Coming one step closer to holding the title to the Old Lahontan Power Station, the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District Board held a special meeting this week to approve the agreement for the transfer of power station from ownership by the United States to the District.
“Upon transfer, all responsibility associated with the power plant reverts to the district,” said Rusty Jardine general manager of TCID. “Reclamation is out of the picture lock.”
In the early 1900s, when the U.S. Reclamation Service, which later became the Bureau of Reclamation, was building the Lahontan Dam, Old Lahontan, built in 1911, was used to generate hydroelectric power for the construction project. Lahontan Dam was completed in 1915.
Because of Old Lahontan, the local community of Fallon was one of the first western towns to enjoy this new technology, with residents throughout the Lahontan Valley benefitting from having electricity directly to their homes. When TCID came into existence in 1918 they ran the electric company, delivering electricity as far away as Gabbs to the south, Nixon to the west, and Lovelock to the north. As the electricity deliveries continued Mike Adams, the systems and technology manager at TCID, said that power poles with the TCID nameplate have been found as far south as Luning and north to Rochester, an old mining town.
Under existing contracts, TCID now sells the power generated at Old Lahontan and the 26’ Drop to the Truckee-Donner Public Utility District. In addition to these generation facilities, TCID Approves Transfer of Old Lahontan Power Station the power generated at New Lahontan Power Station is sold to NV Energy. Rusty Jardine, General Manager at TCID said the revenue from the power plants is used to offset the Operation and Maintenance costs of the district facilities keeping the assessments to the farmers low.
TCID is under contract, originally signed in 1926 and renewed in 25-year increments, with the BOR to operate the Newlands Project for the benefit of local agriculture, the Fallon Tribe, and State and Federal wetlands water-right holders. Under past agreements with the BOR, the district was allowed to use sub-section I revenues generated with project facilities toward O&M costs. During the most recent contract negotiations with BOR, and under the new contract that awaits congressional approval, “That was going to change,” said Jardine, “and so ownership was really critical.”
The transfer process has been streamlined somewhat under the John D. Dingell, Jr Conservation Management, and Recreation Act of March 12, 2019, but has been lengthy and costly. Jardine estimates the administrative costs of navigating the transfer process to be nearing $180,000. In 2005 the district completed an extensive transfer process of the Newlands Project Headquarters and Maintenance Yard that finally passed through Congress in December of that year. The transfer of Old Lahontan is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
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