One Truckee River is a coalition of local government agencies and nonprofits with the goal of improving the health of the Truckee River, which provides a lot of the region’s drinking water. One piece of that plan includes providing a place for people to use the bathroom that isn’t the river itself.
“There is a need for more public restrooms along the Truckee River. There is a concern with human impact on water quality. And then also there’s a growing recreational need in the area,” One Truckee River Executive Director Iris Jehle-Peppard said.
The first facility was installed at Brodhead Memorial Park near downtown Reno last summer, which is an area where people experiencing homelessness oftentimes camp or spend their days. She says the goal isn’t to address homelessness — but that’s been an outcome.
“Whether you’re somebody that’s camping along the river, or you’re a mom with a kid that’s just gotta go, the restrooms are for everyone,” Jehle-Peppard said.
The type of restroom the organization is using is called the “Portland Loo,” and they cost about $100,000 each. One Truckee River is looking to install nine more of them over the next several years.
The organization will be presenting its proposal at four local government meetings over the next month, and they have a survey that can be found here.
Lucia Starbuck is a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.