PCWA advances long-term drinking water reliability for Heather Glen

The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) has been awarded a $16 million financial assistance agreement from the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to advance the Heather Glen Consolidation Project, an effort that will replace aging water infrastructure and improve long-term drinking water reliability for the Heather Glen community. The project will connect Heather Glen's water system to PCWA's Weimar water system, providing the community's 101 customer connections with access to the stability and operational support of a larger regional water system while replacing aging facilities that have reached the end of their useful life. The Heather Glen Community Services District approached PCWA about consolidation in 2017. Following several years of planning and collaboration, the project was identified as a priority through California's Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience program, which helps communities gain access to safe and reliable drinking water. "Every community deserves safe, reliable drinking water," said Josh Alpine, PCWA District 5 board member, representing eastern Placer County. "We've been working toward this for a long time, and this project gives Heather Glen residents a long-term solution by connecting them to a larger, more resilient water system. It's an investment in the people who live here and in the future of our foothill communities." The project includes the construction of four miles of new transmission pipeline, a pressure-reducing station, replacement of customer meters, a new 110,000-gallon water storage tank and the decommissioning of Heather Glen's existing treatment plant and aging redwood storage tank. The project is part of PCWA's broader regionalization and consolidation program along the Interstate 80 corridor. PCWA's 2023 acquisition of the Weimar Water Company created an important connection point that helped make consolidation of the Heather Glen system possible years sooner than could have been accommodated otherwise. By connecting smaller systems to a larger regional network, PCWA and its partners are improving drinking water reliability while reducing the need for costly replacement of standalone treatment facilities. The funding award builds on a previous SWRCB planning grant that helped advance the project and secure construction funding. Together, the planning and construction awards provide $16.6 million in SWRCB funding for the Heather Glen consolidation project. The project's planning and construction costs will not be paid for through existing PCWA customer water rates or Heather Glen customer rates. The SWRCB grant funding is anticipated to pay for the planning and construction costs entirely and will be paid through a reimbursable process. An approximately $360,000 in PCWA Water Connection Charge funding is anticipated to support additional storage capacity for customers in the new tank beyond what is required for the Heather Glen consolidation project. Once completed, Heather Glen water customers will become PCWA customers and receive service from the agency's community-owned water system. Heather Glen Community Services District will continue providing its other public services. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2028 with completion expected in 2029. Learn more about PCWA's consolidation and regionalization efforts at pcwa.net/stewardship/consolidations.