UPDATE VOL 23 NO 4 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2009 PLACER COUNTY WATER AGENCY water • energy • stewardship

IN THIS ISSUE: Helping to Plan Tahoe Water Supplies... Page 2 Placer Students Are Water Aware... Page 3

Update for an Old Dam Two-Year Project to Improve Spillway at French Meadows ollowing eight years of studies, planning and design, PCWA is preparing to rebuild key sec- tions of the almost 50-year-old dam that holds back water at French MeadowsFF Reservoir. L.L. Anderson Dam, named for the late Foresthill Divide community leader, and District 5 county supervisor and PCWA director, was built in 1963-66 as a key feature of PCWA’s Middle Fork Regulatory Commission confirmed the Mountain Waterworks Project. Corps’ conclusion. The spillway at French Meadows, above, holds Probable Maximum Flood at left, will be upgraded after studies 136,400 acre-feet of water and is situated Using modern hydrometerological showed that it is too small to handle a at 5200 feet on the western slope of the data, the Corps developed a 72-hour maximum probable flooding event. . lies about 18 Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) miles to the east. Donner Summit is depth of 46 inches for the French about 15 miles north. Meadows watershed. This computed to a be overtopped,” said PCWA Hydroelectric In 2001, the U.S. Army Corps of French Meadows inflow of 66,700 cubic Engineer Jon Mattson. “This could cause Engineers first released hydrologic studies feet per second, which could overtop the failure of the dam and significant down- showing that the existing L.L. Anderson dam by about three feet. PCWA studies stream damage to the Middle Fork Project Dam could potentially be overtopped in predicted a somewhat smaller inflow. and other facilities in the American River maximum flood conditions. Subsequent “The studies showed that in a proba- canyon.” The PMF can be described as a PCWA studies for the Federal Energy ble maximum flood (PMF) the dam could 1 in 10,000 years, or “Noah’s Ark” event. To meet current standards, PCWA Recreational Opportunities at PCWA Reservoirs and a design team from MWH, Inc., have Consider PCWA’s mountain reservoirs when planning your next camping or fishing trip. developed a detailed project to improve French Meadows Reservoir offers five campgrounds, including the walk-in or boat-in the dam, spillway and release gates, as well only Poppy Campground; and two group camps that can accommodate gatherings of up to 50 as the channel that carries water into the and 75. Most camps have piped water and flush toilets. Fees are $18-$20; group camp rates are Middle Fork American River. $85-$125. Contact the American River Ranger District of the , (530) A parapet wall on the dam crest will 367-2224. For camping reservations, call (877) 444-6777. be replaced and raised and the spillway is located at the 4600-foot elevation just south of French Meadows. will be widened by 32 feet, nearly dou- It features three campgrounds: one is at the reservoir, one is an upstream hike-in or boat-in site bling present capacity to 40,000 cubic feet (no fee), and the third is the Big Meadows Campground, two miles away. Contact the in El Dorado County. No reservations are offered; camping is on a first come, per second. The existing control gates first served basis. For information, call (530) 622-5061. (Please see Spillway, page 2) he blue waters of posals to engineering consultants and Lake Tahoe stretch expects to award a contract this sum- as far as the eye can mer. see, but when it Water for North Tahoe Martin said he expects the study comes to water for to be complete by October and that fire protection it will be valuable to local agencies around Tahoe’s north shore, the sup- PCWA Helps Local who plan to apply for hazard mitiga- plies are stretched pretty thin. Agencies Develop tion grant funding through the With memories of the Washoe American Recovery and andT Angora fires still fresh, fire dis- Reinvestment Act of 2009. T a Master Plan tricts and water suppliers serving PCWA General Manager David areas of Lake Tahoe within Placer A. Breninger said the agency is County want to improve water avail- Technical Services Brian Martin. “You ability for fire protection but agree there have summer cabins that have been con- are hurdles to overcome. verted to full-time homes. Some areas 18 Water Purveyors lack standby power so the water goes out There are 18 different water purvey- when there is a power outage. There are ors and water systems that supply Placer little spaghetti lines systems all over the County areas from Kings Beach near the place.” Nevada state line to Tahoma on the west In March, the Tahoe City Public shore near the El Dorado County line. Utility District and the North Tahoe Fire Protection teamed up on a joint request for a PCWA financial assistance grant for the preparation of a consolidated master ‘...From a fire plan for the entire area. It is hoped that district perspective... the eventual addition of new facilities, we would like to look storage tanks and interties can expand at the area water availability through the planning as a whole...’ area. Duane Whitelaw, chief of the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, said there - Fire Chief Duane Whitelaw is wide disparity in the water systems within the district. “From a fire district Some are publicly-owned and some perspective, we would like to be able to always interested in finding solutions to are private - a result of early vacation blur the jurisdictional lines and look at the Placer County water issues. “As a county- home development dating back to the area as a whole,” he said. “This is the wide water resource agency, we are in 1920s. Some systems rely on lake water, most efficient and cost effective way.” position to assist and support local agen- some on well water, one on spring water. Help With Grant, Staff cies and local projects around the county,” Some have adequate water system storage In May, PCWA directors approved a he said. and infrastructure; some don’t. $35,000 grant and authorized agency staff “We’re dealing with a lot of history to manage and coordinate the project. PCWA Financial Grants up there,” said PCWA Director of The agency circulated a request for pro- To Local Agencies The financial assistance grant for Continued From P. 1 North Lake Tahoe master planning is one Spillway - of five water resource planning grants will be replaced with new, wider gates and the channel will be widened and fortified. awarded in 2009 by PCWA. The project has been designed and phased to allow the existing release gates to be The others are: used until the newer, downstream gates are in place and ready for operation. Mattson • $35,000 to the Squaw Valley Public said this would allow the agency to keep as much water as needed in French Meadows Service District to help the district fund during the two-year construction project. installation of backup electrical power at a The project involves removal of about 65,000 cubic yards of rock and rubble booster pump station. which will be placed on a spoil site below the dam that is designed to be very similar in • $35,000 to the Northstar Community appearance to the dam itself. Service District to help fund a water meter Contract Award This Fall replacement program. PCWA has pre-qualified four specialized contractors and anticipates going to bid • $10,000 to the Sierra Lakes County and awarding a construction contract by fall. Due to the mountain location, work will Water District on Donner Summit to help be limited to the April-November time frame in both 2010 and 2011. fund a water supply analysis project. Mattson said the agency has worked with the U.S. Forest Service in an effort to • $26,000 to the Foresthill Public minimize noise and other impacts associated with construction. Utility District for preparation of a water The overall dam improvement project is estimated at $23 million. rate analysis and financing plan. PAGE 2 • PCWA UPDATE Water Awareness Placer County Students Come Out On Top wo Placer County students and one entire second grade class from Loomis have been named winners in the 2009 “Be Water Smart Challenge” spon- sored by the Regional Water Authority (RWA) and The Sacramento Bee. Winning in the Grade 5-8 division was Josh Thibeault,a student in Mrs. Corcoran’s fifth grade class at Twin Oaks TElementaryT School in Rocklin. The other individual winner from Placer County, also in the Grade 5-8 divi- sion, was Kiernan McKnight, a seventh grader in Patty Onorato’s class at Spring Josh Thibeault is pictured with Ron Brand of The Sacramento View Middle School in Rocklin. Bee, PCWA’s Audra Davison, and teacher Mrs. Corcoran. In the Grade K-4 category, Mrs. Feyder’s second grade class at Placer Elementary School in Loomis was one of five classes throughout the region and the only one in Placer County to win a first place award. Students from 150 schools from throughout the greater Sacramento region took part in the annual water education program. The “Be Water Smart Challenge,” a Newspaper in Education (NIE) program, is designed to increase water awareness among students through class studies and personal research projects.

ABOVE, Kiernan McKnight RIGHT, Mrs. Feyder’s class at Placer Elementary School pictured with Water Challenge mascot “Mr. Leaky”

Water Supply Update IN BRIEF... Rates, Budget This Fall PCWA Water Storage is Good This fall, the PCWA Board of Directors will consider 2010 budgets and possible rate y mid-July, PCWA water stor- PCWA is receiving normal water adjustments. For schedule information contact age levels remained near aver- deliveries of water from the Yuba-Bear Customer Service or visit www.pcwa.net. age for this time of year and river watershed from the Pacific Gas and the agency was making full Electric Co. this year, said PCWA ‘Fire and Water’ deliveries of water to customers in all Director of Field Services Mike Nichol. This special newspaper insert is published by The Auburn Journal and sponsored by PCWA service zones. As of July 13, Bullards Bar BB to inform Sierra foothill residents about fire On PCWA’s Middle Fork American Reservoir to the north stood at 85 per- prevention and efficient water use. The sup- River Project, French Meadows cent of capacity and 103 percent of plement has been distributed in The Journal and Reservoir held 128,187 acre-feet of average for this time of year, Nichol Colfax Record. Additional copies are available at water, or about 95 percent of storage noted. Folsom Reservoir water storage the PCWA Business Center. capacity, as of July 10. The reservoir was at 77 percent of capacity and 96 elevation was 5257.1 feet, about a half- percent of average for mid-July. Sacramento River Plan on Hold foot below maximum. The PCWA Board of Directors on June At nearby Hell Hole Reservoir, May Rains Helped 18 agreed to suspend planning on a long-term PCWA storage was measured at 194,539 This year’s water storage levels were project to divert water from the Sacramento River to serve parts of western Placer County. acre-feet. or 93.7 percent of capacity, as bolstered significantly by May rains The project is affected by uncertainties over of July 10. Hell Hole’s surface (maxi- which produced nearly 10 inches of pre- state water operations. In addition, a slower mum 4630 feet) was at an elevation of cipitation in the nearby mountains, about rate of growth in Placer County has reduced 4619.4 feet. two and a half times the May average. the urgency for additional water supplies.

PAGE 3 • PCWA UPDATE

Your Elected Board of Directors

PCWA is an independent public agency governed by an elected Board of Directors. Directors represent each of five districts in Placer County and are elected by voters to four- year terms.

Your PCWA Board Water Leaders Visit Placer of Directors: PCWA HOSTED a tour of the American River Pump Station on June 12 as part of an Auburn meeting of the DISTRICT 1 and 2009 Board Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) and the Chairman: Gray Allen Mountain Counties Water Resources Association DISTRICT 2: Alex Ferreira (MCWRA). ABOVE, visitors check out project exhibits DISTRICT 3: Lowell Jarvis along the riverside. RIGHT, the new underground water diversion structure in the American River is visible, fore- DISTRICT 4: Mike Lee ground, while the canyon walls, once shaped for an Auburn DISTRICT 5: Ben Mavy Dam, can be seen in the distance.

Water Efficiency Corner Public Meetings A Word to the Water Wise... Are you putting your water to its best use? Would you like to use your water more effi- ciently and perhaps save some money on your water bill? The Placer County Water Agency Consider a Water Wise House Call - a free customer service offered by PCWA. A water Board of Directors meets regu- efficiency specialist will visit your home, review your water use and recommend ways in which larly the first and third Thursdays you may be able to save water. of each month at 2 p.m. at the To make an appointment for a Water Wise House Call, simply call the PCWA Customer Services Center at (530) 823-4850 or (800) 464-0030. Placer County Water Agency Business Center, 144 Ferguson Rebate Programs Continue Road, in Auburn. The public is PCWA continues to offer rebates to customers who install water efficient fixtures and appli- welcome. ances, improve water heating efficiency or replace thirsty lawns. Current programs are: High-Efficiency Washing Machines. Rebates of up to $150 to customers who replace old washing machines with new water efficient models. High-Efficiency Toilets. Rebates of up to $175 to customers who replace older 3 gallon www.pcwa.net or more flush toilets with new 1.28 gallon or less high-efficiency models. Ultra Low-Flow Toilets. Rebates of up to $125 to customers who replace older 3 gallon or more flush toilets with new 1.6 gallon low -flow models. High-Efficiency Toilets (Commercial). Program offers up to $200 rebates for replace- This newsletter is published ment of older 3 gallon or more flush toilets with 1.28 gallon or less high-efficiency models. as a public service of the Waterless Urinal Rebates (Commercial). Rebates of up to $200 for replacement of older non low -flow urinals with new waterless urinals. Lawn Replacement. Rebates of $1 per square foot (up to 300 sq. ft.) for sod replace- PLACER COUNTY ment with non-water consuming material, such as chips, bark or gravel. Rebates of 50 cents per WATER AGENCY square foot (up to 300 sq. ft.) for sod replacement with water efficient plants. These rebates may be combined to a maximum of $300. Hot Water Heaters. Rebates $50 for the installation of point-of-use hot water heaters. 144 Ferguson Road Hot Water Demand Whole House Recirculation. Rebates of $150 for installation of (P.O. Box 6570) whole house hot water circulation systems. Auburn, California 95604 Rebates are given as credits on customer water bills. Please contact the PCWA Customer Services Center for program details before purchase. Offers are for a limited time. (530) 823-4850 Funding for the rebates is a cooperative effort of the federal Bureau of Reclamation, (800) 464-0030 Sacramento Regional Water Authority, South Placer Wastewater Authority and PCWA.

General Manager: David A. Breninger Printed on 50% recycled fiber content with Newsletter Editor: Dave Carter 25% post-consumer waste, FSC certified paper with eco-friendly inks