Auburn, California

June 26-28, 2019 was the date of a gathering of public water officials and county supervisors from the Bay Area, Mountain Counties, and Southern California, to meet and tour the American River Watershed.  The conference was years in the making and was hosted by Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA), Urban Water Institute (UWI), Mesa Water District, and the Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA).  California-United Water is a symbol of water officials from around California working in collaboration to ensure safe and resilient water supplies, healthy watersheds for our communities, environmental preservation, and a healthy state economy.

An all day tour through Foresthill to Sugar Pine Reservoir and to the American Fire location in Placer County, included 12 expert subject matter speakers discussing topics of high importance in the Sierra Nevada watershed:

• Stewardship of California Watersheds
• Critical ecosystems and sustainability
• Managing a small water district in the watershed
• Optimizing California’s water supply
• Wildfire on the landscape – After the fire
• Federal, state, & private partnerships
• Re-introducing fire on the landscape

Wednesday Evening Keynote Speakers 

Senator Brian Dahle

Assembly Member  Frank Bigelow

Friday Morning Keynote Speakers

Congressman Tom McClintock

Assembly Member Kevin Kiley

Assembly Member Ken Cooley

AND, from the Governors’s Office:

Jennifer Montgomery, Director of the Forest Management Task Force

Nancy Vogel, Director of  the Water Portfolio Program

PROGRAM Itinerary & complete list of speakers

Pictures from the Gallery

PowerPoint Presentations

The special event was made possible by our sponsors:

In addition to my regular Board commitments I serve as a board member on the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA). On June 26 through June 28^, we hosted a California United Water Conference here in Auburn.

Among the conference attendees were the director of water and natural resources from East Bay Municipal Utilities District and the assistant general manager of the United Water Conservation District who spoke on the challenges of small urban water districts in Southern California. Also in attendance were Ed Smith, regional ecologist for the Nature Conservancy, a Director from Mesa Water District (Orange County), the Board Chair of the Urban Water District, as well as two PH.D’s from UC Merced who provided current and historical information regarding the health of our watersheds.

Thursday was a busy day with participants attending a bus tour to Foresthill and beyond, stopping at the Foresthill Veterans Hall where Marie Davis, geologist and consultant to Placer County Water Agency, spoke about the relationship between resilient headwaters and water reliability in California. Angie Avery, executive officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), spoke about SNC’s Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program. Hank White, general manager of Foresthill Public Utility District, spoke about the long-term challenges of providing reliable local water storage, while enhancing our downstream water supply and environmental benefits.

From there the tour took us to Sugar Pine Dam, and at noon we enjoyed lunch at one of the campsites while Martha Conklin, Ph.D. and Roger Bales, Ph.D. (UC Merced) spoke to us about science-based watershed perspectives. From there we moved on to tour the site of the 2013 American Fire where again Marie Davis spoke about the terrible impact of a catastrophic wildfire on the watershed.  Our tour ended in the canyon at the confluence of the North and Middle forks of the American River.

Thursday evening the dinner speaker was former supervisor and now director of the Governor‘s Forest Management Task Force, Jennifer Montgomery, who gave a comprehensive update on the activities of the task force.

The California United Water conference was a collaboration of local and statewide decision makers coming together to understand each entities challenges and to work together to protect our valuable water resources throughout the State of California.

Newsletter

MCWRA Board Member – County of Placer Supervisor Jim Holmes

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is pleased to announce a Request for Pre-Applications to the Watershed Improvement Program Forest Health Grant Program, funded through Proposition 1 and Proposition 68. There is currently $10.5 million available to support forest health projects that result in multiple watershed benefits.  Please review SNC’s website and Grant Guidelines for a complete description of Grant Program requirements and details on the application process.  Pre-Applications will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2019. SNC strongly encourages applicants to meet with their Area Representative to discuss projects prior to preparing their Pre-Application. For general questions regarding the Grant Program, please contact us at grants.snc@sierranevada.ca.gov or (530) 823-4689.

SNC Grants Team

Sierra Nevada Conservancy

11521 Blocker Drive, Suite 205

Auburn, CA  95603

530-823-4689

SNCgrants@sierranevada.ca.gov

RESTORE THE SIERRA

Calaveras County Water District and PG&E accept mediator’s proposal for $3 million resolution of Butte Fire claims

The Calaveras County Water District announced Tuesday June 19 that it and PG&E have accepted a mediator’s proposal of $3 million to resolve the District’s claims, resulting from the 2015 Butte Fire. The Mediator’s proposal is exclusive of and does not affect the claims of any residents, individuals, or businesses.

The payment is to be incorporated in, and subject to confirmation by the Bankruptcy Court, a plan of reorganization to be filed by PG&E in its pending Chapter 11 case. The settlement is part of a total settlement of $1 billion to be paid to local government entities pursuant to the confirmed plan of reorganization.

If the settlement is approved through PG&E’s bankruptcy exit proceedings, CCWD intends to use a large portion of it to reimburse expenses that the District incurred as a result of the Butte Fire, namely the construction and operation of the Jenny Lind Water Treatment Plant Pretreatment Facility. While the $3 million settlement is less than the amount originally sought by the District, it is a positive result for CCWD and the community as a whole.

Click here for the full News Release

Western area power administrator to power three of PCWA’s largest water infrastructure; changeover will save agency an average $200,000 annually

Ross Branch, Public Affairs Manager, PCWA

(530) 823-1937 (office) – (530) 863-3130 (cell)

rbranch@pcwa.net

AUBURN, Calif. (June 18, 2019) — Following a five-year study, the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) has agreed to receive its full energy needs, for three of its largest delivery points, from the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) starting July 1. The PCWA Board of Directors finalized the decision by approving agreements with WAPA at its last Board meeting.

The three energy delivery points, to be served by WAPA, power PCWA’s American River Pump Station, Auburn Tunnel Pump Station, and Foothill Water Treatment Plant. Currently, that infrastructure runs on a dual energy supply from WAPA and Pacific Gas & Electric. By switching to WAPA for all energy needs at those points, and becoming a Full Load Service WAPA customer, PCWA can take advantage of wholesale energy prices.

Click here for the full News Release

Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA) is a subscriber to the AB 1668/SB 606 Water Conservation Listserv.  We are providing this information as a service announcement

This is a reminder that the fourth County Drought Advisory Group (CDAG) meeting will be held on June 27, 2019 from 10:00AM-4:00PM at the Bonderson Hearing Room at 901 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. To help us plan appropriately for this meeting, please RSVP to James Campagna of DWR (in-person attendance, online or other).

The CDAG meetings are open to CDAG members as well as other interested parties. The purpose of the fourth CDAG meeting is to:

• Present a draft methodology for assessing drought vulnerability and identifying communities at risk of drought and water shortage.
• Present and discuss a draft recommendation for components to be included in an umbrella drought and water shortage contingency plan to cover rural communities (less than 15 service connections and self-supplied households).
• Present and discuss a draft recommendation for components to be included in a drought and water shortage contingency plan for small water suppliers (3000 to 15 service connections).

We look forward to collaborating with you all.

RSVP Contact:

James Campagna, Office Assistant

Water Use and Efficiency Branch, California Dept. of Water Resources

901 P Street, Room 313-A, Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 651-9671

James.Campagna@water.ca.gov

Joel Metzger, External Affairs Manager
Calaveras County Water District
Desk: (209) 754-3123 – Mobile: (209) 768-6270

Calaveras County Water District (CCWD) is doing everything in its power to minimize potential negative impacts to customers as a result of PG&E’s planned implementation of its Public Safety Power Shutoff Program, or PSPSP.

In 2018, PG&E rolled out its Community Wildfire Safety Program (CWSP), which included planned power outages under the PSPS program. If extreme fire danger conditions threaten a portion of the electric system serving a community, it may be necessary for PG&E to turn off electricity in the interest of public safety. In spring 2019, PG&E announced that it would. Click here for detailed information from PG&E.

CCWD’s water, wastewater and recycled water systems rely upon uninterrupted electrical power from PG&E in order to ensure safe and reliable operations. PG&E supplies power directly to CCWD’s drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, along with water distribution and sewer collection systems and is critical to the 24/7 operational needs of these facilities.

To ensure reliable water and sewer services for 13,000 water customers and 5,000 sewer customers, the CCWD Board has authorized the purchase and installation of numerous back-up generators at critical sites throughout the County over the past 10 years. While these back-up generators are expected to minimize impacts to customers caused by the PSPS program, there may be situations when service interruptions occur.

For more click here:release regarding PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Program,

Mike TeSelle , Reporter

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) —

Work is scheduled to begin this week on a first-of-its-kind partnership to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire around essential drinking water supplies stored in the Sierra.

“This is the first time Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds from the state’s carbon tax are being put back into a watershed to reduce emissions from catastrophic wildfire,” said Andrew Fecko of the Placer County Water Agency.

The partnership includes a unique collaboration between public agencies including, the U.S. Forest Service, Placer County Water Agency, the County of Placer, community organizations like The Nature Conservancy and private business, including Coca-Cola and Anheuser Busch.

The $14 million effort, which is being led by Placer County through a stewardship contract with the USFS, is aimed at thinning the forest across both public and private land in an area where the 2014 King Fire created concern when it threatened two key reservoirs: French Meadows and Hell Hole reservoirs.

The fire burned so intensely in that watershed that it impacted taste, odor and water treatment costs.

“We just simply can’t afford to have the intensity of the King Fire. Low-intensity fire is good, but it’s the high-intensity stuff we need to avoid,” said Fecko. “This isn’t logging or clear-cutting. It’s selected harvests to reduce forest density back to what the forest looked like before settlement in the West.”

Researchers from UC Merced are providing information about optimal forest densities for current and future climate conditions.

The Nature Conservancy is also leading research to monitor the impact of forest thinning on future fire behavior.

The ecologically-based thinning is scheduled to begin Wednesday and once finished, the idea is to re-introduce fire to the landscape, said Ross Branch, a PCWA spokesman.

PCWA news coverage as seen on KCRA 3:
Effort seeks to curb wildfires’ impact on drinking water
Watch the video here

Agricultural Water Management Plan Guidebook Workgroup – June 26, 2019 at 1:30 PM

As part of implementing the 2018 water conservation legislation (Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606),  the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will hold the first meeting of the “Agricultural Water Management Plan Guidebook Workgroup” in-person and via webinar. Membership to the workgroup is informal and open to all interested parties.

DWR will present its plan and schedule for revising the Agricultural Water Management Plan Guidebook for the 2020 Plan cycle. Technical sub-workgroups may be formed as needed.

To join by webinar, please use the following link and teleconference numbers:

Join Skype Meeting
Teleconference:  +1 (916) 573-2034

Access Code: 50960787#

Conference ID: 50960787

Agenda topics include:

• Introductions and Agenda Overview
• New Agricultural Water Management Plan requirements in Water Code
  • Drought Plan
  • Water Budget
  • Water Use Efficiency Calculator
  • Water Management Objectives
  • Electronic Reporting, Standard Tables and Displays
  • Compliance
• Efficient Water Management Plan Reporting
• Next Steps

For questions, contact:

Marty Berbach at (916) 651-9216

Sabrina Cook at (916) 653-4863

Start: Wed 26 Jun 2019, 1:30 PM
End: Wed 26 Jun 2019, 3:30 PM
Bonderson Building, Large Conference Room – 2nd Floor, 901 P Street, Sacramento, CA, 95914