The Utility Services Department owns and operates the Reno Stead Water Reclamation Facility (RSWRF), which treats up to 2 million gallons per day of sewage/wastewater. The RSWRF is a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and water reclamation facility, meeting the latest design standards, instrumentation and process control technology, and energy and manpower efficiency to treat up to 2 million gallons per day of raw sewage, in compliance with stringent public health and water quality discharge standards.
The RSWRF is undergoing a major construction project to expand the plants’ treatment capacity from approximately 2 million gallons per day to 4 million gallons per day. This construction project will be complete in approximately Feb 2023.
The RSWRF 4 million gallon per day expansion project includes design and modification of the existing headworks, biofilter, blower building, and chemical facilities, and construction of new reactor basins, secondary clarifiers, scum pump station, RAS pump station, filter feed pump station, tertiary filters, UV disinfection, and effluent storage tank, as well as yard piping, electrical and instrumentation. The project improvements will increase the capacity, function, and effluent quality of the water reclamation facility
Wastewater is reclaimed and recycled to a high quality “Class A” effluent (as defined by the Nevada Administrative Code) and a large portion of the recycled water flows to Swan Lake, where it supports the Swan Lake Nature Study. During the irrigation season, recycled water from RSWRF is also used for irrigation at the following locations:
- North Valleys Regional Park/Sports Complex
- Sierra Sage Golf Course
- The Lakes Apartments
- Mayor’s Park
- O’Brien Middle School (in progress)
The City of Reno is pursuing additional alternatives for the use of recycled water so that during wet years the discharge of recycled water to Swan Lake can be reduced. The alternatives currently being contemplated are expanded recycled water use, recycled water exportation to customers outside of the Swan Lake basin, and a future Advanced Purified Water Facility (APWF) at American Flat. In partnership with the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, the APWF at American Flat will allow for recycled water to be further treated in a separate facility to drinking water standards and injected into the groundwater aquifer for groundwater recharge, thereby creating a new water resource in an arid region. After a prove up period, and after permitting through the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and a public vetting process, the groundwater recharge would start. Per regulation, after 6 months within the aquifer (environmental buffer), the water could then be extracted by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority and used for potable uses. The APWF at American Flat Project is currently a part of the OneWater Nevada regional collaboration.
For more information on this view other OneWater Nevada Initiatives and Projects.