Auburn, Calif. – The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors unanimously approved a water supply agreement between PCWA and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) at its board meeting on February 19, 2015.
The new agreement will ensure continued reliable water delivery to the people of western Placer County for the next 30 years.
"This agreement provides a strong foundation for moving forward and working in partnership with PG&E," Primo Santini, Chairman of the PCWA Board of Directors said.
Under the new water supply agreement:
- The price of water is unchanged at $40 per acre-foot in 2015 and will be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index thereafter.
- There are no longer any practical restrictions on the place of use for PG&E water within western Placer County.
- PCWA retains the right to construct two new points of delivery, one for the Ophir Water Treatment Plant and one to provide emergency service to Meadow Vista.
- PCWA will have the right to construct a new permanent pump station at Rock Creek reservoir.
- PCWA will have the right to use PG&E's South Canal when needed during outages. However, PCWA is obligated to construct new raw or treated water capacity between Ophir and the Foothill-Sunset system within 7 to 10 years to eliminate reliance on the South Canal during routine outages.
The agreement replaces a 1968 agreement originally set to expire in 2013 but since extended. Renegotiations of the agreement have been in process since July 2012. The Board also approved a letter agreement with PG&E pertaining to PG&E's filing with the California Public Utilities Commission for approval of the water supply agreement.
In other news, PCWA directors:
- heard from PCWA Director of Resource Development, Andy Fecko, regarding the potential transfer of approximately 10,000 acres of private land in the upper Middle Fork American River watershed area. In a letter to the Wildlife Conservation Board and the American River Conservancy, PCWA expressed concern for long-term watershed health, public access and ongoing stewardship to protect the area from catastrophic wildfire.
- heard from Deputy Director of Technical Services, Tony Firenzi on the impacts of the 2015 drought emergency to local water supply availability in Placer County and PCWA's Water System. Firenzi cited the similarities between current drought conditions and those of 2014. Based on 2014 year-end results, he concluded that the Board should have the ability to offer water to its agricultural customers in Zone 5.
The next regular meeting of the PCWA Board of Directors will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2015, 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. For drought updates and water conservation information, see www.pcwa.net.
About PCWA
Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) is the primary water resource agency for Placer County, California, with a broad range of responsibilities including water resource planning and management, retail and wholesale supply of drinking water and irrigation water, and production of hydroelectric energy.