Despite a subpar winter that resulted in a snowpack that was just 70 percent of normal, the Truckee Meadows Water Authority says residential water supply is expected meet demands through the peak summer months. The storms in April are helping.

"Just the last week-and-a-half, things have really changed for us," Bill Hauck, Water Supply Supervisor for TMWA said. "The water supply outlook is quite a bit brighter."

"We were happy before this last storm," Andy Gebhardt, Director of Distribution Services for TMWA said. "We knew we had enough water supply to meet the customer demands. Then this last week-and-a-half has been icing on the cake."

River flows are expected to be normal through September and into October. That is about when residents start turning off their sprinkler systems. They are still encouraged to use their water responsibly. Especially, during the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 

"We're asking customers to water responsibly, water wisely, keep doing what you've always been doing," Hauck said.

There are some other things that customers can pay attention to that could save them money and water.

"Just watch for run-off, fix your sprinkler systems, make sure you repair your leaks but really use what you need to use," Gebhardt said. "Use what you want to use. Just don't waste it."

TMWA has storage in six different upstream reservoirs. Those include Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake, Prosser, Independence, Stampede, and Boca Reservoirs. Thanks to the Truckee River Operating Agreement in 2015, it has a record amount of drought reserves.

"It enabled us to store water when we normally couldn't," Gebhardt said. "Now we can in dry years."

Gebhardt says the wet years result in drought reserve storage but that even more water flows downstream to other water users, so it is a win-win. This year, TMWA has 58,235 acre-feet of water. It is expected to reach approximately 67,000 acre-feet in the summer.

"By the middle of summer, by the middle of July, we're going to have more water in reserve than we've ever had," Hauck said.

Drought Reserves

TMWA has a record amount of drought reserves and it has only tapped into it six times since 1985.

Since 1985, TMWA has only had to tap into drought reserves six times, including last year.

"It's not that we want to tap into it but it's not the end of the world if we do," Gebhardt said. "Like last year, we had to tap into a little bit but that's what it's there for."

About six percent of the Truckee River's volume goes through TMWA's water treatment facilities during a normal year. About half of that is returned to the river after it's used.

"About half of that ends up getting returned through the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility in Sparks, so we end up using about three percent of the Truckee River in a typical year," Hauck said.

TMWA updates its water resources plan every five years. The most recent one included many variables including the best and worst case scenarios with precipitation, climate change and population growth to see what the water outlook will be for the next 80 years.

"I can tell you that we're in good shape and we have water to meet projected demands for decades to come," Hauck said.

Nevada is the driest state in the country, so water conservation and management are a way of life. Despite three dry winters in a row, Gebhardt says TMWA always plans for fluctuations in snowpack and precipitation.

"30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years ago, people planned for this event as we're sitting in right now," Gebhardt said. "They realized that we live in a desert. It's always going to be a drought."

TMWA is holding "Smart About Water Day" on Saturday, May 7 from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at Lazy 5 Regional Park in Spanish Springs. It will educate people on water recycling, river protection, drought resiliency and safe drinking water among other things. Food trucks will be on-hand and there will be activities for children.