TMWA Wells Used to Recharge Aquifers

Since 1993, the Truckee Meadows Water Authority has been using wells to pump water into the ground. About 90 wells are spread around Reno and Sparks, used when the Truckee River does not meet the demand. 

Now, they are being used for storage.

"We're looking at restoring groundwater flow in the aquifer, putting water back into the system," Paul Miller, TMWA Manager of Operations and Water Quality said.

TMWA puts the water back into the ground from about October to March. About four times as much water is used during the summer than in the winter. That allows about 10 million gallons per day of treated water to be saved underground.

"We're able to use the excess treatment capacity, produce more treated surface water, spread it throughout the distribution system, and put it back into 20 different sites across town," Miller said.

Miller says they would like to double the amount of wells, used for recharging the aquifers. 4,000 acre feet of water were pumped into the ground, last year. A typical well has a pipe for pumping the water out, but water cannot go both ways. That is why another pipe is installed, allowing water to bypass the system and flow into the ground.

"It's invaluable," Miller said. "It's just another asset of our water supply that we can rely upon during times of need."

One pump house can inject 310-325 gallons of water into the well, per minute. The levels are observed in the control room, where the treatment plant and distribution center are monitored, 24 hours a day. The control room shows where the water mains are, throughout the Truckee Meadows, and allows TMWA to check the water levels in each well. 

Keeping them full can be very important, down the road.

"We always say we treat groundwater like money in the bank," Miller said. "We only use it when we have to but we like to operate the wells, keep them in service, keep them utilized. We use them for different reasons, just to keep them in place all the time, so that they're ready when we do need them."