Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission Regional Effluent Management Team April 6, 2016

Regional Effluent Management Team Joe Coudriet, City of Reno Michael Drinkwater, Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility John Enloe, Truckee Meadows Water Authority Andy Hummel, City of Sparks Dave Kershaw, City of Reno Kerri Lanza, City of Reno Lydia Peri, Washoe County Jim Smitherman, Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission Rick Warner, Washoe County

I. Regional Effluent Management Team Purpose Growth readiness TMWRF nitrogen upset in 2013 Alternatives Rapid infiltration basin TMWRF/STMWRF Inter-connect pipeline Effluent use proposed outside of TMSA Evaluate Indirect Potable Reuse option development Analyze effluent management alternatives Analyze water balance and water rights implications Develop strategy recommendations Develop and recommend framework for regional masterplan Jim

II. TMWRF RIB Evaluation Investigating area near Golden Eagle Regional Park, Spanish Springs Valley Potential impact to sage grouse habitat Pending BLM decision regarding sage grouse habitat MICHAEL

III. STMWRF Effluent Master Plan Update Completed 20 year update with CH2M Findings: 10 year projection shows good balance of influent flows and reuse demands Adequate storage capacity Demands: 1,400 AF landscape; 1,000 AF golf courses No significant driver for pipeline from STMWRF perspective, but benefits include: Provide service to larger users (ORMAT) Mitigate ongoing Huffaker Reservoir boron and algae concerns Operational flexibility LYDIA

IV. Water Rights Constraints & Strategies Initial task of confirming availability (4,000 ac-ft) to TRIC TROA and resource availability implications Groundwater pumping variability TROA 1.E.4 Surface water opportunities Operational constraints Groundwater not required to be delivered to the river / TROA 1.E.4 “street rights” to allow utilization of groundwater component TMWA currently pumping 2,000 (normal) to 4,000 (drought) that makes it to TMWRF Operationally, effluent must be offset to keep river “whole”, impacts use of rights - Store & release? - Use effluent during typical irrigation season without storage?

V. Water Balance Evaluation Water Reclamation Facilities Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (TMWRF) TMWRF Reno effluent reuse distribution system UNR Farms Hidden Valley golf course Rosewood Mira Loma Park TMWRF TMWRF Sparks effluent reuse distribution system 100% of TMWRF effluent discharges to River or is reused

V. Water Balance Evaluation Water Reclamation Facilities South Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (STMWRF) S. Valleys Regional Park Damonte Ranch Damonte Ranch HS Huffaker Reservoir Bishop Manogue HS Double Diamond Arrowcreek Wolf Run Golf Course 100% effluent reuse Huffaker Reservoir STMWRF effluent reuse distribution system

V. Water Balance Evaluation One Modeling Scenario TMWRF-STMWRF intertie: Provide operational flexibility for RSW reclaimed water systems Improve compliance with NPDES Permit requirements total nitrogen [TN], total phosphorus [TP], total dissolved solids [TDS] Allow TMWRF to store treated effluent Maximize use of treated effluent not subject to return flow requirements (GW component) Increase STMWRF and TMWRF effluent disposal opportunities Reduce discharge of effluent to the Truckee River Improve water quality in Truckee River and Huffaker Reservoir

Can RSW provide effluent ? Tahoe Reno Industrial Center Switch SUPERNAP Data Center Alternative Scenario Can RSW provide effluent ?

Spatial Conceptual Model V. Water Balance Evaluation Proposed Effluent Network TRIC Spatial Conceptual Model River County Reuse TRIC Reservoir Huffaker Reservoir (TMWRF water) Huffaker Reservoir (STMWRF water) TMWRF STMWRF UNR Farms Sparks Reuse Rosewood Mira Loma

V. Water Balance Evaluation Linear Programming A linear program is an optimization problem for which we attempt to maximize (or minimize) a linear function (the objective function) of a set of decision variables such that the values of the decision variables satisfy a set of constraints in the form of linear equations or inequalities Objective function: Decision variables: feasible region Constraints (inequalities)

V. Water Balance Evaluation Model: For a given year, optimize weekly effluent distribution from TMWRF and STMWRF Objective function: minimize annual nitrate load to the Truckee River Variables: (1,352): on/off variable and flow volume for each source and possible delivery location Constraints: All effluent from TMWRF and STMWRF must go somewhere County, Reno, and Sparks weekly demands are met exactly Reservoir level starts and ends at its low point on October 1 Reservoir volume cannot exceed capacity Summer month nutrient loads to Truckee River are below regulatory limits Annual nitrogen loads to Truckee River are below regulatory limits 6,700 AF/Y effluent delivery from TMWRF Flow cannot exceed pipe capacity Water cannot flow in two directions in a segment of pipe in a given week

V. Water Balance Evaluation Model: For a given year, optimize weekly effluent distribution from TMWRF and STMWRF Weekly Data: TMWRF and STMWRF weekly effluent volume (2014, 2024, 2034) Reno, Sparks and Washoe County effluent demands (2014, 2024, 2034) TRIC projected demands TMWRF effluent N concentrations (normal and upset conditions) TMWA SW:GW ratios (normal and drought conditions) Pipe size/capacity Reservoir volume/surface area Average precipitation Average evaporation

V. Water Balance Evaluation Output – Effluent to TRIC  2014 Scenario Model Result Max Annual TRIC (AF) 4000.0 TMWRF Annual Effluent (AF) 8586.6 TMWRF to reservoir (AF) 1893.6 STMWRF Water to Sp/TRIC/UNR (AF) or surplus 447.7 Avg N load (ppd) 364.3 Apr N load (ppd) 335.4 May N load (ppd) 451.6 June N load (ppd) 433.1 July N load (ppd) 371.7 August N load (ppd) 427.5 September N load (ppd) 352.0 October N load (ppd) 273.0 Avg N load (ppd) 364   Model Result Limit Max AnnualTRIC (AF) 4000.0 10000 TMWRF Annual Effluent (AF) 8586.6 10000000 TMWRF to reservoir (AF) 1988.4 STMWRF Water to Sp/TRIC/UNR (AF) or surplus 447.7 Avg N load (ppd) 379.7 500 Apr N load (ppd) 384.6 May N load (ppd) 388.7 June N load (ppd) 381.0 July N load (ppd) 436.4 August N load (ppd) 403.2 September N load (ppd) 342.5 October N load (ppd) 275.8

V. Water Balance Evaluation Output – Effluent to TRIC

V. Water Balance Evaluation Status and Current Work Intertie pipeline in Phase I Feasibility of TRIC deliveries for various build-out scenarios Tracking TMWA GW/SW distribution in river and reuse TROA and resource availability implications Groundwater pumping variability Surface water opportunities

VI. Indirect Potable Reuse Development Update Objective: Determine if Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) is a viable water management strategy for this community - developed through a feasibility study conducted over the next 5 years. RICK

What is Potable Reuse? Indirect Potable Reuse Direct Potable Reuse Tertiary treated reclaimed water infiltrating into the groundwater, and following several months or years of soil-aquifer-treatment, the water is recovered as drinking water or Advanced treated reclaimed water injected into aquifer for recovery as drinking water. Environmental buffer (e.g. aquifer, larger surface reservoir, is utilized). Direct Potable Reuse Typical current definition: advanced treated reclaimed water is added to raw water supply for further treatment at a drinking water facility. De Facto Potable Reuse A community downstream of another withdraws its drinking water from the surface water containing the discharge from the upstream community.

Benefits of Potable Reuse New, safe, reliable, and locally controlled drought-proof water supply Water is a community asset – economic driver Capability to replenish over-drafted aquifers (water banking) Potential sustainable environmental and recreation opportunities

Potable Reuse in the US Indirect Potable Reuse Direct Potable Reuse Orange County, CA West Basin, Los Angles CA El Paso, TX Silicon Valley, CA Los Angeles Metropolitan Water, CA San Diego, CA Direct Potable Reuse Wichita Falls, TX Cloudcroft, NM Big Pines, TX What I will cover today: Why reuse is growing in important both in the US and globally What is happening in the US in terms of expanding applications of water reuse and why Personal observations from my work on reuse in the state of Nevada including some thoughts on how we can expand the effective application of reuse to meet water challenges What the Water Environment Federation is doing to contribute to water sector knowledge and provide tools related to water reuse

Our View of Successful Potable Reuse Projects Public engagement Builds trust and credibility Regional effort Water purveyor must be #1 Engages diverse expertise Clearly defined purpose New water supply Environmental sustainability and social benefits Clear regulatory pathway Feasibility phase Demonstration project Builds public trust

Feasibility Phase Activities Project Development Stead/Lemmon Valley Community Outreach Nevada Regulatory Update Cold Springs Pilot Testing Technologies 3 - 5 years Spanish Springs Valley Demonstration Project South Meadows Hydrogeologic Investigations Bedell Flat Funding

May 2016: Initiate Project Development Develop a comprehensive game plan Supported by the National Water Research Institute 5 national potable reuse experts Includes University of Nevada Develop a Potable Reuse opportunity statement that is specific for the community University of Nevada NWRI Expert Panels Regional Team Nevada DEP Tech Support

Feasibility Phase Activities Pilot Testing Treatment Technologies Biological Activated Carbon (BAC) WateReuse Research Foundation 2008-10 by the City of Reno 2016-17 by Regional Agencies Stantec and American Water

Feasibility Phase Activities Demonstration Project UNR Water Campus

Timeline

Current Status NDEP regulatory process on schedule UNR contracting phase initiated Expert panel kick-off meeting in May 2016 Treatment Pilot testing starting in June 2016 Hydrogeologic investigations begun Agency staff gaining expertise Agency coordination at high level Developing an agency funding plan June 2016: in-depth briefings to NNWPC & WRWC

VII. Conclusions Optimization modeling will provide decision makers with the technical information to consider if: TMWRF-Huffaker intertie pipeline, Year-round effluent demand, such as IPR or TRIC, or Some combination of the above is a sound long-term strategy for reducing TMWRF nitrogen loading to the Truckee River, compared to other alternatives The decision has been made to install a limited portion of the intertie pipeline The potential benefits to the region regarding IPR merit a pilot project The potential benefits of additional effluent reuse, using one or more of the identified alternatives, may help to delay or avoid additional treatment at TMWRF Water rights constraints remain unresolved Jim

VIII. Overall Recommendations Continue Stantec project coordinator services Pursue permitting and demonstration of an IPR facility in the north valleys Continue developing framework for regional effluent management master plan Resolve the water rights return flow issues Jim

Questions?

PARKING LOT SLIDES

V. Inter-Connect Pipeline Recommendation 1000 FT INITIAL PHASE Give map as handout

Previous Regional Potable Reuse Projects 2010 North Valleys Initiative (Reno-Stead) Pilot tested advanced treatment alternative to reverse osmosis Aquifer recharge alternative was cost effective compared to effluent disposal and purple pipe reuse system 2004 Spanish Springs Valley Satellite treatment facility Groundwater recharge Previous Challenges Limited TMWA involvement No clear regulatory framework in Nevada Very few successful national/international projects

Feasibility Phase Activities Hydrogeologic Investigations Bedell Flat infiltration and ASR feasibility RIB test trenches and 3 monitoring wells - $150k Bird Spring Drainage Area Infiltration testing - $50k ASR well and two 2” monitoring wells - $200k Permitting and BLM clearances - $50k NDEP $40k grant available now Similar approach possible for Spanish Springs, Warm Springs, elsewhere

Regional Effluent Perspectives Effluent management can be more challenging than water supply – particularly in the North Valleys Growth readiness Potential to use resources outside the TMSA Infrastructure investments are needed Stringent water quality limits on the Truckee River Nitrogen Phosphorous Total Dissolved Solids Water right constraints Complex