wingfield Park by a group including Nevada Senator Harry Reid and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. This agreement is vitally important for the Truckee River watershed, which affects northern Nevada and California, and is the result of collaboration among five main parties: the United States, the State of California, the State of Nevada, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and the local water purveyor, Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

TROAdivides the waters between Nevada and California and prevents future litigation regarding allocations; enhances conditions for threatened and endangered fish throughout the Truckee River basin; increases drought protection for the Truckee Meadows and improves water quality downstream from Reno-Sparks and enhances in stream flows and recreational opportunities in California and Nevada.

"I began working on this agreement the night I was elected to the Senate, and it is undoubtedly one of the most important pieces of legislation on which I've worked," Reid said. "We are settling water wars that date back before all of us, and I want to thank all of the people and organizations who have come to the table and worked to reach this agreement."

"We have traveled a long road to reach this day. The Truckee River has been the subject of conflict and litigation for the past 100 years," Kempthorne said. "For the past 18 years, we have worked to come up with an agreement that is the keystone of the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act, which Senator Reid so skillfully shepherded through Congress in 1990. The journey has not been easy, but we made it."

Among the signers of the agreement at the ceremony were: Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Chairman Mervin Wright; United States Assistant Attorney General Ronald Tenpas; California Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman; Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Director Allen Biaggi; and Truckee Meadows Water Authority Board Chairman Mike Carrigan.