The Sparks City Council made a decision on Monday that states it is now illegal to set up a campsite within 350 feet of the Truckee River inside city limits.
Steve Driscoll, the Sparks City Manager, estimates that there are nearly 15 homeless encampment sites along the Truckee River within the city.
He says the new ordinance will ban camping near the river immediately, but there are still a few steps that must be taken before changes occur.
Driscoll says officials must first show any individuals living near the river  proof that the law has changed. Then the city will have to instruct anyone in any encampments to leave immediately. Following that, the city will follow up by offering services that can help these individuals find a better place to stay.
"Hopefully we'll get them out of their encampments and get them into another other home, living arrangements if you will," says Driscoll.
One program called Washoe County Crossroads can help these homeless individuals find a new place to call home.
Ken Retterath, Division Director of Washoe County Social Services, says if the people near the river are trying to turn their life around, crossroads is a good start. Especially since the intentions of the program are to help as many people as they can make the transition out of homelessness.
"We serve about 154 homeless individuals and the goal here is to really get them back on their feet and get them back into society," says Retterath.
Driscoll says the goal behind banning camping alongside the Truckee River is to protect not just the river, but also the city's residents.
“Anything that happens along there just works in the river and there are people downstream that this is their drinking water, so we need to be very careful by not polluting the river," says Driscoll.
