Customer Services

Customers can help reduce the need for future rate increases. One of the best things customers can do is use water responsibly and, during the summer, water only on their assigned days. This allows the water system to be used more efficiently and helps TMWA avoid construction of costly new water facilities, which would have to be staffed and maintained. In addition, the more customers help themselves, the more TMWA saves. Fewer phone calls to our office, for example, can reduce our customer service costs and help keep rates lower. We certainly want customers to contact us when they need to, but to consider other options before they pick up the phone. Many questions can be answered with a visit to our website or by reading the inserts and messages that accompany our monthly billing statements.

Since TMWA is a not-for-profit organization, the timely payment of water bills is also critical. People who don't pay their water bills only shift their responsibilities to customers that do pay their bills. Supporting TMWA's ability to collect on delinquent bills will help us avoid raising rates to cover bad debt expenses in the future.

Yes. Like some of the other local utilities, we have contracted with Western Union to offer this service at local grocery stores and several convenience stores. Click here for a list of store locations. To make this service even more convenient for our customers, we have asked Western Union to continue actively pursing other stores in our area. There is a $.75 Western Union charge for this service. Please note that customers must have their bill with them in order to in order to make a payment.

The standards are for the use of flush assemblies for construction water. This does not mean every flush can have a construction water site. All construction water sites have to go through our Construction Water and engineering groups for approval.

Hydrants can never be used for construction water. A $1000.00 fine will be assessed to those who try to tap hydrants for construction water. All hydrants are flat rate and are to be utilized only by the jurisdictional fire agencies and TMWA representatives.

Customer Charge
For metered customers, the monthly customer charge is the minimum amount a customer pays for water service. It includes a portion of the costs to maintain and replace the meter and TMWA-owned pipes to each property, and the cost of equipment and labor to read the meter, process the meter reading, process payments, and provide any customer billing assistance.

Tiered Water Charges
For metered customers, this is the cost for the water you use each month; it is tiered to encourage conservation. The first tier reflects the average winter use. The second and third tiers are higher rates for any monthly usage over-and-above that amount. The usage charge includes a portion of the costs TMWA incurred to build the size of pipes, treatment plants, wells, pumps, regulator stations, and all equipment required to produce and transport water. It also includes all the equipment and labor to produce potable water, such as chemicals, lab testing, pumping and maintaining the water treatment plants.

Regional Water Management Fee
This fee is imposed by Washoe County to be expended solely for purposes of water planning. The fee is currently 1.5% of your total bill. TMWA has no control or discretion over this fee — it is a charge collected by TMWA and passed on to the local government.

Right of Way Toll
The Right of Way Toll (or franchise fee) is a fee charged to utilities and telecommunication companies for the right to use property owned by the government, for example, streets. For Reno residents, the standard fee is 2%. For Sparks residents, the standard fee is 5%. If you are a Washoe County resident outside of the cities of Reno and Sparks, you will not have this fee. TMWA has no control or discretion over this fee — it is a charge collected by TMWA and passed on to the local government.

The Rules of the Authority govern how business is conducted by specifying:

• Conditions under which water will be delivered.
• Application requirements for people requesting to receive water from the Authority.
• The procedure for a customer to discontinue receiving water.
• Rights of the Authority to terminate delivery of water.
• Circumstances and procedure to restore delivery of water.
• Information to be furnished by the Authority regarding billing for payment for the delivery of water.
• Procedures for estimation of bills and proration of bills.
• Customer responsibility for payment of bill and procedures for adjustments.
• Application process for developers or builders of projects that require new or modified water system facilities.
• Cost responsibilities for new or modified facilities.
• Definition of ownership and access to Authority facilities.
• Water resources required to be dedicated to obtain a will-serve letter.
• Dispute resolution procedure.
• Retail and Wholesale service boundaries of the Authority.

Please click here for a complete list of Water Rules.

The water saved through responsible water use does not go to serve growth. It is either saved in upstream reservoirs or diverted to underground storage for use by existing customers during dry periods, or it goes downstream for use by other water users who rely on the Truckee River for their water supplies. An added bonus to saving water is it reduces TMWA's water production costs, which, in turn, can contribute to lower water rates. For more information on this topic, please refer to the Growth issue paper.

Find out if TMWA is your water provider by locating your street on our interactive Service Territory Map. If you are located within the indicated boundary, you are a TMWA customer. If you are not located within the TMWA Service Territory, your water may be provided by one of the other local water agencies.

Current rules are available at www.tmh2o.com/customer_services/waterrules/, or from our Corporate Office on request.

Backflow is not TMWA's rule, but under the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) rules. State Health Requirements Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 445A & Washoe County Model Ordinance require all water agencies to have backflow prevention programs, and the regulations support TMWA's current requirements. Additionally, the regulations do not distinguish between residential and commercial services.

Like other water agencies in the State of Nevada, TMWA has been required to implement a backflow prevention program consistent with the Nevada Administrative Code 445A(long). You may view exerpts from NAC 445A regarding backflow protection by clicking here.

Fire is flat rate because this water service is to be utilized only for emergency response purposes in the event of fire. Fire protection is charged a rate per inch of the nominal diameter of the service pipe. The customer owns all of the service line and valve at the tap. Refer to ,Water Rates schedule.

Since sewer charges may be significantly higher if separate services are not installed, it is to the benefit of the commercial customer to have separate domestic and irrigation services. For future operations at the site, there may be instances where shutting down an irrigation service does not interfere with the operation of the domestic service. Also, tariffs dictate & customers benefit from reduction on sewer use fees for irrigation services.