Reno officials outline sewer system upgrades, capacity limits and advanced purified water plan

Reno City Council heard a technical briefing July 30 on the city's sewer utility that outlined recent infrastructure investments, current treatment capacity and limits on future growth tied to wastewater treatment and effluent disposal. John Flansberg, regional infrastructure administrator for the city, said the system's core public-health purpose remains the top priority.

"The number one reason we have a sewer utility is for public health," Flansberg said during the presentation to the council. He described the utility's scale: about 863 miles of sewer pipe in the city, 23,345 manholes and daily treated flows the size of roughly 5.8 football fields.

The presentation explained how collection lines, lift stations and two main treatment complexes work together. Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (the region's primary plant) currently treats roughly 30 million gallons per day (MGD) and is permitted at a higher level; Reno's Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility recently increased capacity in its treatment equipment from 2 MGD to 4 MGD to allow further processing and planned upgrades. Flansberg also summarized past capital work: roughly $129 million spent on the collection system and about $45 million on lift stations in the last decade, and $334 million in total sewer-related capital investment over the last 10 years, split between capacity and replacement work.

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