Silver Jackets: Many Partners, One team

SILVER JACKETS

Many Partners, One Team

 

For More Information Contact

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Sacramento District, Email,

916-557-7009

Nevada Watershed University Summit

2024 Event: Floodplain Management Reflections and Path Forward

The 2024 Nevada Watershed University Summit recording can be found below.

2022 Summit

The first-ever Nevada Watershed University Summit was held on November 8-9, 2022. Recordings from the virtual summit can be found below:

Photo of children at an event for Nevada Flood Awareness Week 2022

For Nevada Flood Awareness Week 2022, a few staff from USACE were able to participate in flood risk outreach at two elementary schools: Elmcrest and Hillside (Lockwood) and enjoyed getting to talk to the kids about ways they can be better prepared if they were ever to be impacted by flooding.

Nevada Silver Jackets Flood Risk Management Team

 VISION STATEMENT

Serve as a catalyst in developing comprehensive and sustainable solutions to flood hazard issues, including mitigation planning, flood hazard mapping, risk reduction activities, response and recovery planning.

 MISSION STATEMENT

The core agencies will work with other State and Federal agencies to:

  • Enable effective and efficient sharing of information;
  • Increase and improve flood hazard identification, assessment, communication and outreach among local, state and federal agencies;
  • Foster leveraging of available agency resources;
  • Develop more comprehensive state flood risk management policies and strategies;
  • Facilitate strategic, integrated, life-cycle mitigation actions to reduce the threat, vulnerability and consequences of flooding in the State of Nevada;
  • Support Federal disaster response and recovery through development of mitigation strategies to capitalize on post-disaster mitigation opportunities;
  • Promote wise stewardship of the taxpayers' investments.
 GOALS
  • Ensure continuous collaboration for flood mitigation, response and recovery activities before, during and after flooding.
  • Provide a forum for examining all types of solutions for flood risk management, including both non-structural and structural solutions.
  • Learn about partner agency programs, identify limitations and opportunities, and combine programs to create integrated, comprehensive and sustainable solutions.
  • Create a multi-agency technical resource for state and local agencies.
  • Provide assistance in implementing high priority flood mitigation actions identified in the Nevada State Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan.
  • Improve flood risk communication and outreach, present a unified inter-governmental message, and better educate and advise our mutual customers.
  • Identify and facilitate improvements to existing programs, policies and processes.
  • Identify other collaboration opportunities to combine resources and identify gaps in order to minimize duplication of effort.
  • Catalog and share information on past and future flood projects and initiatives.
  • Prioritize current and future initiatives individually and collectively.

 

Team Activities

2024 Nevada Watershed University Event

Watershed University (WU) is a free educational and networking opportunity designed for professionals in floodplain management, water management, emergency management and related fields. The event seeks to make knowledge sharing accessible, recognizing that some communities cannot afford the investment of time and money to send floodplain managers and other professionals to conferences. Knowledge sharing is a critical component to interagency success at management of land, water, and natural resources, and WU is a key to achieving this knowledge sharing goal.

Nevada High Water Mark Interactive Map

In 2023, the Nevada Silver Jackets Team developed High Water Mark signs for River Fork Ranch, Carson River Trail, City of Mesquite, Kershaw-Ryan State Park, Lake Lahontan State Park, and Washoe Lake State Park. The River Fork Ranch HWM sign was unveiled November 15, 2023, with more ceremonies to follow as the signs are installed throughout the state of Nevada. Additionally, you can view Nevada high water mark signs and learn about flooding through the new virtual high water mark base map, also created by the Nevada Silver Jackets Team.

Nevada Comprehensive High Water Mark Campaign

In collaboration with the Nevada Division of Water Resources, this effort will develop a High Water Mark Campaign.  This campaign will include identifying new locations for signs, developing a QR code and website page, installing signs, and conducting a targeted outreach campaign.  The page will include information about flood history and a map of all the High Water Marks.  The page will also link to Story Maps developed under previous Interagency efforts.  The campaign will focus on rural and urban communities across Nevada.

Nevada Flood Risk Mitigation Workshops

The Nevada Flood Risk Mitigation Workshops project focuses on holding flood risk mitigation and potential grant opportunities workshops across NV. The workshops will focus on areas most prone to various types of flooding, considering vulnerable populations and under-served communities. The workshops will also include a summary of potential grant and funding options for implementing flood risk management projects.  Workshops will showcase non-structural mitigation options.

Nevada Flood Risk Education & Outreach (Virtual Focus)

Nevada Silver Jackets Flood Risk Informational Games Fact SheetThe Nevada Flood Risk Education & Outreach (Virtual Focus) project will provide virtual flood risk education support for teachers, a virtual Watershed University webinar series for Nevada floodplain management professionals, as well as other virtual engagements. Promotion of High Water Mark Signage placement and awareness, along with other flood risk education opportunities will empower communities to develop their own communication tools by facilitating exchange of information between professionals and the public. 

As part of the Nevada Flood Risk Education & Outreach project, USACE and the Nevada Department of Water Resources have created games to serve as valuable resources for anyone interested in learning more about flooding. 

Floodplain Management Plan for South Fork Dam, Elko County

This project will create a Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) for South Fork Dam in Elko County to promote shared responsibility for flood risk management, support risk reduction, and effectively communicate flood risks. Creation of this FMP will help South Fork Dam to quality for potential grant funding, which is needed for rehabilitation of this high hazard dam.


U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supports state-led Silver Jackets Teams through its Flood Risk Management Program.