Potato Fields, Flooding and Friends in the Dayton area
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Wed, 01/11/2023 - 10:45am
It's been raining and snowing a lot in western Nevada and while everyone can appreciate the value of water in the spring and summer, it's been a helluva ride.
In December 2018, I moved out to the Dayton Valley Road ranchos, a beautiful rural residential area that lies between the magnificent Pine Nut mountains to the south and the vibrant Carson River to the north.
I remember looking at the property and my realtor said "no rocks." I replied, "What???" "There used to be potato fields here, so no rocks," he said. "WOW, that is fantastic," I said, as anyone who has tried to plant a garden, put in a horse pasture, or build a fence knows how difficult rocks can be.
Well, there's a reason they planted potatoes out there on Dayton Valley Road in days past! (We'll need to ask historians Dennis Cassinelli or Laura Tennant to give us the full scoop!). Over the millennia, the alluvial fan flooding out of the Pine Nuts has taken a fairly distinct path on its merry way to the Carson River and that distinct path has deposited sediment and silt in a 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide path, where the enterprising farmer can grow POTATOES!
(Note to Self: Nevada is made of rocks. Rocks are everywhere. If there are no rocks on your property, there is a reason why.)
Flooding started in earnest Monday night, and I watched as the water broke across Dayton Valley Road and began its march to the river. I contemplated moving my horses to higher ground then but it was dark and disturbing and I decided to wait until Tuesday morning as the center of my property is on higher ground. It was dark early Tuesday morning, when I first looked out front and all I saw at the bottom of my driveway was a 40 ft wide path of moving water about 18" deep. My neighbors immediately behind me on Potosi Road had pastures flooded, horses in water, and water lapping at the front doors.
And this is where faith and hope spring eternal, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It doesn't matter what you believe or who you support, when people need help there is ALWAYS someone willing to help. As soon as it was light, members of the Tactical Large Animal Rescue were at my neighbors loading up their three horses and an hour later were at my house loading up my two. They were taken to an equine rescue center in our neighborhood (Bruce and Shirley) where they promptly stated "you are our neighbors and your horses can stay here for as long as it takes." My knees buckled and I wept with relief.
Several years ago, Lyon County conducted a South Dayton Valley Area Drainage Master Plan. Here's the link. It's fascinating and worth a read. It will cost LOADS OF MONEY to fix the issue, but in the meantime, rest assured in Dayton, we have your back.
