County completes Topaz Lake breakwater

A floating log breakwater has been completed at the Topaz Lake Campground ahead of schedule, Douglas officials said on Thursday.

Work on the breakwater is designed to protect the boat ramp during high wind conditions regardless of the lake level.

Topaz Lake is a reservoir operated by the Walker River Irrigation District.

“As it is a reservoir, the water levels will have significant variations and will also be prone to high wind conditions,” Douglas officials said. “The wind conditions have caused numerous incidents for boaters attempting to launch or retrieve their watercraft.”

The Douglas County Parks Department has been planning the breakwater since March 25, 2020, when it received authorization to seek a $393,000 federal grant administered by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Gardnerville general contractor Impact Construction built the 360-foot-long breakwater.

The custom engineered breakwater is anchored by 19 six-ton concrete anchors and moored by high-strength cable and chains to keep it in place. There is a warning light system for safe nighttime boating operations.

It has been slightly more than a century since Topaz Lake was renamed from Alkali Lake in March 1921 by a resolution of the Nevada Legislature, saying that the original name indicated the water was unfit for irrigation.

The Walker River Irrigation District built the reservoir to help irrigate land along the Walker River in Smith Valley.

According to the July 1, 1921, edition of The Record-Courier, that first construction project involved 400 tons of cement and 70 tons of steel for reinforcement was hauled to the site.

The R-C reported 100 men and a similar number of horses and mules were working on the reservoir. Topaz Lake and the canal serving Smith Valley reportedly cost $250,000 in 1921.

For more information, contact the county parks office at (775) 782-9835.