Water Quality Fact Sheets
In the news
Here at TMWA, we strive to stay on top of current issues relating to water quality and our water supplies. We have created this page to better communicate to our customers news items that have local impacts as well as national issues regarding drinking water. Please click on a link below to find information sheets of local interest along with links to related websites.
Fact Sheets
Photo Credit: H.D.A. Lindquist, U.S. EPA
Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and Giardia lamblia (intestinalis) cysts imaged together for purposes of comparison. In the photomicrograph, the C. parvum oocysts are distinguished from neighboring G. lamblia cysts by their smaller size. Bar = 10 microns.
How does TMWA rate for water quality?
Our tap water is safe to drink. Our water quality meets, and in most cases, significantly exceeds all Environmental Protection Agency and Nevada State Health standards.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised people such as people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk, from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
We test for Cryptosporidium weekly in both our source water and treated water. Cryptosporidium is rarely in the Truckee River, and has not been found in the treated water that goes to your tap. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Our sources of drinking water include lakes, river, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
- Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems,agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
- Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
- Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
- Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
- Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.
Truckee Meadows Water Authority is in full compliance with the Federal Lead and Copper Rule as indicated by recent testing. The most recent results at the customer's tap for both Lead and Copper show the highest Lead value of 7.6 mg/L detected (Action Limit 15 mg/L) and the highest Copper value of 0.53 mg/L detected (Action Limit 1.30 mg/L). Over 90 percent of the samples analyzed for lead were below the minimum detection limit of 3 mg/L, and over 90 percent of the samples analyzed for Copper were below the minimum detection level of 0.05 mg/L.
Action limits shown in parentheses next to the results are those values at which the water would not be in compliance. Truckee Meadows Water Authority obtained approval from the State of Nevada, Health Division and Bureau of Health Protection Services to implement an Optimum Corrosion Control Treatment Program using Sodium Carbonate. This program will minimize corrosion in customer pipes.
Truckee Meadows Water Authority also possesses a variance to operate both the Chalk Bluff Water Treatment Facility and the Glendale Water Treatment Facility at an accelerated filtered loading rate of 7.5 gpm/ft^2. This high rate filtration variance saved water customers millions of dollars in rates by increasing production capacity without the need for additional facility expansion.