The Truckee Meadows Water Authority obtains its water supply from surface water and groundwater. Surface water is treated at Chalk Bluff and Glendale treatment plants before distribution into the system, and the groundwater is pumped from wells throughout the service territory as shown in the map to the right.
Surface Water
Surface water sources and storage provide between 75% to 90% of the TMWA water supply. The surface storage areas are:
- Lake Tahoe:
732,000 acre feet of storage - Boca Reservoir:
40,800 acre feet of storage - Independence Lake:
17,500 acre feet of storage - Donner Lake:
9,500 acre feet of storage - Additional federal storage of 14,000 acre feet is provided on a 25 year contract
- The operation of the river and use of river water by TMWA is governed by the Negotiated Settlement, a brief summary of which can be found by clicking on link above.
Groundwater
Groundwater sources and storage provide between 10% to 25% of the TMWA water supply. TMWA owns 29 production wells that have a capacity of 58.2 million gallons per day. The wells are used for summer peak times and provide off-river reliability. In winter months, the wells are used to recharge treated water.
Distribution System
The distribution system that brings water from the surface and groundwater sources to your house is comprised of 1,000 miles of water main pipelines, 94 booster pumps, 90 pressure regulator stations, 2 man-made reservoirs, and 30 storage tanks. The total water storage capacity of this system is 103 million gallons.
