The next frontier of regionalization in Northern Nevada

The Reno-Washoe County, Nevada Region has benefited from regional planning and management of the entire water cycle through collaboration activities that are focused on unified planning, coordination, and integrated management of water resources, wastewater, stormwater, and flood control. This comprehensive approach addresses the critical need to secure long-term water reliability and optimizes the stewardship of limited resources for the region.   

A foundation of regional collaboration

The Reno-Washoe region has established a strong framework for unified planning through agencies like the Western Regional Water Commission and the Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission. This commitment to integrated governance is evident in the successful consolidation of water utilities into the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA). Furthermore, the region benefits from shared infrastructure management, exemplified by the Cities of Reno and Sparks’ joint ownership and operation of the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility. Together with collaborative flood control initiatives, these multi-jurisdictional efforts are essential for securing long-term water reliability and optimizing resource stewardship.

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Future regionalization for enhanced resilience

More recently, Raftelis has assisted the WRWC and the NNWPC in undertaking a regional collaboration through a feasibility study focused on the comprehensive regional planning and management of wastewater utilities and effluent disposal, with a critical eye toward water resources and water rights management. This regionalization effort, which was built on successful models like TMWA, aims to extend regional cooperation or consolidate wastewater operations across entities, including the City of Reno, the City of Sparks, and Washoe County. Opportunities for future regionalization activities span the entire water cycle, including enhancing water conservation, integrating financial and operational systems, consolidating capital improvement projects (CIPs), managing regional effluent (including non-potable and direct potable reuse), coordinating regulatory compliance, and potentially addressing regional stormwater management and flood control. Through this effort, the region aims to explore opportunities that could potentially further optimize resource stewardship further, ensure financial efficiency, improve service consistency (parity in rates), and secure long-term environmental protection for the Truckee River watershed.