Reno's $289M Water Plant Opens

Reno City Council on May 20 approved the final project cost for the OneWater Nevada Advanced Purified Water Facility at American Flat, putting a nearly $290 million water-reuse project into its construction phase. The City of Reno said the facility’s construction costs are estimated at $266.1 million and total project costs are nearing $289.9 million. The project is a joint effort with Truckee Meadows Water Authority, or TMWA, and is designed to turn highly treated wastewater into advanced purified water for aquifer recharge and, later, drinking-water use. The Reno facility is part of a longer-running regional reuse plan known as OneWater Nevada. City materials say the plant will take recycled water from the Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility, send it through an advanced purification process, and recharge the groundwater aquifer at American Flat. The water is slated for initial agricultural irrigation use before any later potable use, which city and TMWA materials say would come only after further testing and evaluation. (reno.gov) ### Where is the plant, and what will it actually do? The American Flat project is located near Lear Boulevard and Military Road, across from the Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility, with a related polishing facility near American Flat Farm north of Reno-Stead Airport. City of Reno materials describe the output as Category A+ advanced purified water that meets or exceeds state and federal drinking-water standards before being stored in the aquifer. (reno.gov) A December 2025 report by KRNV said the facility is intended to produce a drought-resistant supply capable of yielding about 2,000 acre-feet of drinking water annually. The same report said the treatment train includes coagulation, flocculation, ultraviolet disinfection, ozonation and other steps before the water is injected into groundwater for additional natural treatment and storage. (reno.gov) ### Why did the cost rise to nearly $290 million? Reno’s May 21 summary did not break out the reasons for the latest cost figure, but it said council approved construction costs of $266.1 million and total project costs nearing $289.9 million. That total is well above earlier public estimates. In June 2024, TMWA and Reno said the project was approaching the 60% design phase and anticipated construction beginning in summer 2025. (mynews4.com) At that point, the agencies described the facility, six miles of pipeline and two injection wells, but did not cite the later $289.9 million total. By December 2025, KRNV reported that the project’s estimated cost had more than doubled from earlier years as it moved toward construction. (reno.gov) TMWA Assistant General Manager Danny Rotter told the station the facility was part of a long-term strategy to create another reliable, drought-resistant resource for future decades. (tmwa.com) ### Who is paying for it? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in October 2024 that it would provide $128 million for the project through Nevada’s drinking-water and clean-water state revolving funds and $3 million in congressionally directed spending. TMWA said the project also received a $30 million Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant in June 2024. TMWA’s 2024 announcement said the remaining support would come in part from local ratepayers. (mynews4.com) EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said at the time that the project would provide “long-term benefits” to communities in Washoe County. Reno Vice Mayor Naomi Duerr said the facility would create a “sustainable, drought-proof water source” for the city. ### Does this change Reno tap water now? (tmwa.com) TMWA officials said in December 2025 that the authority does not need the additional supply immediately and is planning ahead for future decades. KRNV reported that the purified water would first be tested for irrigation use before groundwater injection and that use in the drinking-water system was still five to 10 years away. (tmwa.com) TMWA separately said its board approved water-rate changes that appear on June 2026 bills, describing them as an annual adjustment and a revised rate structure based on a cost-of-service study. The public board packet for May 27, 2026, says directors are set to consider the interlocal agreement covering cost-sharing and operating responsibilities for the American Flat facility. ### What happens next? (mynews4.com) The May 27 TMWA board meeting agenda packet says directors will review the interlocal agreement for operation of the Advanced Purified Water Facility at American Flat. Reno’s project page says construction is expected to last about two and a half years, followed by several years of treatment testing, groundwater injection, irrigation use and water-quality monitoring. (tmwa.com) (tmwa.com)