At TMWA, providing you with pure drinking water is not just our job, it's our life. As Nevadans, we're proud to boast 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 you tap is safe, cool, clear and refreshing.
TMWA has compiled this information to help customers understand the water supply and quality issues vital to our area and in accordance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Water Quality Report
In this section you will find the most recent federally required Water Quality Report for our service area. The printed version is available by calling our offices at (775) 834-8080, option 2, or you can pick one up at 1355 Capital Blvd. Our area enjoys some of the best water quality in the country, but this doesn't happen by accident. TMWA staff and Board of Directors go to great lengths to ensure that your tap water is safe, clear, clean and refreshing.
The report, mailed to our customers in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, has been compiled to help you understand quality issues vital to our water supply. If you would like further information, please feel free to contact us and any of our water experts listed in the report. They are happy to answer any of your questions.
TMWA Tap Water is Free of Pharmaceuticals
Results are negative for EDCs and Pharmaceuticals
Read more
Water Quality Lookup Page
In the Water Quality section there is also a water quality lookup page. This page provides specific water quality information for different regions of TMWA's service territory.
Water Quality News and Fact Sheets
Here you can find several fact sheets and news updates about our water quality. Also, find information about TMWA's state-of-the-art water quality laboratory.
Water Filtration Systems
Click here for information on Home Filtration Systems.
Do I need to purchase a water filtration system?
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 water quality is among the best in the country. However, 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.
How can I get my water tested?
First, refer to your copy of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority's 2008
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 contact the Nevada State Health Lab at
688-1335 or check your local yellow pages for analytical laboratories that test water.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.
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 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.
All water quality data is available free of charge upon customer request. Truckee Meadows Water Authority sends this data to local and state health departments in a monthly report that is also available to customers upon request. Truckee Meadows Water Authority has an open door policy on all water quality issues, and customers are encouraged to view any aspect of our water purification system. Click here for our latest water quality report.
Precautions are necessary to prevent contaminated water from entering through your irrigation system. Bacteria and other microbiological contaminants may enter your system through malfunctioning valves or broken sprinkler heads and subsurface pipes. Water may also become chemically contaminated if you are applying or injecting fertilizers into your drip system.
Potential contamination from your irrigation systems becomes a serious issue should backflow occur. Backflow is a flow reversal that may occur from a broken water main or from a flowing fire hydrant. In order to protect your home from backflow, an appropriate "backflow prevention assembly" must be incorporated into your irrigation system.
Properly installed and maintained backflow prevention assemblies will prevent contamination and are required by state and local laws. To learn more, and to determine the proper backflow device for you application, call us at 834-8011.
How does TMWA purify the water?
The Truckee Meadows Water Authority employs conventional water treatment that meets the federally mandated method of purification. We supply surface water via the Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Plant (located in northwest Reno) and Glendale Water Treatment Plant (located in Sparks).
Click here to read about the water treatment process.
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 production 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).
Is there arsenic in our water?
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.
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 for 15 to 20 minutes to evacuate the dirty water and bring fresh water into your water lines. Occasionally, changes in system pressure or operating valves in your area may cause discolored water until any sediment re-settles.
My water tastes or smells different. What can I do?
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.
What if I have a severely compromised immune system?
Some people may be more vulnerable
to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised people such as people with cancer undergoing 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 1-800-426-4791. 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.
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.
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.
