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Some Sources of Water for Mining
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The first problem for mining was a water source. The Virginia
Range receives some snow in the winters but because Virginia City
is high in the mountains, the water from that snow flows down to
the Carson River below leaving little water in Virginia City.
Eventually, water was piped from a small lake, Marlette Lake,
above Lake Tahoe to Virginia City. Read related article on Siphons. See the map of
Virginia City-Lake Tahoe area for the location of the
"inverted siphon" that still provides water for
Virginia City today. On the shaded relief map, Marlette Lake and
an approximate tracing of the water flumes and siphon that
provide water to Virginia City are shown in blue.
This picture
shows the view from the top of Mount Davidson
looking west across Washoe Lake toward the Sierra Nevada. Lake
Tahoe is beyond the snowy mountains, the Carson Range in the
background. Marlette Lake is near the low spot in the mountains
to the left of the wire that supports transmission towers.
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Some Sources of Water for Mining
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