Truckee Meadows Water Authority
Drinking water in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County is supplied by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA), a non-profit, community owned utility. Board of Directors meetings are open to the public. The main office is at 1355 Capital Blvd., Reno, NV 89502. The customer service phone number is (775) 834-8080, option 2. TMWA serves over 93,000 businesses and homes.
Drinking Water from Lake Tahoe
We have some of the best drinking water in the country. Most of what comes out of our taps is drawn from the Truckee River, which is the only stream flowing out of Lake Tahoe. A number of wells in the TMWA service area also contribute to the water supply. The Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Facility in west Reno is TMWA's primary water treatment plant. You can keep tabs on how our water supply is doing at the real-time Lake Tahoe Storage web page.
Just how good is our water? Pretty darn good, actually. According to TMWA, "Our water quality meets, and in most cases, significantly exceeds all Environmental Protection Agency and Nevada State Health standards." Detailed Water Quality Information is available on the TMWA website.
No Pharmaceuticals in TMWA Tap Water
During our session of the Reno Citizens Institute at the Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Plant, we asked TMWA officials about the issue of various types of drugs that have been detected in drinking water around the country. Samples had been sent for testing, we were told, and results would be released when they came in. As stated at a May 16, 2008 press conference, "The data shows that no pharmaceuticals or EDCs were detected in the raw or finished water samples from the Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Plant," Paul Miller, TMWA's Manager of Operations and Water Quality, said. "None of these compounds were detected in either the water coming into the plant from the Truckee River, or the water going out of the plant that is delivered to our customers." Go to the TMWA site to read TMWA Tap Water is Free of Pharmaceuticals.
Know Your Watering Day
Lawn watering rules within the TMWA service area are fairly simple.
- Address ends in an odd number: water on Sundays and Thursdays.
- Address ends in an even number: water on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Commercial and multi-residential properties: water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
- No watering on Mondays.
- No watering between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Don't water during the heat of the day or when it's windy.
- Get more details from Your Watering Schedule.
Many moons ago, water meters didn't exist and everyone paid the same flat rate for whatever they used. Fast forward to today and about 15% of TMWA's customers are still billed on a flat rate basis. The goal is to get everyone on the metered rate by January, 2010. In the interim, the metered rate is applied (and a meter installed if needed) whenever property changes hands if the previous billing was flat rate. It's really not as complicated as it sounds; reading about TMWA Water Meters will help you sort it out.
Water meters are more than just a way to help TMWA give you a bill. Your meter can help you find a leak as these instructions from TMWA describe. I know it works because I was able to run down and fix a leak after I moved into a fixer house with a number of deferred maintenance issues. TMWA also has other ways to find and fix leaks.
Landscaping to Conserve Water
One of the best ways to conserve water in our desert environment is through water-efficient landscaping. To support this effort, TMWA provides us with an online Water-Efficient Landscape Guide.
Xeriscape Gardening and Landscaping
It's pretty tough to garden by depending on free water from the sky when your average precipitation (both rain and snow) is 7.48 inches. To the rescue is xeriscaping, a method of gardening and landscaping that conserves water by cooperating with an area's natural climate rather than trying to fight it. These About.com guides will get you on the right path toward implementing a xeriscape landscape around your home or business.
Sources: TMWA website and newsletters sent with TMWA water bills.