The Truckee Meadows is known for having clean drinking water, and that trend continues with the Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s annual report.
TMWA’s 2026 Water Quality Report looks back at data collected in 2025. In it, the agency reports no harmful contaminant levels.
Of the more than 100 contaminants they test for, only 30 had a high enough concentration to warrant inclusion in the report. Of them, 29 meet the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG), or the maximum amount the Environmental Protection Agency wants to see.
But if the goal isn't feasible, the EPA has a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) that serves as a hard ceiling.
For example, the EPA would like to see no arsenic in drinking water, but it allows up to 10 parts per billion. TMWA’s report shows levels of 6 ppb.
In high concentrations, arsenic can negatively impact health, but the EPA is still researching the effects of low concentrations.
"With any of the surface water, our operators treat it through a multi-stage process. And our chemists and microbiologists will collect samples and analyze them, ensure that they meet safe standards,” says Jennie Fong Buchanan, Water Quality and Environmental Permitting Manager, TMWA.
Most contaminants are tested annually. But lead is not, simply because there's not a lot of it in our water.
"We do have to conduct lead and copper studies every three years. And we have customers collect water samples for us, and we analyze them to ensure that all the water samples are within range,” Buchanan says.
TMWA is required to keep inventory of all water lines, and there are currently no lead pipes in the system.
Very low levels of forever chemicals, including PFAS, have been detected in our water, but the most present one is only showing levels of one hundredth of a part per billion.
TMWA reports no drinking water violations in 2025, and residents are grateful for the clean water.
Timothy Paul Metcalf says he moved here from Lebanon, Oregon, which has had issues with water quality dating back to the 1990s. Here, he can enjoy tap water whenever.
Metcalf drinks from the tap “all the time. I don't have to buy bottled water. Bottled water is getting crazy."
You can view TMWA’s report here. That website also includes a Spanish version, and other reports for areas such as Old Washoe and Sunrise Estates.
