|
|
Happy New Year!
It is a New Year and while people are trying to keep their New Year's resolutions, at Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) we continue to work toward our vision, "to be the best customer-focused water purveyor." 2011 was a tough year for our community, and I think I can speak for everyone at TMWA when I say that we are looking forward to 2012 with a good dose of optimism.
We are looking forward to getting some snow this winter. While we have had some of the driest months on record, I want to make sure
 | | Lake Tahoe |
the community knows that TMWA's drinking water supply is healthy and stable. We monitor snowpack and upstream storage and carefully manage our water supply on a daily basis. Our drought plan includes storing water in upstream reservoirs and underground aquifers in normal and wet years for later use in dry years. Thankfully, last year was a very wet year and that allowed us to significantly replenish upstream storage. Even with what has been an incredibly dry winter thus far, we expect normal river flows this year and next. We know that while we are very fortunate in northern Nevada and throughout the United States to have clean, accessible water, others are not so fortunate.
 | Mark Foree,
TMWA General Manager |
I hope you take a moment to read about TMWA's role in the Caughlin Fire response and our ability to help with the restoration projects that are following the devastating fire. Just last week our community suffered another devastating fire due to high winds and extremely dry conditions. The Washoe Drive Fire destroyed homes and businesses and once again our community's first responders were on scene immediately. This fire did not involve TMWA customers, but our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by this and the Caughlin Fire.
This newsletter also explains our recently approved rate adjustment and how it will affect your bill. The adjustment was approved on Jan. 18 by our Board of Directors. We appreciate all of the customers who took the time to be part of our public process as well as those who submitted comments to us through our website at www.tmwa.com.
As we start fresh in a New Year, I would like to remind you that TMWA employees are always available to answer your questions and concerns regarding your drinking water. We continue to strive toward our vision and encourage you as a customer and a member of our community to call, email and attend meetings that are open to the public.
Sincerely,
Mark Foree, TMWA General Manager
mforee@tmwa.com
|
Caughlin Fire and TMWA's Role
 | | Caughlin Fire Damage |
Our community was rocked by the devastating Caughlin Fire that took place in November, destroying more than 30 homes. We have all heard stories of neighbors helping neighbors evacuate and the hard work of firefighters who undoubtedly kept the fire from causing even more devastation.
However, you most likely have not heard of the important role that TMWA played during and after the Caughlin fire. During the fire we made sure that firefighters had the water and the water pressure that they needed to fight the growing fire. Due to the fact that power was out within and surrounding the area of the fire, we needed to rely on several of our standby generators to power the pumps that provided water to firefighters so that they were able to continue to fight the blaze. TMWA crews were out making sure that these generators were working properly, keeping them fueled and operational.
 | | TMWA Employees Bob White and Cameron Shultz |
When TMWA employees Bob White and Cameron Shultz arrived during the height of the fire to check on a generator located in the Ridgeview Drive area, the structure enclosing the generator was on fire. They immediately grabbed their shovels and began removing the boards that were on fire, saving the generator from being destroyed. They also worked closely with firefighters letting them know the importance of keeping that generator operational. Without this particular generator, firefighters would have been without water in a critical fire area. Bob and Cameron, along with other TMWA employees in our distribution, operations and engineering departments, worked tirelessly to make sure that firefighters had the water they needed to contain and extinguish the fire.
Water utilities are often called the silent utility, because they are usually overlooked when things are operating smoothly. Until someone is without water, he/she doesn't often think much about what it takes to keep the water flowing. In this instance, because of our crews' quick actions and hard work, water was delivered without interruption. I cannot tell you how proud I am of everyone at TMWA who worked so hard to make sure that our firefighters had the water they needed throughout the entire event.
Although the fire has been extinguished, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to restore the area and prevent the effects of erosion, which can decrease our water quality. This is why recently the Truckee River Fund approved a grant for the restoration efforts which will help protect our water supply from the effects of erosion and also help protect the surrounding areas from future fires.
|
Rate Adjustment Approved
 | |
TMWA - 1355 Capital Blvd., Reno NV |
At our recent TMWA Board of Directors meeting a rate increase was approved, which will go into effect with your February bill. The increase (applied to the "customer charge" portion of your monthly bill) amounts to $1.42 per month (less than a nickel a day) for the average residential customer.
In addition to meeting with customers, we took into consideration the suggestions of both our Board and Standing Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC is a volunteer group of twenty-one customers, representing all customer types, who advise the TMWA Board on a number of issues including rate adjustments. Rather than focus on raising water usage rates, we looked at, and ultimately recommended, an increase to the monthly customer charge. At TMWA we have been able to reduce our operating expenses by $7.2 million (or 18 percent) over the past two years. We are proud of that and will continue to look for ways to reduce expenses, while continuing to deliver high quality drinking water and service to our customers.
|
|
|
|
|
