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TMWA General Manager Mark Foree at the Verdi Hydroelectric Plant

Our Water Supply Benefits From Generations
of Careful Water Planning

The following article was published in the Reno Gazette Journal on Sunday, May 8th.

As summer approaches, many people are wondering about the status of our water supply. We had a moderate recovery this winter and spring thanks to numerous storms. The good news is that we do not anticipate using our upstream reserves this year, meaning Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) will not be asking our customers for any additional conservation. Please continue to use water responsibly, but rest assured, we are saving all the water that we are legally permitted to store in our upstream reservoirs.

During last summer and fall, following the driest winter on record, TMWA used only 40 percent of our upstream reserves. Thanks goes out to the community for responding so well to our request for a 10 percent reduction in water use. That water-savings goal was nearly doubled, with our customers reducing their use by nearly 20 percent. We stored that saved water in upstream reservoirs. In addition, the long-anticipated Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA) went into operation last December. For the first time ever, TROA allows us to store water in upstream reservoirs during the winter. This means we will go into this summer with about 65 percent more upstream reserves than we had going into last summer, or about 44,000 acre feet (over 14 billion gallons). If you would like to check out the status of our upstream reserves, please visit tmwa.com/reserves.

Our water future has never been more secure than it is today. However, those of us currently in the water business can’t take all of the credit, as smart management of our water resources started decades ago when our predecessor purchased Independence Lake in the 1930’s. Generations of long-term planning for dry conditions is what makes us different from many communities in the West who are still suffering water supply shortages. Living in the desert requires the need to plan ahead. Careful management of our water supply has been passed down from generation to generation and is the major reason why our region’s water system is different and difficult to compare to other systems.

TROA, implemented late last year after nearly 30 years of planning, negotiation and legal challenges, brings immense benefits to the Truckee Meadows water supply. This is an absolute game changer for our region. During droughts, TMWA now has the legal right to hold back and store more drought reserves in upstream reservoirs than ever before. Over time, our upstream drought storage will nearly triple TMWA’s previous storage capacity. Credit must be given to Senator Harry Reid, who convened the major parties on the Truckee River and started discussions on how to change the operation of the river and provide multiple benefits for all river users. Today, TROA is the biggest and most important piece of TMWA’s Water Resource Plan. View the entire plan at tmwa.com/plan.

In addition to the crucial and timely implementation of TROA, we are also proud to announce that the purchase of additional storage rights in Donner Lake is complete. The Truckee Carson Irrigation District recently sold their half of the Donner Lake water right to TMWA. This will enhance our community’s water resource portfolio and further expand our ability to store water upstream for use during droughts.

Another important piece of TMWA’s water supply program is to maximize the use of Truckee River water when it is available and reduce pumping of groundwater wells. During the winter months we turn off as many groundwater wells as possible and serve customers with treated surface (river) water. In addition, we also store treated surface water in underground aquifers during the winter months for use during droughts. TMWA has recharged 21 wells over the past seven months, storing nearly 887 million gallons of water underground. We are also in the process of expanding this program as 26 additional wells are being evaluated that could be added to our Aquifer Storage and Recovery program.

All these things add up to a very robust and resilient system that will provide a reliable water supply to our community even during extreme droughts. We ask you to please continue to use our precious resource responsibly and enjoy the summer.

Geno Martini is Mayor of Sparks and the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority


TMWA Refinances Bonds, Saves $15 Million

Credit Rating Upgraded by Standard & Poors

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) has successfully issued Series 2016 Refunding Bonds, refinancing its 2006 Bonds and eliminating $22.8 million in outstanding principal. The refunding will have a major impact on TMWA’s finances, achieving $15 million in savings in today’s dollars.

As part of the refunding effort, TMWA’s credit rating was upgraded by Standard and Poors from “AA- (positive outlook)” to “AA (stable outlook)”. Moody’s reaffirmed TMWA’s “AA (stable outlook)”. The credit-rating upgrade and reaffirmation set the stage for the refunding. The success of the recent consolidation of the Washoe County and the South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District water utilities into TMWA together with implementation of the Truckee River Operating Agreement, as well as strong operational and financial management metrics, underpinned the credit ratings.

“The order interest in our bonds was overwhelming, attracting nearly six times as many offers on the table than we had bonds available.” explained TMWA’s general manager Mark Foree. The oversubscription allowed TMWA to negotiate a lower interest rate and save an immediate $800,000 on the day of pricing.

“TMWA was able to successfully differentiate itself from other western water utilities in terms of drought resiliency, which was recognized by the credit rating agencies as well,” said Foree. “Our drought management practices were well received,” he said. The results of the refunding effort positively impacts TMWA finances which benefits all customers of our community owned water system.


Learn more about TMWA by visiting our website at: www.tmwa.com.

TMWA LINKS


Summer Conservation FAQs—What TMWA is Asking for This Year

What conservation measures will TMWA ask of its customers this summer?

As always, we are asking our customers to use water responsibly. There is never a good reason to waste water. This is particularly true since the region is still experiencing drought conditions. Please continue to water on your assigned days and never run your sprinklers between noon and 6 p.m.

Why is TMWA not calling for additional conservation, like last summer when an additional 10% reduction was requested?

In accordance with the 2016-2035 Water Resource Plan, when there are normal (natural) flows in the Truckee River past Labor Day, additional conservation measures are not required.

To put it another way, our drought reserves are in great shape. TMWA only asks our customers for additional conservation when we have to use our reserves from upstream reservoirs. That’s when the water our customers save can be held back and kept in storage for later use. We do not anticipate using any of these reserves this summer. Rest assured, we are currently storing all of the water that we are legally permitted to store in our upstream reservoirs.

Why is the situation so different from last summer? Aren’t we still in a drought?

There is a difference between drought conditions and water supply conditions. Though the drought persists, our water supply is in great shape, due to this winter’s normal snowpack and the implementation of the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA). This year we are able to store significantly more drought reserves upstream in Independence, Donner, Boca, Stampede and Tahoe under the new TROA river management guidelines. This means we will have 65 percent more upstream reserves than we had last year. That’s 44,000 acre feet, or approximately 14 billion gallons, held for later use should we need it.

Even though the drought may continue, our water supply is secure this year and for the foreseeable future.


KUNR: Average Snowpack Means Washoe Won't Have To Cut Back Water Use!

Partnership for Safe Water logo In this KUNR interview, TMWA's Senior Hydrologist Bill Hauck and Director of Customer Relations Andy Gebhardt, answer questions about our current water situation and what conservation measures TMWA will be asking of their customers this summer.

Listen Here>>

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