Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center GID Effluent Water Pipeline and Reservoir

Our team worked with the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRI) General Improvement District (GID) to perform a feasibility study for the TRI GID Effluent Water Pipeline and Reservoir. DOWL led this regionally significant effluent management project that includes a 16-mile pipeline and 2,000-acre-foot reservoir. The feasibility study included an extensive alternatives analysis and revealed the need for the reservoir expansion as an effluent water storage component. The expansion of the existing effluent reservoir and dam provides storage capacity of 2,000 acre-feet of effluent coming from both the TRI GID Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (TMWRF). The effluent is crucial to continued economic development in the industrial park, as it is needed for large facilities to provide adequate cooling water to their systems. Additionally, the effluent pipeline provides a regional benefit to the Truckee Meadows, providing TMWRF with some breathing room when it comes to meeting the total maximum daily limits for discharge to the Truckee River.

The preliminary engineering plans and costs estimates were completed in 2015 to secure funding. The existing reservoir was unlined, and the expansion included lining approximately 70 acres of the reservoir and dam with a 60-mil HDPE primary liner. Approximately 1,000,000 cubic yards of material was excavated to provide the required storage capacity. The reservoir included multiple penetrations for drainage piping, effluent piping, and vents. The outflow from the reservoir penetrates the dam and connects to a pump station below the dam for transport to an advanced water treatment facility. The reservoir is designed to provide full retention of the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) generated from the one-square-mile drainage basin above the reservoir. Local and regional drainage culverts were planned at several locations along the reservoir’s edge to accommodate a 50-year storm design from adjacent developments. The reservoir includes a perimeter access road and fence, roped life rings, knotted hand lines, and textured liner for safety.