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Topaz Lake, Nevada

28 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Topaz Lake census division. It lies in ZIP code area 89410. It stands on Nevada Creek. The Survey maps it on the Topaz Lake quadrangle.

Topaz Lake within Douglas County

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 28 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

62 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 62 fires within 5 miles of Topaz Lake between 1992 and 2020, burning about 23,372 acres in total. 28 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Natural28
Missing data/not specified/undetermined16
Equipment and vehicle use6
Recreation and ceremony5
Debris and open burning3
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking1
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 September 1997Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreCentral California DistrictWATER
28 September 1996Smokingunder an acreHumboldt-Toiyabe National ForestWILD OAT
16 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreEast Fork Fire and Paramedic DistrictTOPAZ RANCH
14 September 2003Equipment and vehicle use5.0 acresHumboldt-Toiyabe National ForestTOPAZ HILL
10 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined133 acresCarson City District OfficeEFKX 3
9 August 2014Naturalunder an acreCarson City District OfficeTOPAZ
8 August 1994Arson/incendiarism6,469 acresCarson City District OfficeHOLBROOK
6 August 1997Naturalunder an acreHumboldt-Toiyabe National ForestLODGE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Douglas County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 23 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 23 workings within 5 miles of Topaz Lake: 13 past producers, 8 occurrences, 1 prospect, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Silver, Lead, Tungsten. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
A and C MineTungsten, Zinc, Lead, ArsenicPast Producer
Carbonate Hills Lead ProspectLead, Silver, ZincPast Producer
Lead-Zinc OccurrenceLead, ZincProspect
Sweet Water MineMolybdenumPast Producer
Topaz Ranch Estates PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Topz Lead-SilverLead, Silver, CopperPast ProducerUnderground
Unnamed MineLead, GoldOccurrenceVein
AntimonyLead, Silver, GoldPast ProducerReplacement
Section 7 ProspectsGold, SilverOccurrenceVein
Section 8 ProspectsGold, SilverPast ProducerVein

Every working recorded in Douglas County

Storms near this place

10 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Topaz Lake in 10 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 3 flood, 3 debris flow, 2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
December 2022FloodTopaz Lake$5,000,000Heavy rains contributed to flooding and minor rock and mud flow along US-395 near Topaz Lake in Douglas County.
December 2005FloodTopaz Lake$973,000Flooding was reported in the Sunset Hills area of Mason Valley. U.S. Highway 395 was closed when floodwater from the Carson River covered Cradlebaugh Bridge. Mudslides occurred in the Foothill area of Douglas County. Highway 88 and Kimmerling Road were both closed when they were blocked by debris.
September 2022Debris FlowTopaz Lake$19,000Heavy rainfall over the eastern portion of the Tamarack burn scar caused a mud slide across Highland Way, 1.0 mi WSW Holbrook Junction in Douglas County.
July 2025HailTopaz Lake-Public reported via photo on social media.
September 2024Heavy RainTopaz Lake-NV Energy site at Wild Oat Mountain located 1.0 mi SSE of Holbrook Junction, NV, reported 24 hour storm total rainfall amount of 0.85 inches.
March 2023Debris FlowTopaz Lake-NDOT reported 3.0 mi NNW of Holbrook Junction that US-395 was closed from Holbrook Jct. to Leviathan Mine Road due to mud and water flows on road.
June 2021FloodTopaz Lake-Video shared on social media showed water flowing in ditches very near homes in Holbrook Junction. From slow moving thunderstorms. Radar estimated 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in one hour.
May 2018Debris FlowTopaz Lake-A collapsing core within a thunderstorm produced heavy rainfall over the Slinkard burn scar west of Topaz Lake, which caused two pronounced debris flows off the burn scar onto U.S. Highway 395 near the California/Nevada state line. The debris flows were up to 5 feet deep in a few places and closed the highway for over 18 hours while crews removed the flow. Nearly 200 people from the nearby Topaz Lodge were forced to the second floor as mud hit the exterior part of the first floor. No injuries were reported. No damage estimates were available from Topaz Lodge. The portable RAWS site above the Slinkard Fire burn scar (NCRC1; elevation 7451 feet) recorded 0.27 inches of rainfall in 15 minutes at the time two debris flows were reported (21 May 1727PST). A total of 0.90 inches of rainfall eventually fell on the burn scar in a two and a half hour time period from 21 May 1652PST to 1922PST. The cost to clear the debris flow for the Nevada Department of Transportation was a total of $51,476, which includes labor and equipment costs.
June 2000HailTopaz Lake-Douglas County Sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail in Holbrook Junction.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindTopaz Lake-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Douglas County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Holbrook Junction2.7 miles28
Mountain House (historical)3.8 miles28
Double Springs (historical)7.2 miles26
Mammoth Ledge (historical)9.4 miles26
Carman Heights9.9 miles26
Dresslerville16.7 miles29
Gardnerville Ranchos16.9 miles29
Twelvemile House16.9 miles29

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 862137. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.