WaterMark / Jurisdictions / Washoe County, NV (Reno)
Washoe County, NV (Reno): Data Center Water Impact
Reference data for evaluating a data center proposal in Washoe County, NV (Reno). Every figure below is a stored value with its primary source attached. Facility-scale results are produced by the assessment tool.
Water supply
| Metric | Value | Source / basis |
|---|---|---|
| Water utility | Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) | Utility of record |
| Supply source | Truckee River + Donner Lake | Utility of record |
| Treatment capacity | 105 MGD | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0, HUC-8 16050102. |
| Water rate | $4.80 / 1,000 gal | Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) published rate schedule |
| Watershed stress | High (3.2 / 5) | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0, HUC-8 16050102. |
Watershed consumptive use
Basin: Truckee River (HUC-8 16050102). Figures are consumptive use, not withdrawal, because evaporative data center loss is consumptive. USGS data year 2020.
| Category | Consumptive use (MGD) | Share of basin |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 65 | 55.1% |
| Thermoelectric power | 5 | 4.2% |
| Industrial | 8 | 6.8% |
| Irrigation | 25 | 21.2% |
| Mining | 3 | 2.5% |
| Existing data centers | 12 | 10.2% |
| Total | 118 | 100.0% |
Total is the sum of the categories listed above. Shares are each category divided by that total. Source: USGS Water Use 2020, Washoe County. Existing DC: Switch + Apple + Tesla cluster.
Grid generation water (Scope 2)
Generating the electricity a data center consumes evaporates water at the power plant. That volume is real, it is attributable, and it is excluded from most corporate "water positive" accounting. On a thermal grid it is frequently comparable to the facility's own cooling water.
| Metric | Value | Source / basis |
|---|---|---|
| Grid region | WECC Southwest | NV Energy |
| Electric utility | NV Energy | Utility of record |
| Grid water intensity | 0.18 gal / kWh | Macknick et al. 2012 × NV generation mix |
| Local peak demand | 1,700 MW | NV Energy |
| Modeled rate impact | 6% to 13% | See methodology |
Where this water is consumed: WECC SW generation serving Washoe is largely outside the Truckee basin.
Run this county at your facility size. The assessment tool computes direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) water for a specific load, cooling system, and mitigation stack, with the same citations attached.
Reducing the footprint here
A high stress reading is a design constraint, not a verdict. Closed-loop and dry or hybrid cooling, adiabatic assist, immersion, and reclaimed or non-potable sourcing each move the direct number, and siting against a cleaner grid mix moves the indirect number. The solutions catalog lists each option with its water reduction, its energy and cost tradeoff, and its source.
Regulatory and siting status
Reno / Sparks. Truckee river-fed. Switch and Apple campuses. High-desert climate good for free cooling. Switch tariff helps.
- Hyperscale activity
- Cool climate
Sources: Water: TMWA. Grid: NV Energy.
Comparative siting scores for this county, alongside every other county tracked, are on the US Siting Matrix.
Related counties
| County | Water source | Watershed stress |
|---|---|---|
| Clark County, NV (Las Vegas) | Lake Mead / Colorado River | Extremely High (4.5/5) |
| Storey County, NV (Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center) | Groundwater (Tracy Segment) + imported Reno-Sparks treated effluent | High (3.4/5) |
| Pima County, AZ (Tucson) | Colorado River / Central AZ Project + Aquifer | Extremely High (4.2/5) |
| Chandler, AZ | Salt River Project / CAP / Reclaimed | High (3.9/5) |
| Mesa, AZ (Maricopa County) | Salt River Project / CAP (Colorado River) + groundwater | High (3.8/5) |
How these numbers are derived
Assumptions, formulas, and the full source list are in the methodology. WaterMark is published by Standard Water Corp and is not affiliated with any data center developer, utility, or government agency.