Welcome to
Smart About Water

A place to understand approaches to water-resource management in the Truckee Meadows.

Conservation Works!

Reducing Water Waste, Preventing Leaks and Saving Energy

Conservation programs for people living in the Truckee Meadows has been in place since the mid-1980s and has proven to provide multi-faceted benefits. In fact, per capita consumption of water today is about the same as it was 35 years ago in the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area.

With water metering, distributed irrigation through Assigned-Day Watering and effective water resource management strategies, Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) has a solid blueprint to remain resilient to northern Nevada’s semi-arid climate and fluctuating winter snowpacks for decades to come.

Assigned-Day Watering for Sprinkler Irrigation

Assigned-day watering is the community’s standard ethic for sprinkler irrigation throughout the year. It’s all based on the last number of the street address, which determines the following watering days schedule (print out reminder below). Everyone gets three days to run sprinklers:

Odd addresses (1, 3, 5, 7, 9): Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays
Even addresses (0, 2, 4, 6, 8): Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
Mondays: Rest day for the system

Note: Drip irrigation and hand watering are always permitted.

Smart Meters: Preventing Leaks Has Never Been Easier

With online account access, TMWA customers can also reduce water waste by setting-up Leak Alerts through the customer profile settings. Additionally with Smart Meter access, the portal provides near real time water usage to better understand ways to save water. For a step-by-step video tutorial to set-up an online account to establish leak alerts, go to tmwa.com/ami-how-to.

Saving Energy Helps Keep Customer Rates Stable

By spreading out demand and preventing waste, managed water use help reduce the energy required to treat and distribute drinking water across over a 170-square miles service area. Since pumping and filtration are energy-intensive, lower demand directly cuts electricity use which is one of Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s largest variable costs.

Print a copy of your Assigned Watering Days here!

Truckee River and Tahoe Basins: Daily Water Update (click to flip!)

Daily SNOTEL Basin Index

Snow water equivalent, percent of average

18%

Lake Tahoe Basin

21%

Truckee River Basin

Updated 4/2/26. This is the final snow year data for 2026.

Current Truckee River Flow

Reno

Updating...

1,120

CF/S

Farad

Updating...

11.6

CF/S

Low Medium High

Upstream Water Storage

Reflects water stored by TMWA

41,987AF

Updated 05/12/2026

Current Lake Tahoe Level

The maximum legal limit for Lake Tahoe is 6,229.1 ft.

Water Treatment Plant Production

Currently distributed to TMWA customers

91.1MG/D

Typical High: 105 MG/D Typical Low: 33 MG/D

Hydroelectric Production

Amount of clean energy generated from the Truckee River

6,862kW

Powers the equivalent of 3,568 households

Daily SNOTEL Basin Index

Year-to-date indexes represent % of normal snow water equivalent compared to median value on this day for the 1981-2010 period.

This provisional data is provided from the California/Nevada SNOTEL Snow/Precipitation Update Report by the Natural Resources Conversation Service, and is subject to revision. Null percentages mean there is no measurable snowpack on that day.

Current Truckee River Flow

A key location where Truckee River flows are measured (in cubic feet per second or cfs) is near the California-Nevada state line, at the USGS Farad gaging station. This is the gaging station where required rates of flow are measured.

From March through September the required rate of flow is set for 500 cfs, and between October and February required rate of flow is 400 cfs. Flow rates are managed by the Federal Water Master and all data is provided by the United States Geological Survey.

For responsible recreational enthusiasts who monitor these flows, this map outlines all access points, features, diversions and portage options along the Truckee River from Truckee, CA to Tracy, NV.

Upstream Water Storage

Volume of water is measured in Acre Feet (AF). While many stakeholders also store water upstream, information shown here only reflects the upstream reserves held by Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

Water stored by TMWA is updated daily:

Boca Reservoir	65 Acre Feet
Donner Lake	9,324 Acre Feet
Independence Lake	17,235 Acre Feet
Prosser Reservoir	0 Acre Feet
Stampede Reservoir	15,363 Acre Feet
Lake Tahoe	0 Acre Feet

Current Lake Tahoe Level

The Dam at Tahoe City controls the amount of water released into the Truckee River. It can retain 6.1 feet of Lake Tahoe, or at maximum 744,600 acre feet of water. This maximum volume is met when water behind the dam reaches an elevation of 6229.10 feet.

Water Treatment Plant Production

Water from the Truckee Meadows is treated at two locations: the Chalk Bluff Treatment Plant in northwest Reno and the Glendale Water Treatment Plant in Sparks. Treatment plant output varies by season, as peak summertime customer demand can be as much as 4 times typical wintertime customer demand.

Many residents in the region are also served by groundwater wells.

Hydroelectric Production

The Truckee River is an excellent source of hydroelectric power. In fact, Fleish, Verdi and Washoe hydroelectric power plants produce an average of 50,000 kWh per year. This clean energy offsets the operational power costs for Truckee Meadows Water Authority and is a key contributing factor for keeping water rates as low as possible for customers. Benefits to the environment are sizable as well. Every day that the hydroelectric plants run at full capacity, over 90,500 pounds of CO2 emissions are effectively eliminated from our atmosphere.

Participate and Learn

May 2026

Saturday, May 9 Smart About Water Day - Celebrating 25 Years of Local Water System Control

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Idlewild Park's California Building

Join regional water resource agencies to learn how our regional water resources are managed. There will be activities and family-focused displays and presentations with food trucks onsite. Free to the community and timed to kick off the 25th anniversary for the formation of Truckee Meadows Water Authority!

Wednesday, May 20th Drip System Maintenance Made Easy

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at 1355 Capital Blvd.

Attendees will be introduced to the basic concepts of operating, maintaining and repairing a typical residential drip system.

Attendees must be a minimum of 10 years of age.