Vehicles move cautiously through flooded roads on Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs on Sunday afternoon. The area was later closed around 5 p.m.
The snow and rain came and the Truckee rose over its banks, just as forecast.
But it appears Sparks dodged a bullet, with the river cresting below projections and the ensuing flooding not as bad as originally feared.
Water levels on the Truckee were on their way down Monday night, prompting anxious residents and city officials to breathe a sigh of relief. Though parts of the city’s industrial area near the river suffered some flooding, it was not widespread and most areas escaped undamaged.
A flood warning continues until Tuesday afternoon for the Truckee at Vista, though, where the river level was at 17.3 feet late Monday afternoon, above the flood stage of 15 feet. The river was expected to fall to below flood stage by Monday night.
City spokesman Adam Mayberry said water continued to surround at least a dozen buildings in an industrial park near the river, and official are checking to determine how much damage was done to property, roads and bridges in the city.
But Gov. Brian Sandoval said there were no serious injuries or deaths from the heavy rains and flooding in the Sparks and Reno area that authorities had feared might be the worst in a decade.
Sandoval said damage doesn’t appear to be as bad as feared, as water levels on the water receded Monday from a high of 19.5 feet in the morning to 18.46 feet at mid-afternoon. He praised local officials for being prepared for the flooding and making arrangements to help mitigate it.
“I think they did a wonderful job,” Sandoval said.
Two I-180 off-ramps in east Sparks were shut down and police limited access to the industrial area south of the freeway. A similar flood in the winter of 2005-06 sent about 5 feet of water into the area, where some 25,000 people work.
Authorities say the Truckee River peaked at 19.5 feet on Monday, more than four feet above flood stage. There had been projections of a 20.5 foot crest that would have caused much worse damage.
Due to high flows in the North Truckee Drain, some streets have experienced localized flooding in the area of Springland Drive south of Shadow Lane, Goldy Avenue, and Spanish Springs Road to Howard Drive.
The southbound off-ramp at Vista Boulevard was closed, as was McCarran Boulevard from Greg Street to the city of Reno.
Mayberry said city officials were conducting surveys and checking out local businesses and residents to determine the extent of any flood damage. There were some issues with turning some traffic signals back on in the Sparks Industrial area, where the signal electronics were removed to protect components from flood waters.
Meanwhile, other city crews were already cleaning up some damage, with residents in Sparks Blvd./Baring Blvd. area asked to park cars in driveways so crews can clean up streets in neighborhoods.
Several roads in the area were damaged by rushing water, with the primary damage near Pyramid Lake, where Pyramid Highway, Sutcliffe Highway and Nevada 447 were all closed. Interstate 80 also suffered pothole damage.
After an anxious night, though, the Truckee River started cresting in Sparks at 5:45 a.m. Monday. There was flooding in areas, but not to the levels of the last big flood 11 years ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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