PCWA breaks ground on Ophir water treatment plant

The Placer County Water Agency on Thursday officially broke ground for construction of a new $208 million water treatment plant in Ophir that will serve the growing communities in the county's western region. County and PCWA officials spoke about the importance of the project, which will expand treated water capacity in the region initially by 10 million gallons a day. The plant's ultimate capacity allows for 30 million gallons of water to be treated daily, while underground pipelines have been designed toaccommodate up to 60 million gallons a day "should future regional needs ever require it," according to PCWA. "Previous generations [here] had the foresight, 70 years ago, to secure our water resources by forming the Placer County Water Agency, and over 60 years ago to build the French Meadows Reservoir (near Foresthill) and Hell Hole Dam (near Lake Tahoe) – and we didn't even need that water here until 15 years ago," Primo Santini, District 2 PCWA board member, told the crowd gathered at the construction site Thursday. "Now it is our responsibility to build the infrastructure necessary to put that water to work for our benefit today and tomorrow," he said. "The Ophir Treatment Plant will make new homes, businesses and economic opportunities possible. The economic impact is already being felt – this is the first major construction project in decades." Crews from the locally-based W.M. Lyles Co., which was awarded the $170.5 million construction contract for the facility in August, were on hand for the ground breaking ceremony, although they actually began site preparation earlier this month. The facility is expected to be operational by 2030. The Ophir WTP will work alongside PCWA's existing Foothill and Sunset water treatment plants, adding capacity and strengthening the overall system, officials said. The project will be funded through water connection charges – one-time charges paid when new or expanded development connects to PCWA's treated water system. The city of Lincoln has also invested in treatment capacity at Ophir to support its future water needs. "This funding structure helps ensure that the cost of infrastructure needed for growth is paid by new development rather than through existing customers' monthly water rates," according to PCWA.