09/17/26 By Global Flow Control
Nevada has broken ground on the Advanced Purified Water Facility (APWF) at American Flat, a major water-reuse project designed to create a new, drought-resilient source of drinking water for the Reno region after more than 15 years of research, pilot testing and planning.
Developed jointly by the City of Reno and Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) under the OneWater Nevada initiative, the facility will treat up to 2 million gallons (7,570 cubic metres) of recycled water per day and ultimately provide approximately 2,000 acre-feet of additional water annually. The project is intended to reduce the region’s dependence on the drought-sensitive Truckee River and strengthen long-term water-supply resilience.
The APWF is being developed a few miles north of Reno at American Flat. It will receive highly treated effluent from the Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility (RSWRF) and subject it to a multi-barrier advanced purification process before the water is recharged into the American Flat groundwater aquifer.
The project is particularly significant because it has been designed for an inland environment where reverse osmosis is not the principal treatment technology. Instead, the treatment train combines ozonation, coagulation and flocculation, biologically activated carbon filtration, granular activated carbon and ultraviolet disinfection. This approach is intended to remove pathogens, organic contaminants and trace constituents while avoiding the concentrated brine stream normally associated with reverse-osmosis treatment.
Following initial treatment at the RSWRF, the recycled water will be conveyed to the American Flat facility through a dedicated pipeline. Earlier project documentation identified approximately six miles of conveyance pipeline, while subsequent design development has resulted in changes to the pipeline alignment and additional infrastructure. The project also includes pumping facilities, treatment infrastructure and groundwater injection and monitoring systems.
At the APWF, ozonation will provide advanced oxidation, breaking down contaminants and preparing the water for biological treatment. Biologically activated carbon filtration (BACF) will then use biological activity within the carbon media to remove biodegradable organic compounds. Granular activated carbon provides additional adsorption and polishing, including removal of trace compounds such as PFAS, while ultraviolet treatment provides a final disinfection barrier.
The resulting water is intended to meet Nevada’s Category A+ reclaimed-water requirements, which are designed to meet or exceed applicable drinking-water standards and permit groundwater augmentation. TMWA describes the project as a new locally controlled water resource that is less dependent on snowpack and river flows.
Rather than being introduced directly into the potable distribution system, the purified water will initially be injected into the American Flat aquifer. The groundwater provides an environmental buffer and additional natural storage and treatment before water is recovered for beneficial use.
The project has been developed around a staged approach. Initially, advanced purified water will be used for agricultural irrigation at American Flat while monitoring and operational testing take place. Following the required permitting, environmental-buffer period and successful demonstration of the system, the stored water is intended ultimately to become part of TMWA’s potable water supply.
The project has undergone significant cost and design development. A 60% design estimate placed the total project cost at approximately $250.7 million, with Reno responsible for an estimated $175.5 million and TMWA for approximately $75.2 million under their existing agreement. The project has also secured substantial federal and state support.
Funding includes a $30 million U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant, together with federal and state drinking-water and clean-water funding. In October 2024, the EPA announced $128 million in support through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, comprising $55 million through Nevada’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, $70 million through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $3 million in congressionally directed spending.
Engineering and construction management have also advanced. In April 2026, TMWA selected Carollo Engineers to provide construction-management services, including resident engineering, quality assurance and contract administration, with DOWL supporting the programme.
From a flow-control perspective, the APWF represents a significant package of water-treatment, pumping, pipeline and groundwater-recharge infrastructure. The treatment process will require reliable control of recycled-water flows through multiple treatment barriers, chemical and ozone systems, carbon filtration, UV systems, storage and pumping facilities.
Valves will be required for isolation and regulation across the raw/recycled-water inlet, treatment trains, filtration systems, backwash and drain systems, chemical dosing, ozone systems, finished-water transfer and injection infrastructure. Depending on final engineering specifications, the project is also likely to require butterfly, gate, check, control and specialty valves for different water and process services.
Actuators will be required on remotely operated and automated isolation and control valves throughout the treatment plant and associated pumping and conveyance systems. Automated valve operation will be particularly important for treatment sequencing, filtration and backwash cycles, emergency isolation and integration with the plant’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.
Instrumentation is expected to include flow, pressure, level, temperature and water-quality monitoring, together with online measurements associated with turbidity, UV performance, ozone treatment and other critical treatment parameters. Groundwater monitoring will also be essential for managing aquifer recharge and demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements.
The APWF is being positioned as a potential model for other inland communities facing water scarcity. If the system performs as planned, the treatment approach could be replicated at other reclamation facilities in the region, allowing additional wastewater to be converted into a locally controlled water resource rather than discharged.
Project Information
Project Title: OneWater Nevada Advanced Purified Water Facility at American Flat
Industry: Water & Wastewater / Advanced Water Reuse / Drinking Water
Country / Location: United States — American Flat, north of Reno, Nevada
Project Value: Approximately $250.7 million based on the 60% design estimate. Earlier public references described the project as approximately $200 million as design development progressed.
Capacity: Up to 2 million gallons per day (MGD), equivalent to approximately 7,570 m³/day, producing approximately 2,000 acre-feet of water annually.
Owner / Developer: City of Reno and Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA)
Operator: Truckee Meadows Water Authority
Project Initiator: City of Reno and TMWA under the OneWater Nevada programme
Funding Source: City of Reno and TMWA funding, ratepayer support, federal Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART funding, EPA/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and Nevada State Revolving Fund support.
Project Status: Construction underway following groundbreaking in 2026. Carollo Engineers has been selected for construction-management services.
FEED Contractor: Not separately identified in publicly available project information
PMC / Construction Management: Carollo Engineers, supported by DOWL, selected to provide construction management, resident engineering, quality assurance and contract administration.
EPC Contractor: Not publicly disclosed
Technology Licensor: Not publicly disclosed. The treatment process is based on ozone oxidation, biological activated carbon filtration, granular activated carbon and UV disinfection.
Construction Start: 2026
Expected Completion: Construction is scheduled to continue through 2028. Earlier project planning identified completion and operational prove-up during 2027–2028, with final project completion targeted for fall 2028.
Commissioning Date: Startup and commissioning are planned during the 2027–2028 period, followed by an operational prove-up period. Full groundwater augmentation for potable supply is subject to regulatory approval and completion of the required environmental-buffer period.
Expected Valve Packages: Water-treatment isolation valves; control valves; butterfly valves; gate valves; check valves; filtration and backwash valves; ozone-system valves; chemical-service valves; pump isolation valves; pipeline valves; injection-well and groundwater-recharge valves. Final quantities and specifications have not been publicly disclosed.
Expected Actuator Packages: Automated electric, pneumatic or other actuated valve packages for treatment sequencing, filtration/backwash operations, pumping, pipeline isolation, emergency shutdown and integration with the plant control system. Final actuator types and quantities have not been publicly disclosed.
Instrumentation Requirements: Flow, pressure, level and temperature instrumentation; water-quality monitoring; turbidity and UV monitoring; ozone-process monitoring; chemical dosing controls; pump monitoring; SCADA; groundwater-level and quality monitoring; injection and extraction monitoring.
Known Valve Suppliers / Approved Vendors: No project-specific valve suppliers or approved-vendor list has been publicly identified.
Procurement Status: Construction and construction-management activities are progressing. Project-specific valve and actuator procurement packages have not been publicly disclosed.
RFQ Expected: No public RFQ timetable identified for flow-control packages.
Flow Control: The project requires integrated flow-control infrastructure across recycled-water conveyance, advanced treatment, filtration, pumping, finished-water transfer, aquifer injection and eventual extraction. Valves and Actuators will be important to automated treatment operation, isolation, process sequencing, backwash and pumping systems. The facility’s multiple treatment barriers and groundwater-recharge system create requirements for reliable, corrosion-resistant equipment suitable for continuous water-treatment service.
Industry Standards / Compliance: The facility is being developed to produce Nevada Category A+ Advanced Purified Water under the Nevada Administrative Code, including requirements for groundwater augmentation. The project must comply with applicable Nevada Division of Environmental Protection requirements, drinking-water regulations and federal drinking-water standards. Groundwater injection and subsequent potable use are subject to regulatory permitting, monitoring and environmental-buffer requirements.