October 1st means the start of a new water year for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority. They begin the new year by analyzing plans with the community.

October 1st means the start of a new water year for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, and they began the new year by attending a Citizen Advisory Board Meeting in Spanish Springs. 

There, they gave a presentation to the community regarding topics like Spanish Spring groundwater versus surface water numbers, an outlook on water infrastructure, some projects they have planned, and an in-depth look at their 20-year resource plan. 

"The 2025 to 2045 Water Resource Plan looks out 20 years into the future," said Senior Hydrologist and Watershed coordinator Kara Steeland. "We actually look out, even to the end of the century, using climate modeling and looking at climate variability. And so, the snowpack and our reservoir levels really dictate how we plan for the future, ensuring that we have sufficient water supplies for our community, year over year."

The plan heavily revolves around TMWA's ability to analyze weather patterns during the winter months and see what snowmelt fills their reservoirs. 

"We are a snowpack-driven system here. We really rely on snowmelt. The snowpack acts as basically a natural reservoir for us up in the mountains. As it slowly melts through the spring and early summer months, it provides us with stream flows and also fills our reservoirs, so we have that water for use later in the season."

During the meeting, TMWA also said around 90% of Spanish Springs water service is surface water, and for the entire region, it's around an 80/20 split. 

They also unveiled plans for an advanced purified water recycling facility, which is to begin construction in 2026. In addition to this, they will also be constructing a new hydroelectric power plant, their fourth in the area.Â