Lining System Supports Industrial Cooling Needs

A reservoir protected with AGRU Lining Systems stores treated wastewater for use by a massive industrial center for cooling and other applications.

Context

The Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) is one of the largest industrial parks in the world, spanning 107,000 acres in Storey County, Nevada, with roughly 30,000 developable acres located nine miles east of the Reno-Sparks area along Interstate 80. On-site infrastructure includes more than 900 megawatts of generating capacity, dedicated water rights, and direct rail service via Union Pacific and BNSF.

TRIC hosts some of the most recognized names in advanced manufacturing and data infrastructure, including Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada, Panasonic Energy, Switch, Google, Redwood Materials, and Novva Data Centers, with numerous other projects under development. The Truckee River flows near the park’s northern boundary, placing a sensitive watershed alongside one of the fastest-growing industrial footprints in the country.

That concentration of data centers and advanced manufacturing has created substantial demand for cooling water in a region with limited freshwater resources. To support continued growth without drawing further on potable supplies, the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center General Improvement District (TRI GID) and its regional partners turned to treated effluent reuse.

Opportunities

To meet the cooling demands of TRIC’s expanding tenant base, TRI GID pursued a regional effluent management project to store and convey treated wastewater for industrial reuse. DOWL led the feasibility study and preliminary engineering, completing plans and cost estimates in 2015 to fund a 16-mile pipeline and the expansion of an existing on-site reservoir to 2,000 acre-feet of storage.

The expanded reservoir would receive effluent from both the TRI GID Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (TMWRF). By diverting a portion of TMWRF’s effluent to industrial reuse, the project would also help the facility meet total maximum daily load limits for discharge to the Truckee River, supporting both economic development and watershed protection.

The existing reservoir was unlined, and the expansion required excavating roughly one million cubic yards of material to reach the required volume. At that scale, the project demanded a containment system that could prevent seepage, withstand UV exposure and high-desert temperature swings, and provide safe interface conditions on the side slopes.

Solution

The reservoir and dam, covering approximately 70 acres, were lined with a 60-mil high-density polyethylene (HDPE) double-sided MicroSpike liner. The textured surfaces increase interface friction on side slopes, improving stability at this scale and serving as a recognized safety feature for personnel. The HDPE liner delivers the chemical resistance and long-term durability required for effluent containment in a high-desert climate.

International Lining Technology, Inc. installed and welded the liner panels across the reservoir footprint, accommodating multiple penetrations for drainage, effluent, and vent piping. Outflow passes through the dam to a pump station that conveys stored effluent to an advanced water treatment facility for use by TRIC tenants.

The reservoir was designed to fully retain the Probable Maximum Flood from the one-square-mile drainage basin above the site, with culverts sized for a 50-year storm to serve adjacent developments. Site safety features include a perimeter access road, fencing, roped life rings, knotted hand lines, and the textured liner surface.

Outcome

Completed in 2021, the TRI GID Effluent Water Pipeline and Reservoir delivers 2,000 acre-feet of treated effluent storage to one of the fastest-growing industrial and data center hubs in North America. Large-scale water reuse reduces pressure on regional freshwater supplies and allows TRIC to keep expanding within the constraints of a high-desert environment.

The project also delivers a regional benefit: by accepting effluent from TMWRF for industrial reuse, the system gives the facility additional flexibility to manage discharge limits to the Truckee River, supporting water quality across the Truckee Meadows watershed. Together, these outcomes show how engineered HDPE lining systems can underpin the infrastructure that today’s data center and advanced manufacturing economy depends on. All while conserving freshwater and protecting surface water at a regional scale.