Typically, TMWA meets more than 85 percent of its annual customer demands using Truckee River resources. Below is a breakdown of the Truckee River annual diversions in a drought year:

As the graphic illustrates, TMWA only uses eight percent of the Truckee River in a drought year, and even a smaller percentage of water is used by TMWA in a non-drought year. For more information on our water system, visit the Your Water section of our Web site.

 

 

Our mission at TMWA is to always provide high-quality water to our customers at a reasonable value. This drives our employees every day: whether it be our water plant operators, our distribution crews or our customer service employees. We are committed to delivering quality in everything we do.

 

To me, “Quality. Delivered.” means reliable service, delivering some of the highest quality water in the country straight to your tap, responsive customer service, and opportunities for customer feedback. Our promise of “Quality. Delivered.” is meaningful to each of our employees. We invite you to ask any TMWA employee what “Quality. Delivered.” means to them.

 

 

A series of winter storms over the past couple of weeks has helped to significantly improve snowpack conditions in the Sierra Nevada. As a result, snowpack in the Truckee River Basin rose to 101% of average and Lake Tahoe Basin snowpack was 104% of average. In addition, the elevation at Lake Tahoe rose slightly and is just above the natural rim. As we look toward the summer months with the elevation of Lake Tahoe still so low, we will again be closely watching what the rest of this winter brings us in precipitation. Based on a preliminary runoff forecast, we will be able to meet customer demands this summer without dipping into our drought reserves. This will allow us to keep those reserves upstream in case we need them in the future. By the first week in April, we’ll have a better idea of our water supply outlook. For real-time status of our river flows and Lake Tahoe storage level, including information on all our upstream reservoirs, visit www.tmwastorage.com.

 

Interested in more convenience and receiving less mail? If so, we are now offering e-Bill paperless billing. Instead of receiving a printed bill in the mail each month, we’ll help save a tree by e-mailing you a notification when your bill is ready for viewing online.

 

To access this new feature, log in to your account. Select e-Bill Notification and click the option to discontinue receiving a paper copy of your bill. Paying your water bill online is also easy, secure and convenient. If you have any questions, contact us.

 

 

We are continuing our annual groundwater recharge program this year. The program, otherwise known as Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), pipes treated surface water down into existing wells to both enhance the water resource and improve water quality at well sites. During this recharge season, more than six million gallons per day are injected into 17 different well sites across the Truckee Meadows.

We use the aquifers as underground storage tanks. This water stays in the area surrounding the well until it is pumped out for peak summer supply and helps to ensure our high-quality water is available for the community throughout the driest months.

The process occurs during months when the demand for water is low. In the winter, water use drops to one-fourth of the average summer usage. The stored water can then be accessed during drought periods, if necessary.

Since TMWA began recharging local aquifers in 1993, nearly 22,000 acre-feet of water has been injected into the groundwater aquifer – that is over 7 billion gallons! The program is evaluated on an annual basis and modified as needed to provide maximum benefit to the aquifer, water quality and drought storage.

 

 

Work continues on the proposed merger of Washoe County’s Department of Water Resources Water Utility into TMWA. In order to provide a framework for the merger process, allow the entities to work out details, and develop and implement a plan to provide the most efficient operation of the combined water system, two documents had to be developed / modified. The Interlocal Agreement (ILA) governing the merger has been approved by the Washoe County Board of Commissioners and the TMWA Board, and the modified Joint Powers Agreement has been approved by the City Councils of Reno and Sparks and the Washoe County Board of Commissioners. Those documents have been sent on to the state Attorney General’s office for approval.

 

A final close date is yet to be determined, and will depend on when market conditions are right for debt restructuring.  With the ILA providing the framework for the merger process, the transition will continue through most of 2010, addressing due diligence and risk allocation issues.

 

For the past 18 months, the TMWA Board of Directors and the County Commission have been discussing the possibility of merging the two operations to achieve improved customer service, water resources management and system reliability, as well as cost reductions and future cost avoidance for the benefit of customers and the community.

 

The following editorial appeared in the Reno Gazette-Journal on December 11, 2009:

Merger of county water utility and TMWA will benefit users.

 

Visit the Consolidation section of our Web site for more information on the possible merger.

 

 

If you know that you’ll be making a payment beyond your statement’s past due date, please contact us at 834-8080, option 2, to let us know. Our customer service department will be happy to work with you.

 

At www.waterfootprint.org you will discover that it takes 1,000 liters of water to produce one liter of milk, and an amazing 3,000 liters of water for one liter of rice. Even water has an imbedded cost. Did you know that in addition to the 17 million barrels of oil used in the overall production of bottled water, it takes 3 gallons of potable water for each gallon of its bottled counterpart?

 

1/8/10 Where America Stands on Water
cbsnews.com (video)