Placer County Water Agency approves projects to safeguard water supply during disasters

The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors allocated money this month for two new programs to help ensure customer water supplies are protected from near-term and long-term disasters. Funding was approved, totaling roughly $550,000, for two important projects to enhance the region's water supply protection during emergencies. Of that total, the board approved designating $250,000 to begin the process for installing new backup emergency generators at PCWA's American River and Ophir Road pump stations to ensure those vital facilities can deliver water during power outages. Those generators will double PCWA's pumping capacity to ensure water delivery to customers during emergency power shutoff events, whether triggered by high-fire risk, severe weather or other unforeseen events. The generators will be purchased with a $2.3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, obtained through the California Office of Emergency Services. The other project for which the board approved funding of more than $300,000 is to develop an electricity-generation facility fueled by forest-thinning projects. This project arose through a $500,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, known as the Tahoe Central Sierra California Forest Residual Aggregations Market Enhancement (CalFRAME) pilot project. "We're particularly excited about this innovative approach to removing these fuels because it helps to create a market for the small trees and brush cleared from area forests, which will help prevent catastrophic fires," Board Chairman Robert Dugan said. "These fires threaten water supplies in two ways: They can cause severe erosion that can damage water and power infrastructure, and they can pollute water supplies and increase treatment costs." The board also approved the Regional Mutual Assistance Agreement (MAA) with the California Utilities Emergency Association for up to $1,000,000, enabling the PCWA to access specialized labor resources from other electrical utilities in response to utility emergencies when the agency does not have internal personnel capabilities. The PCWA board also heard an informational report from staff on the condition of the Eastside Canal, followed by public comment. The next regular meeting of the PCWA Board of Directors will be held Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. For information on PCWA board meetings, contact the Clerk to the Board at 530-823-4850 or 800-464-0030.