The City of Reno and the Truckee Meadows Water Authority recently broke ground on Nevada's first indirect water reuse facility designed to treat 2 mgd. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2029 and will use an ozone biological activated carbon and UV disinfection process before injecting the water into an aquifer for natural filtration before reaching household taps.
Capping 15 years of research, the state-backed project establishes a regulatory template for other Nevada utilities pursuing indirect potable reuse. Officials note the facility will drastically reduce the region's reliance on the drought-prone Truckee River, whose snowpack recently hit its second-lowest level since 1986.
Repair Work Finished at Wichita's Delayed WWTP
The City of Wichita has announced that testing and repairs are fully complete at its new half-billion-dollar water treatment plant. According to the city's public works director, the repair costs for the delayed project will be covered entirely by Wichita Water partners rather than taxpayers. With the facility's physical obstacles now resolved, the city has officially signed a certificate of occupancy and will immediately take over its daily operations.
Despite this milestone, the new facility is not yet ready to deliver water to local faucets. City staff will require six months of training on the plant's operation and maintenance, and crews still need to connect the facility to pump stations across Wichita — a process expected to conclude in the second quarter of 2027.
EPA Announces Study to Improve Its Understanding of Water Pollutants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a new scientific study using cutting-edge methods to improve the agency’s understanding of what pollutants may be present in drinking water. This new research by EPA scientists goes beyond traditional testing methods to screen for a broad array of pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, PFAS and more than 1,000 potential contaminants.
This scientific assessment will use non-targeted analysis, which can identify unknown pollutants present in a drinking water sample. While conventional analytical methods measure a handful of specific chemicals at a time, non-targeted analysis allows researchers to scan for thousands of potential pollutants. The resulting insights aim to help EPA prioritize future actions to ensure that drinking water is safe.
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