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Indicator Gauge Icon Legend

Legend Colors

Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change  from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

More information about the gauges and icons

Water Consumption: Total Retail Water Use (acre feet)

Measurement Period: 2022

Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s (TMWA) annual total retail water use in acre feet (does not include wholesale use in Sun Valley, Spanish Springs, South Truckee Meadows). TMWA’s retail service area is approximately 90% of Washoe County.

1 acre foot = 325,851 gallons or the amount it would take to cover a football field with one foot of water

The region’s primary drinking water utility is Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA), a community-based water utility formed through a joint-powers agreement between the City of Reno, City of Sparks and Washoe County. TMWA’s water supply portfolio is a mix of surface water and groundwater that serves over 440,000 residents. Groundwater provides approximately 15-20% of supply from regional aquifers. Surface water is conveyed by the Truckee River, which provides 80-85% of the water TMWA produces but amounts to approximately 3-9% of total river flow. Upstream drought reserves are held in six reservoirs and are held primarily for use during drought. Detailed storage information can be found on TMWA’s upstream reserves tracker.

 Water demand and conservation outcomes can best be understood by viewing production and consumption data in context of total population (see graphs below). One of the most impactful reductions in demand was due to the conversion from a flat rate to a metered rate billing system.  

Smaller residential lots and drought-friendly landscaping have also factored into the ability to serve more people with less water, as outdoor irrigation in the summer can increase residential consumption significantly. Of note, summertime conservation with Assigned Day Watering has been in effect since the mid-1980s. This program helps distribute demand across the system during the summer.

For more information about the quality of our region's drinking water, visit www.tmwa.com.

Why is this important?

Water demand is dependent upon residential household use, commercial use in the production of goods and services, and irrigation (dependent upon landscaping and weather). As the region grows, the population, housing units and landscaping drive residential demand, the largest component of system use.  Reducing water usage helps keep the water costs down by not having to build new treatment plants, delaying having to find new water supply sources, and allowing increased snow pack in wet winters to re-fill reserves. Conservation measures play an increasingly large role as drought years continue, even though water usage increases following floods. Water conservation efforts are also a key requirement of the region’s agreements under the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA). Residential use has not been consistently over 200 gallons per capita per day since the late 1980’s.

More...
88,574
acre feet
Source: Truckee Meadows Water Authority
Measurement period: 2022
Maintained by: Truckee Meadows Tomorrow
Last update: March 2023
Filter(s) for this location: State: Nevada
Compared to See the Legend
Technical note: Truckee Meadows Water Authority, 2040 Water Resources Plan, https://tmwa.com/wrp2020/
More details: Water consumption data collection factors changed with the TMWA-Washoe County merger in 2015; processing data is now done differently than in the past.

Graph Selections

Indicator Values
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Data Source

Filed under: Environmental Health / Built Environment, Community / Delivery of Essential Services

Nevada Tomorrow