El Dorado Water Agency grant funds to help support urban water supply

The El Dorado Water Agency (EDWA) announced it is providing grant funding to the four urban water purveyors in El Dorado County to help support their urban water supply reliability planning efforts. The EDWA Board of Directors recently approved a supplemental grant program which allocates up to $20,000 for each urban water provider - El Dorado Irrigation District, Georgetown Divide Public Utility District, South Tahoe Public Utility District and Tahoe City Public Utility District - to help them update their Urban Water Management Plans. The funding will support the districts as they evaluate current and future water demands, assess water supply reliability and identify strategies to improve long-term drought resilience and emergency preparedness. Urban Water Management Plans are required by the State of California and serve as critical planning tools to help water agencies sustainably manage water resources for their communities. "We are proud to help support the local urban water districts, as collaboration is essential to ensuring our county is well-equipped to meet current and future water needs," said Rebecca Guo, EDWA general manager. "Ensuring water supply reliability is essential for residents, businesses and agriculture throughout our county." EDWA's continued partnership with the urban water purveyors will help inform the work they are doing in the Tahoe Basin and West Slope. EDWA is currently developing two long-term implementation roadmaps that facilitate a shared understanding of sequencing, triggers, dependencies and conditions for adaptive water management. These roadmaps are intended to help local agencies and stakeholders coordinate investments, prioritize projects and respond proactively to changing water conditions across the region. EDWA is also providing grant funding to the American River Conservancy (ARC) for a project in Pilot Hill focused on long-term fuels reduction to protect water infrastructure by enabling cattle grazing on the land. The fuels reduction project will protect an aboveground water storage tank, raw water shortage pond and canal lateral on the 153-acre ARC property. "Protecting water infrastructure and strengthening long-term water reliability requires both thoughtful planning and proactive land management," Guo added. "By supporting projects like this with the American River Conservancy, we are helping reduce wildfire risk while also strengthening our working lands and protecting critical water delivery systems that serve our communities."