Water is crucial for continued prosperity in the Truckee Meadows, but it's a limited resource that must be used responsibly. The challenge facing Truckee Meadows' residents is to sensibly use our most precious renewable natural resource. With a self-contained water system, conservation and wastewater reclamation become more necessary for responsible water management.
What is water conservation?
Water conservation is defined by the American Water Works Association as practices, techniques, and technologies that improve the efficiency of water use. Increased efficiency delays major capital improvements in water purification systems and plants, saving TMWA customers money in both the short and the long run.
Water conservation is often equated with temporary restrictions on customer water use. Although water restrictions can be a useful emergency tool for drought management or service disruptions, water conservation programs emphasize lasting day-to-day improvements in water use efficiency.
Why conserve?
Responsible water use not only benefits the community, it will lower your monthly water bill! Browse this section of our site to learn about how you can conserve water inside and outside your home or business. Examples of what you will find include lawn watering methods developed for our area, how to prevent backflow, and how to check your toilet for leaks. TMWA's educational Web site, TMWA Academy, is also available to teachers and students searching for resources and projects with an emphasis on water conservation.
The Water Supply and How the Community Uses It
The water supply delivered to your home or business by TMWA is comprised of river, well and reservoir water. Reno and Sparks use only about 13 percent of the Truckee River's volume in normal years and, of that, about half is returned to the river through the sewage treatment plant for other water users downstream. Below is the breakdown of how the community uses water from the Truckee River.
Of the total water delivered to customers during a year, only a very small percent goes to hotels and casinos; the majority goes to residential customers. Irrigation and wholesale customers comprise the remaining 10 percent of water use. (Average 1985-1998) See the breakdown by customer group of who uses water in our community.
