California Water Plan 2013: North Lahontan Hydrologic Region

The North Lahontan Hydrologic Region (North Lahontan region) includes part of the western edge of the Great Basin, a large landlocked area that covers most of Nevada and northern Utah. The eastern drainages of the Cascade Range and the eastern Sierra Nevada, north of the Mono Lake drainage, make up the region. All surface water drains eastward toward Nevada. This hydrologic region extends about 270 miles from the Oregon border to the southern boundary of the Walker River drainage in Mono County (Figure NL-1). The region covers 6,122 square miles, about 4 percent of California’s total area, but is inhabited by only about 0.3 percent of the state’s population.

The region includes portions of Modoc, Lassen, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Alpine, and Mono counties.

The region abounds with large, natural landscapes. The northern part is primarily arid high desert with relatively flat valleys at elevations of 4,000 to 5,000 feet. The eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada comprise the central and southern portions of this region, which includes the California portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin and the western Great Basin.  The major rivers of the region —Truckee, Carson, and Walker — carry the mountain snowmelt through California into Nevada. Mountain peaks up to 12,279 feet from the western boundary of the region.