Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is continuing work toward a new water treatment plant to enhance groundwater resources in the Mt. Rose area.
The plan, which is in its initial phase, was brought about because the area relies on groundwater for 100 percent of its water supply. With the ongoing drought Northern Nevada is facing, this could be of major concern to the area’s citizens and home-owners.
As a result, engineers and planners with TMWA are seeking to provide supplemental water sources for the long-term sustainability of the local groundwater aquifer.
The plan is to construct a 8,800 square foot water treatment plant off of Whites and Thomas Creeks near Galena, just adjacent to Callahan Road. The plant is designed to fit into the neighborhood by being as unobtrusive as possible, TMWA representatives said.
T
he groundwater sustainability plan dictates diverting water only when adequate creek flows are available so that sufficient flows will remain in order to maintain wildlife and habitat needs.
In a letter, Mickey Hazelwood, the Truckee River Project director of The Nature Conservancy, reviewed the proposal:
“TMWA and Stantec [the engineering/design company working on the project] have gone above and beyond what is required by federal and state regulatory guidelines in assessing insert flow needs to support the existing instream and riparian habitat and the wildlife that depend on those habitats.”
A public open house regarding the proposed plant was held Monday. Concerned citizens gathered to discuss the details and the future of the plan.
“Our goal with everything in this project is to pump less groundwater than we are today, even with new development,” said John Enloe, TMWA’s operational strategies manager.
Plant construction is anticipated to start in the spring of 2017.
For details on the plan and the steps for its approval, visit https://tmwa.com.
