Truckee Meadows Water Authority

What Truckee Meadows Water Authority does

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a community-owned municipal water utility serving more than 475,000 residents across Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County, Nevada, where it holds approximately 85% regional market share. Formed in 2001 when the City of Reno, City of Sparks, and Washoe County jointly purchased the water utility from Sierra Pacific Power Company for $354M, TMWA has subsequently grown through the 2014 merger with the South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District and now operates an integrated water supply, treatment, and distribution system sourced primarily (85–90%) from the Truckee River via Lake Tahoe, supplemented by more than 90 deep-aquifer groundwater wells. Core infrastructure includes two surface water treatment facilities (Chalk Bluff in northwest Reno and Glendale in Sparks), three hydroelectric plants (Washoe, Fleish, Verdi) producing 6.7 MW of renewable energy, an Aquifer Storage and Recovery program operating since 1993, and—in 2024—completed Advanced Meter Infrastructure rollout.

TMWA's commercial model is a regulated municipal utility tariff structure: water service fees billed monthly to residential and commercial customers at a first-tier residential rate of less than $2 per 1,000 gallons (compared to ~$3,780 per 1,000 gallons for bottled water), with rates set via cost-of-service studies and Board approval. A secondary revenue stream comes from hydroelectric power sold to NV Energy (~$3.5M in fiscal 2018, offsetting ~60% of power costs and lowering water rates by ~3%). Customer segments include residential households, business/commercial customers (restaurants, hotels, industrial), and developers/builders requiring water rights dedication for new construction. The utility also runs the Truckee River Fund (~$15M distributed since 2004 with $25.2M in matching funds) and partners with Service Line Warranties of America for an optional service line coverage program.

Supporting the core utility are customer-facing digital tools (My Account portal, paperless billing, Quick Pay via Invoice Cloud, Water Quality Lookup Map, Water Storage Dashboard via smartaboutwater.com), EPA Method 1623.1-certified laboratory operations (one of 22 in the U.S.), and 2024 EPA LCRR compliance via a Service Line Inventory combining physical inspection with VODA.ai LeadZero predictive modeling. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors composed of elected officials and citizen appointees from the three member jurisdictions, with leadership including General Manager Mark Foree, CFO Michelle Sullivan, and Director of Distribution, Maintenance & Generation Pat Nielson.

Name

Truckee Meadows Water Authority

Legal name

Truckee Meadows Water Authority

Website

https://tmwa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Truckee Meadows Water Authority is a community-owned municipal water utility that treats, distributes, and monitors water from the Truckee River and 90+ wells for 475,000+ residents and businesses across Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County, Nevada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Municipal water utility
• Water treatment services
• Water distribution
• Hydroelectric power generation
• Water quality testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Reno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Utility Service Fees: TMWA generates revenue through water utility service fees charged to residential and business customers. Rates are structured based on cost of service studies with public participation. First-tier residential rate is less than $2.00 per 1,000 gallons of treated water. Revenue offsets operational costs and debt service.
2. Hydroelectric Power Sales: Sale of hydroelectric power generated from three hydroelectric plants (Washoe, Fleish, Verdi) to NV Energy. In fiscal year 2018, generated over $3.5 million in hydroelectric power revenue, offsetting approximately 60% of TMWA's expected $5 million energy costs and lowering water rates by about 3%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TMWA is a community-owned municipal water utility that diverts, treats, and distributes drinking water from the Truckee River (with Lake Tahoe as the headwaters source) and 90+ groundwater wells through two surface water treatment facilities (Chalk Bluff and Glendale) to over 475,000 residential and commercial customers in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. The utility also operates three hydroelectric plants generating 6.7 MW of renewable power and provides Aquifer Storage and Recovery, monthly water quality testing, and conservation programs.

Product overview

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a community-owned water utility operating as a single, integrated water management platform rather than a modular software product. Its core offering encompasses water supply (Truckee River via Lake Tahoe plus 90+ groundwater wells), water treatment at two facilities (Chalk Bluff and Glendale Water Treatment Plants), and distribution to over 475,000 residents in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. Supporting the core water service are multiple customer-facing digital tools: the My Account Portal and Paperless Billing for account management, Quick Pay (via Invoice Cloud) for bill payment, the Water Quality Lookup Map for local water quality data, and the Water Storage Dashboard (via smartaboutwater.com) for drought monitoring. TMWA also operates three hydroelectric plants producing 6.7 MW of renewable energy, an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Program for drought resilience, an Assigned-Day Watering Program for conservation, a Service Line Coverage insurance program (through SLWA), and the Truckee River Fund for watershed protection. No public API is offered; integrations are limited to third-party billing (Invoice Cloud), predictive modeling (VODA.ai LeadZero), and insurance (SLWA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution Services TMWA's core offering: diverts, treats, and distributes water from the Truckee River (Lake Tahoe source) and 90+ groundwater wells to residential and commercial customers across Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. Operates through a network of treatment plants, distribution mains, wells, and storage tanks.
• Water Quality Testing & Reporting Regulatory-driven water quality program performing more than 1,000 laboratory tests monthly on over 180 samples across TMWA's distribution system, with annual Water Quality Reports issued per the Safe Drinking Water Act in English and Spanish.
• Hydroelectric Power Generation TMWA operates three hydroelectric plants (Washoe, Fleish, and Verdi) on the Truckee River producing 6.7 megawatts of clean, renewable energy sold to NV Energy. Generates approximately $3.5 million in annual revenue and offsets roughly 60% of TMWA's electrical power costs, lowering water rates by approximately 3%.
• Service Line Coverage Program Optional exterior water service line coverage offered through Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA), providing up to $8,500 per incident in repair coverage at $5.75 per month for eligible homeowners. TMWA does not administer or profit from this program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions eliminated annually through hydroelectric power generation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and moderate.

• Service Line Warranties of AmericaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTMWA recommended Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA), an independent company, offering eligible homeowners optional exterior water service line coverage. SLWA provides up to $8,500 per incident at $5.75/month. Since presented to customers in 2023, over 10,000 have enrolled and 576 claims saved customers nearly $900,000 in repairs. TMWA does not administer or profit from this program.
• Community Foundation of Western NevadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Truckee River Fund is held at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. TMWA funds remain in sole control of the TMWA Board. Since 2004, nearly $15 million has been approved for distribution with organizations providing additional matches of nearly $25.2 million in cash and in-kind services for watershed protection projects.
• Western Regional Water CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRWC leads cooperative approach to stewardship of regional water resources through developing integrated water resource plans, building stakeholder understanding, and establishing water resources public policy. Participants include City of Reno, City of Sparks, Sun Valley General Improvement District, TMWA, Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility, and Washoe County. WRWC is funded by a 1.5% Regional Water Management Fee collected on all water bills.
• Pyramid Lake Paiute TribemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborates with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe to manage water stored in Stampede and Prosser reservoirs for threatened and endangered fisheries of the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake.
• Northern Nevada Water Planning CommissionmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNNWPC serves as a technical advisory group to the Western Regional Water Commission, implementing comprehensive water plans for the region.
• U.S. Bureau of ReclamationmoderateOthersThe Federal Water Master administers release of water into the Truckee River from Lake Tahoe and other reservoirs. TMWA operates under the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA) administered by the Federal Water Master.
• NV EnergymoderateTechnology or IntegrationTMWA sells hydroelectric power generated from its three plants (Washoe, Fleish, Verdi) to NV Energy. In fiscal year 2018, generated over $3.5 million in revenue from this agreement.
• Truckee-Carson Irrigation DistrictminorOthersTCID has agricultural water rights and diverts water at Derby Dam to Lahontan Reservoir for agriculture in the Fallon area. An upstream water user on the Truckee River system.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Large wholesale water utility supplying 26 member agencies across Southern California. Comparable as a public water utility with massive infrastructure investment, multiple source waters, and revenue-backed bond financing structure.
• Veolia Water (North America operations): Large private water and wastewater services operator with municipal contracts across North America. Comparable as a scaled water utility services provider though operating under a different (private/contracted) model.

Direct peers

• Austin Water: City-owned water utility serving Austin, TX with similar growth-driven demand, surface water treatment, conservation programs, and revenue-backed bond financing. Comparable in serving a high-growth Sun Belt metro with water scarcity pressures.
• San Diego County Water Authority: Wholesale municipal water supplier serving San Diego County with imported surface water, treatment facilities, and drought resilience programs. Comparable in franchise-based water supply, large capex program, and renewable energy generation at treatment facilities.
• Denver Water: Large municipal water utility serving ~1.4 million people in the Denver metro area with similar surface water source, treatment, and distribution model. Comparable in scale, capital intensity, and community-owned governance with elected board oversight.
• Seattle Public Utilities: Municipal water (and wastewater) utility serving Seattle and surrounding area. Comparable in being a community-owned utility with hydroelectric generation, water quality lab, watershed management, and tiered conservation programs.
• Las Vegas Valley Water District: Community-owned municipal water utility serving the Las Vegas Valley with similar scale (~400,000+ customers), Colorado River source water, and regulated franchise structure. Most directly comparable peer in Nevada given similar arid climate, growth dynamics, and wholesale/retail utility model.
• Southern Nevada Water Authority: Multi-agency wholesale water authority jointly managing Colorado River supplies for Southern Nevada. Comparable to TMWA as a regional water resources administration entity with treatment, infrastructure, and inter-agency water rights management.

Regional players

• Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District: Regional wastewater treatment utility serving the Sacramento area. Comparable as a California/Nevada-region municipal utility with similar capital intensity, regulatory compliance, and bond-financed infrastructure model.
• Central Arkansas Water: Community-owned water utility serving the Little Rock metro area. Comparable in scale (~500,000 customers), surface water treatment, and customer-owned utility governance model, though operating in a different climate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tmwa
• Facebookfacebook.com/truckeemeadowswaterauthority

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Truckee Meadows Water Authority