CWES faculty have been conducting research in the Walker Lake basin since CWES was formed in 1999. For a more detailed description of the projects and updates of the progress, please visit the Walker Basin Project web site.

This research has ranged from cloud seeding to geomorphic to hydrologic studies in the basin. For example, an evaluation of additional surface-water flow from cloud seeding in the headwaters of the Walker Lake watershed provides information on the amount of runoff generated by cloud seeding. A recent DRI study in the Walker Lake basin provides a history of lake level fluctuations over the last several thousand years. CWES faculty also conducted an EIS study for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on potential water rights purchases for Walker Lake.

In 2007, DRI in collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), began a research program in the Walker Lake basin to provide information for restoration of Walker Lake and the Walker River, including the possible acquisition or leasing of water rights in the watershed. This collaborative research program consists of 10 projects.

A brief description of the ten projects follows.