When Placer County residents voted in 1961 to finance construction of the Middle Fork American River Project, PCWA signed a 50-year power sale agreement with PG&E. PG&E would receive all the power generated, but paid all project operating costs and construction debt. When that agreement ended in 2013, PCWA assumed control of generation activities.
PCWA executed a new water supply contract with PG&E to ensure a continued reliable water supply in Placer County for the next 30 years. This is the Agency’s primary water source for customers from Alta to Lincoln.
PCWA completed improvements to its largest water treatment plant in 2018, the Foothill Water Treatment Plant. The Foothill Plant and Sunset Water Treatment Plant allow PCWA to fully expand our water treatment capabilities. Both plants combined treat up to 66 million gallons of water a day for our western Placer County customers.
The French Meadows Forest Restoration Project partners completed their first season of work in Tahoe National Forest. This public-private partnership is the first project of its kind to implement and fund active forest management on public land. It helps protect our critical watershed from catastrophic fires. See our video about the project.
Andrew Fecko has been appointed as the Agency’s next General Manager. He succeeds current General Manager Einar Maisch who retires from PCWA on February 28. Einar had a 34-year career with the Agency.
One of PCWA’s most exciting goals is to receive a new 40-year license to operate the Middle Fork American River Project. Under the new license, PCWA will implement a variety of operational, recreational and environmental improvements.
One of the bigger projects in the coming decade is to replace the Colfax Water Treatment Plant. It is the oldest treatment plant in PCWA’s system, dating back to 1958. The new plant will provide significant reliability improvements for Colfax and surrounding communities along the Highway 80 corridor.
A massive achievement in the coming years will be the extension of PCWA water rights. It will secure beneficial uses for housing, the economy, environment and agriculture. These rights originated with construction of the Middle Fork American River Project and preserve water resources for Placer County.
PCWA’s Countywide Master Plan provides a framework to identify and document water needs in unserved and underserved Placer County. Working with our other public water supply partners in the County, PCWA anticipates it will begin implementing the projects contained in the Countywide Master Plan in the coming decade using Middle Fork Project energy sale proceeds.
