Speakers

Truckee Meadows Water Authority was formed in 2001, and is the primary source of water for the majority of residents in the Reno/Sparks area.  This presentation will focus on who Truckee Meadows Water Authority is, how they came into existence, the state of the water system today, and how they see it in the future.  Subject matters presented include drought planning, water treatment and delivery infrastructure, and how developers get water for new projects. 

Presenter:

Andy Gebhardt – Director of Operations and Water Quality. Mr. Gebhardt has worked for the Authority for 32 years, and oversees all operations of the water treatment plants and distribution facilities for the utility as well as directing the operation of TMWA’s State Certified Water Quality laboratory which is responsible for sampling to maintain compliance with all existing water quality regulations set forth by the EPA.  In addition, Mr. Gebhardt oversees all customer outreach, public relations, advertising and marketing for the utility.

The state of Nevada is home to Great Basin National Park and Great Basin National Park is home to the Great Basin Observatory (GBO), the first research-level, remote, robotically operated astronomical observatory ever to be located in any national park in the United States.  The GBO sits approximately 7,000 ft above sea level in a juniper pinyon grove under some of the darkest and clearest night skies in North America.  This presentation tells the amazing story of how the “impossible” dream of building the GBO became a vibrant reality.  Current and planned future uses of the GBO for research, teaching, and outreach will be discussed.  Finally, a spectacular collection of recently acquired full color astronomical photographs from the GBO will be shown.