Yes, it is. For more information, click on the links below to view each website location:
Sparks
Washoe County
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No. You can use your drip irrigation any day. We recommend paying attention to your drip system settings and checking your drip lines for problems to ensure no water is wasted.
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Yes, absolutely. TMWA has set up a number of channels for customer communication on specific issues like water quality, water pressure, leak reporting, etc. For TMWA contact information click here.
In addition, TMWA's Board of Directors encourages public comment in each board meeting. These meetings are held monthly in the Sparks City Council Chambers, located at 745 4th St. at the corner of 4th and Prater in Sparks. Click here for a schedule of upcoming board meetings. In this fashion, the opportunity for high-level feedback is increased significantly. Any time management proposes a rule or rate change, these will be brought to the board for approval, and customers will be given the opportunity to give input. Also, the TMWA bylaws provide for citizen advisory committees as appointed at the board's discretion
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Customers can help reduce the need for future rate increases. One of the best things customers can do is use water responsibly and, during the summer, water only on their assigned days. This allows the water system to be used more efficiently and helps TMWA avoid construction of costly new water facilities, which would have to be staffed and maintained. In addition, the more customers help themselves, the more TMWA saves. Fewer phone calls to our office, for example, can reduce our customer service costs and help keep rates lower. We certainly want customers to contact us when they need to, but to consider other options before they pick up the phone. Many questions can be answered with a visit to our website or by reading the inserts and messages that accompany our monthly billing statements.
Since TMWA is a not-for-profit organization, the timely payment of water bills is also critical. People who don't pay their water bills only shift their responsibilities to customers that do pay their bills. Supporting TMWA's ability to collect on delinquent bills will help us avoid raising rates to cover bad debt expenses in the future.
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As long as you have acceptable credit history, payment arrangements can be made by calling 834-8080, option 2.
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Yes. Like some of the other local utilities, we have contracted with Western Union to offer this service at local grocery stores and several convenience stores. Click here for a list of store locations. To make this service even more convenient for our customers, we have asked Western Union to continue actively pursing other stores in our area. There is a $.75 Western Union charge for this service. Please note that customers must have their bill with them in order to in order to make a payment.
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Yes. With RapidPay Electronic Funds Transfer, we mail your water bill as usual and your payment amount will be automatically deducted from your checking or savings account on the day the bill is due. And, because TMWA's handling costs are less, we credit your water bill 21 cents.
You can also pay online for FREE using your checking or savings account. Click here to set up your account. Once you have set up your account, click on "Payment Options" and then select the option to pay online by using checking or savings.
For more information on payment options, click here.
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The standards are for the use of flush assemblies for construction water. This does not mean every flush can have a construction water site. All construction water sites have to go through our Construction Water and engineering groups for approval.
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Hydrants can never be used for construction water. A $1000.00 fine will be assessed to those who try to tap hydrants for construction water. All hydrants are flat rate and are to be utilized only by the jurisdictional fire agencies and TMWA representatives.
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At TMWA, providing you with pure drinking water is not just our job, it's our life. As northern Nevadans, we're proud of the fact that our area enjoys some of the purest water in the nation, even in the world. But it doesn't happen by accident. Truth is, we go to amazing lengths to ensure that the water that flows from your tap is safe, cool, clear and refreshing. Your water at home meets and exceeds all federal drinking water standards and you do not need a system as your water is safe.
But if you are still interested, click here to read more about water filtration systems.
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Yes, we do have a drop box on the west side of our offices at 1355 Capital Blvd.
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The staff at all the water agencies in the Truckee Meadows, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Sun Vally General Improvement District, South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District and Washoe County, do not call their customers to make arrangements to test water. All of the afore mentioned water agencies have received inquiries from numerous customers who were confused about whether their water company was generating these calls, as they do not sound like sales calls. Please be aware that your water company, no matter which one it is, does not call customers to test water, either by telephone or by knocking on doors.
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If you want to mail a payment please use our payment mailing address:
P.O. Box 659565, San Antonio, TX 78265-9565
If you need to drop off a payment or visit us, please stop by our Corporate Offices at:
1355 Capital Blvd., Reno
Office Hours 8 a.m. - 5 p.m
For general correspondence, please use our Corporate office mailing address:
P.O. Box 30013, Reno, NV 89520-3013
For general inquiries please call us at:
775-834-8080, option 2
For general e-mail inquiries, please e-mail us at:
info@tmwa.net
For a complete listing of department contact information, please check out the Contact Us page.
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To find out more about water meters, see our water meters Web page, or send us an email to request an educational water meter video.
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First, refer to your copy of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority's 2007 Water Quality Report. This report describes what has been found in each water source as well as their concentrations. Typically, TMWA does not test the water from individual homes. We sample our water production wells and treatment facilities regularly and every month we take over 150 samples monthly scattered across our distribution system for microbial activity. We report these sampling results to the Washoe County Health Department as well as the State of Nevada. If you wish to sample your own water for your own information, you may wish to contact the Nevada State Health Lab at 688-1335 or check your local yellow pages for analytical laboratories that test water and make sure they are a state-certified water testing laboratory. Describe what you are interested in sampling and they will give you a price for analyzing your water as well as the sampling protocol.
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All drinking water contains some level of contaminants either man-made or naturally-occurring. However, these contaminants are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Nevada, and the Washoe County Health Department and kept at levels that are not considered a health risk. Many times a contaminant may be thought of to be very dangerous, but typically it’s not conveyed that one would have to consume hundreds or thousands of gallons of drinking water a day to get sick. If you wish to get more information about contaminants or health risks regarding water, you may check the EPA’s Drinking Water homepage at www.epa.gov/ogwdw or you may contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. Click here for our latest water quality report.
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In 2000, our average flat rate customer used over 320,000 gallons
of water per year. In comparison, our average metered customer used only
about 175,000 gallons.
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325,851 gallons. The quantity of water needed to cover 1 acre of land with 1 foot of water. One acre-foot is enough water to serve about 2 residences with water for a year.
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Senate Bill 487, passed in the 2007 Nevada Legislative Session, creates a new regional water entity in Washoe County named the Western Regional Water Commission. The bill was sponsored by the Interim Legislative Subcommittee created in 2005 by Senate Continuing Resolution 26 (SCR26), and is the product of input from water purveyors, cities and counties, and customers at numerous hearings in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The new law creates the WRWC and changes the role of the existing Regional Water Planning Commission, which will become a technical advisory group and will be re-named the Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission (NNWPC).
WRWC, the new entity, will focus on improving water resource planning at the regional level and facilitating coordinated resource management among the four public water purveyors (TMWA, Washoe County Water Resources, Sun Valley General Improvement District and South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District).
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The staff at Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) would like to remind you that if you are moving, it is your responsibility to notify us to terminate the water service at your current place of residence. Please give us five days notice in advance of your desired termination date. Customers are responsible for all charges to the account until service is terminated.
To request a transfer or termination of service, please contact us either via phone at 834-8080 and choose option 2 or visit My Account. At the time of the request, you must provide us with a mailing address to which the final bill will be mailed.
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TMWA typically does not test individual homes for hardness concentrations.
Your water's hardness varies considerably depending upon whether or
not you live near a prodution well and what time of year it is. In
the summer you could be getting a blend of surface and well water.
In the fall and winter you're receiving mostly treated surface water which would have a typical hardness between 3 to 4 grains (50 mg/L to 68 mg/L).
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Our water company is especially difficult to manage with a mixed metered and flat-rate system. The percentage of metered customers is now over 95%, with well over 80% of our customers billing on the metered rate. Nearly all single-family residential flat rate customers have been retrofit with a meter, with only multi-unit complexes (including duplexes and condominiums) remaining to be retrofit. We anticipate retrofitting these remaining customers with meters over the next several years. It will then be up to the TMWA Board of Directors to determine when all customers will be billed at the metered rate. At that point, every customer will be paying for the water they use—no more, and no less. Here Graphic A explains the percentage of water use by customer class and Graphic B compares 3/4" meter and flat rate water use.
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Most metered customers find that on an annual basis, they end up paying the same or less for their water use. Metered customers usually pay less in the winter months, when outside watering is minimal and more in the summer months, depending on lot size, type of landscape and method of irrigation.
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Dedicated water rights provide TMWA with the legal ability to divert water from the Truckee River to serve customers. Upon dedicating water rights for a project to TMWA, a customer is guaranteed reliable water service with water that meets or exceeds federal drinking water standards. However, TMWA still needs to have the plant and equipment necessary to treat and distribute the water and operate its supply system. Customers pay a monthly bill to cover the cost of providing these services.
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No. New developments must acquire water rights from a willing seller. In most cases, this water is being obtained by moving it from agricultural to municipal use; however, this does not increase or decrease the total amount of water used. The supply remains fixed. For more informations, click here to view the Growth issue paper.
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The Water Quality Report that was mailed to you in June contains this information. In the report, you will find the highest arsenic concentrations reported for each source and where each source is located. We closely monitor arsenic results and are required by the State of Nevada to remove from service any water production well that meets or exceeds the current MCL of 10 parts per billion.
Click here to view a copy of the Arsenic Compliance Plan.
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There are several reasons that may cause your water to turn brown or rust-colored. When the fire department flushes the fire hydrants, they test for sufficient pressure and flow to ensure fire protection. A large volume of water is blasted through the hydrant at very high speeds, scouring the water main. This scouring action disrupts the water main and any sediment that may have accumulated over the years becomes suspended in the water. The dirty water should go away soon after re-settling and you will have to flush your cold water faucets to evacuate the dirty water and bring fresh water into your water lines. Occasionally, changes in system pressure or a modification to valving in your area may cause discolored water until any sediment re-settles.
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Sometimes, pressure changes or flushing may be going on in your area without your knowledge and it may cause a temporary change in the taste or odor of your water. It is best to flush the cold water line in your bathtub for 15 to 20 minutes to get fresh water from the water main into your house. If this does not take care of your taste or odor problem, a flush crew from TMWA may have to be called out to flush the entire water main, especially if you’re in a cul-de-sac or at a dead-end of the water main. House flushing should be attempted first since flushing the entire water main unnecessarily not only takes a lot of water but also may temporarily stir up the water main for others as well. However, flushing the water main will not fix any problems due to household plumbing issues or piping issues.
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Customer Charge
For metered customers, the monthly customer charge is the minimum amount a customer pays for water service. It includes a portion of the costs to maintain and replace the meter and TMWA-owned pipes to each property, and the cost of equipment and labor to read the meter, process the meter reading, process payments, and provide any customer billing assistance.
Tiered Water Charges
For metered customers, this is the cost for the water you use each month; it is tiered to encourage conservation. The first tier reflects the average winter use. The second and third tiers are higher rates for any monthly usage over-and-above that amount. The usage charge includes a portion of the costs TMWA incurred to build the size of pipes, treatment plants, wells, pumps, regulator stations, and all equipment required to produce and transport water. It also includes all the equipment and labor to produce potable water, such as chemicals, lab testing, pumping and maintaining the water treatment plants.
Regional Water Management Fee
This fee is imposed by Washoe County to be expended solely for purposes of water planning. The fee is currently 1.5% of your total bill. TMWA has no control or discretion over this fee — it is a charge collected by TMWA and passed on to the local government.
Right of Way Toll
The Right of Way Toll (or franchise fee) is a fee charged to utilities and telecommunication companies for the right to use property owned by the government, for example, streets. For Reno residents, the standard fee is 2%. For Sparks residents, the standard fee is 5%. If you are a Washoe County resident outside of the cities of Reno and Sparks, you will not have this fee. TMWA has no control or discretion over this fee — it is a charge collected by TMWA and passed on to the local government.
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The Rules of the Authority govern how business is conducted by specifying:
- Conditions under which water will be delivered.
- Application requirements for people requesting to receive water from the Authority.
- The procedure for a customer to discontinue receiving water.
- Rights of the Authority to terminate delivery of water.
- Circumstances and procedure to restore delivery of water.
- Information to be furnished by the Authority regarding billing for payment for the delivery of water.
- Procedures for estimation of bills and proration of bills.
- Customer responsibility for payment of bill and procedures for adjustments.
- Application process for developers or builders of projects that require new or modified water system facilities.
- Cost responsibilities for new or modified facilities.
- Definition of ownership and access to Authority facilities.
- Water resources required to be dedicated to obtain a will-serve letter.
- Dispute resolution procedure.
- Retail and Wholesale service boundaries of the Authority.
Please click here for a complete list of Water Rules.
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Please click here to see our backflow standards. Please
click
here to see for a diagram of proper backflow locations.
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The water saved through responsible water use does not go to serve growth. It is either saved in upstream reservoirs or diverted to underground storage for use by existing customers during dry periods, or it goes downstream for use by other water users who rely on the Truckee River for their water supplies. An added bonus to saving water is it reduces TMWA's water production costs, which, in turn, can contribute to lower water rates. For more information on this topic, please refer to the Growth issue paper.
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Some people may be more vulnerable
to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised people such as people with cancerundergoing chemotherapy, people who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from
infections. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about their drinking water.
The EPA/CDC has guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants. More information about these and other contaminants and potential
health effects can be obtained by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. We test for Cryptosporidium weekly in both our source water and treated water. Cryptosporidium can be present in the Truckee River, but has not been found in the treated
water that goes to your tap.
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Find out if TMWA is your water provider by locating your street on our interactive Service Territory Map. If you are located within the indicated boundary, you are a TMWA customer. If you are not located within the TMWA Service Territory, your water may be provided by one of the other local water agencies.
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The Right of Way Toll (or franchise fee) is a pass-through fee imposed by a local government entity on utility and cable television companies for the right to have utility infrastructure located within the entity’s streets, roads and alleys. TMWA has no control or discretion over this fee. For Reno customers, the fee is 2 percent of your water charge and for Sparks customers, the fee is 5 percent of your water charge.
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TMWA’s corporate offices are located at 1355 Capital Blvd. in Reno. Our office hours are 8:00 am – 5:00 p.m. All payments that are mailed should be sent directly to P.O Box 659565, San Antonio, TX, 78265-9565.
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This fee is imposed by Washoe County to be expended solely for purposes of water planning. TMWA has no control or discretion over this fee. It is a pass-through charge.
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There are many sources that describe methods of drinking water disinfection or procedures in the event of an emergency. Typically, in the event of a crisis, the Washoe County Health Department will provide direction upon preferred methods of disinfection or any action that is necessary. Additional sources of information regarding emergency disinfection can be found through the EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water at www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/emerg.html.
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Home addresses ending in even numbers (0,2,4,6,8): Wednesdays and Saturdays
Home addresses ending in odd numbers (1,3,5,7,9): Thursdays and Sundays
All local businesses: Tuesdays and Fridays
No watering: Monday
TMWA rules and city ordinances prohibit watering between 1 and 5 p.m. For more information on Assigned Watering Days, click here.
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Planning, designing, and maintaining your yard just got easier with the online version of TMWA's Landscape Guide. Click here to learn more about this and other tools TMWA offers to help you landscape your yard.
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Before contacting the TMWA staff, please check our Water Quality FAQ section. Here you will find answers to the most commonly asked water quality questions. If your question is not answered in this section, please send a detailed email about your water quality concerns to waterquality@tmwa.net. From here, your question or comment will be routed to the person best suited to answer or address your questions. This email address is checked many times a day for messages.
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Please call the Truckee Meadows Water Authority's Conservation Hotline at 834-8005. Or send us an email here.
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Backflow is not TMWA's rule, but under the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) rules. State Health Requirements Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 445A & Washoe County Model Ordinance require all water agencies to have backflow prevention programs, and the regulations support TMWA's current requirements. Additionally, the regulations do not distinguish between residential and commercial services.
Like other water agencies in the State of Nevada, TMWA has been required
to implement a backflow prevention program consistent with the Nevada Administrative Code 445A(long). You may view exerpts from NAC 445A regarding backflow protection by clicking here.
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Fire is flat rate because this water service is to be utilized only for emergency response purposes in the event of fire. Fire protection is charged a rate per inch of the nominal diameter of the service pipe. The customer owns all of the service line and valve at the tap. Refer to ,Water Rates schedule.
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The water evaporates, or doesn't land on your lawn.
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During the hottest parts of the day, most of the water applied on your lawn during those hours evaporates and doesn't reach the plants' root system.
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Effective January 2005, Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is making its payment operations more efficient and customer-centered by combining all remittance processing in San Antonio, Texas. This change is not only the most cost-effective customer service solution, but it will allow TMWA to provide a greater level of customer service through the following:
Reduced Mailing Time - This urban hub will allow for faster mail delivery with no change in the number of days customers have to mail in their payments. That means customers will get speedier credit to their accounts with the same mailing time - a double benefit for customers who use our mail-in payment option.
Remittance Accuracy - TMWA customers will also benefit from the new processing center that already handles over 6.5 million utility payments per month with a very high accuracy rate. Additionally, with this change, TMWA's customer service representatives will be able to view copies of customer checks or money order payments online. This will give TMWA instant access to resolve any payment questions - all with no additional cost to TMWA or our customers.
For additional payment options, please check out the Billing and Payment Options section of our website.
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Since sewer charges may be significantly higher if separate services are not installed, it is to the benefit of the commercial customer to have separate domestic and irrigation services. For future operations at the site, there may be instances where shutting down an irrigation service does not interfere with the operation of the domestic service. Also, tariffs dictate & customers benefit from reduction on sewer use fees for irrigation services.
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Assigned day watering provides a benefit to us all. By conserving our water supplies we can keep water in storage for times of need. In addition, we can recharge our groundwater stores for use at a later date.
To learn more please visit the Your Watering Schedule section.
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When Truckee Meadows Water Authority was established in 2001 as a new water company, staff analyzed the options for: establishing services within TMWA or using an outside vendor.
The priority was to ensure that TMWA would provide the lowest cost option consistent with the highest quality customer service operations.
TMWA staff conducted an extensive cost and service analysis. The key factors analyzed were:
TMWA’s core competence is operating water distributions systems delivering clean, pure water.
Business analysis proved that the total cost of hiring staff, establishing an office, and providing equipment was neither economically nor operationally justified in comparison to using an outside vendor. The costs analyzed included: call center staff (with various levels of experience), training staff, data processing and call center equipment, office space, office equipment, etc.
TMWA strictly adhered to the public process, which demands creating a Request for Qualifications, soliciting respondents in appropriate newspapers and journals and contacting recognized corporations specializing in utility customer service and billing operations. The findings:
There were no local or Nevada companies that had the background or experience to comply with stringent billing and customer service requirements.
After in-depth research and investigation TMWA selected a company that had a proven track record of over 175 successful utility company installations; offering the full spectrum of customer service operations with operational costs were lower than if TMWA provided the services in-house.
The contract with this vendor has continually allowed TMWA to:
Minimize costs to our customers
Maximize all aspects of customer service
Concentrate on improving operational efficiencies
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There are numerous reasons for an increased water bill. We have provided detailed information on the High Bill Help area in the My Account area. On this page you can also submit a request for TMWA personnel to contact you about this issue. Click here to learn more about water rates.
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Many of the water mains are very old with some more than 50 years old. Over a period of time, particulates accumulate in the pipe and will get stirred up by flushing, pressure fluctuations, or valving. When dirty water is noticed and any flushing in the area has been completed, it is best to run the cold water in your bathtub for 15 to 20 minutes to get fresh water into your house and to move the dirty water out of your pipes.
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