Washoe County Department of Water Resources
Reclaimed Water
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During the summer months DWR's reclaimed water customers use approximately 40 million gallons of reclaimed water a week
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Reclaimed water saves millions of gallons of drinking water every year
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It is used to irrigate more than 800 acres of community parks, school yards, shopping malls, construction sites, greenbelts, golf courses, and along arterial streets in south Reno
The Department of Water Resources is committed to developing alternative sources of water, such as reclaimed water, versus using potable water to meet the demand for outdoor irrigation during the summer months.
Reclaimed water is produced by the South Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (STMWRF), which is owned by Washoe County.
In the coming years the County will expand sewer treatment capacity from the current 4.1-million gallons per day to 6-million gallons per day (mgd), substantially increasing the production of reclaimed water. The expansion will help reduce our need to process and deliver increasingly expensive treated groundwater or purchase wholesale potable water, especially during the peak irrigation season.
The treatment process used at the STMWRF plant includes screening, oxidation, secondary clarification, filtration and disinfection. The treated reclaimed water is piped into the Huffaker Reservoir where it is stored and eventually distributed to reclaimed water customers throughout the South Truckee Meadows area.
Reclaimed water irrigates more than 800 acres of city parks, golf courses, road medians and athletic fields during the summer months. It also has construction applications; the Nevada Department of Transportation used more than 100 million gallons of reclaimed water at the Interstate-580 construction site.