Placer County Water Agency Update

Auburn - The Placer County Water Agency Board of Directors are continuing to explore ways in which more raw and treated water may be made available to areas served by the agency.

Updates on efforts to do so in portions of PCWA Zone 1 and Zone 3 service areas were reported by staff at Thursday's (June 17) meeting of the agency Board of Directors.

"In portions of lower Zone 1 where irrigation water service is limited by canal size or water availability, staff is exploring a proposal to extend a pipeline to move more raw water to the Dutch Ravine Canal system that would help in relieving a supply issue along certain canals," said Director of Technical Services Brian Martin. Further, Director of Field Services Mike Nichol said, "agency staff is continuing to explore ways on specific canals in lower Zone 1 to offer summer irrigation water in phased stages of half-miners' inch of water to lands on waiting lists that are not currently receiving summer water."

Martin also reported on recent staff meetings that have been held with a few citizens in a portion of Zone 3 as to ways to possibly extend treated water service to their area. Martin said he would like to see wider treated water service in Zone 3, but that financing of such projects can be a fiscal constraint to do so. He noted, "this is because the area has a low per capita population base spread over a large geographic area, which results in higher costs per parcel for construction which can place affordability out of reach for prospective customers."

The Board asked staff to continue to review the Zone 1 and 3 water availability challenges and to report back as circumstances warrant.

In other business, PCWA directors:

• heard a presentation from Stan Nader and Scott Johnson of Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead (SARSAS), a community group working to restore fall run Chinook Salmon and Central Valley Steelhead to the entire length of Auburn Ravine. They announced a special event, the "Calling Back the Salmon Celebration," to be held on Oct. 23 at McBean Park in Lincoln. PCWA directors will consider the group's request for partial sponsorship of the event.
• heard an update from Director of Customer Services John Kingsbury on the agency's effort to gain Northern California representation on the board of the California Urban Water Conservation Council, a group that helps develop state policy on water use and conservation. Kingsbury said, "The group's leadership is stacked toward southern and coastal areas and against inland and Sierra areas of California." The Board concurred that staff continue to pursue broader representation on the CUWCC Board.

The next regular meeting of the PCWA Board of Directors will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, at the PCWA Business Center, 144 Ferguson Road, in Auburn. PCWA board meetings are open to the public.

Information on PCWA board meetings may be obtained through the Clerk to the Board at (530) 823-4850 or (800) 464-0030.