Photo: Amargosa River (©J. Moore)
Nevada is the driest state in the United States, so water is often a limiting resource for our ecosystems. The average annual precipitation across the state is 9.5 inches, but many parts of Nevada average 4 inches or less in precipitation. A large part of Nevada is in the Great Basin, where rivers terminate in lakes that have no outlets. Major sources of water in Nevada are the Colorado River, surface water sources in the Great Basin, and groundwater. Thousands of springs, wetlands, and other groundwater-dependent ecosystems throughout the state provide evidence of the connections between groundwater and surface water. Nevada's unique ecosystems have incredible species biodiversity, with a tremendous number of endemic species.
The Nevada Reslient Waters Initiative is focused on several areas to work towards conserving freshwater ecosystems in Nevada:
- Nevada legislation and policy
- Environmental flows
- Supporting water science for projects in Nevada
See NV groundwater dependent ecosystems and Nevada wetlands page
For more information, contact Laurel Saito
Links below are automatically generated and may not directly relate to work in Nevada.
