At the moment, with no ability to move water from Lake Spaulding to Rollins Reservoir, while PG&E repairs their powerhouse, PCWA and NID must rely on the water currently sitting in Rollins Reservoir to serve both Agencies’ needs.

We do not anticipate treated water customers will be affected by this outage, but we continue to encourage customers to use water wisely

To help us all get through this period, we’re asking for voluntary reductions or temporary suspension in canal water deliveries now, while it’s still cool.

Customers who want to discuss their options to temporarily reduce or suspend raw water deliveries are encouraged to contact our Customer Services Department at (530) 823-4850 or customerservices@pcwa.net.

Thankfully, PCWA’s proactive planning for scenarios like this play a significant role in PCWA’s ongoing effort to deliver water reliably. PCWA has backup supplies from the American River and groundwater, and interties with neighboring water providers.

So, while we have plans to make up for much of the delayed water supply, we need your help to ensure that the water currently available in Rollins Reservoir lasts through the duration of this outage.

PG&E is moving forward with a plan to partially restore water deliveries in mid-June, but full repair of the failed infrastructure isn’t expected until late fall, which means that PG&E’s water delivery constraint will persist through the hot summer months.

To help us all get through this period, we’re asking for voluntary reductions or temporary suspension in canal water deliveries now, while it’s still cool. We also ask all customers to be mindful of their water use and conservation in general, to preserve what we have, keeping demand under control now, to avoid facing a serious shortage later in the summer.

Customers who want to discuss their options to temporarily reduce or suspend raw water deliveries are encouraged to contact our Customer Services Department at (530) 823-4850 or customerservices@pcwa.net.

We encourage our customers to check back periodically for updates posted on our website.

The Drum-Spaulding system is the primary water supply for parts of west Placer County. This water is delivered from a historic canal system that begins at a reservoir in the Yuba watershed and meanders through Placer County.

From the time PG&E purchased the gold rush-era reservoirs on the South Yuba River in the early 1900s, until 1967, PG&E was the primary water retailer in Placer County. During that time, the Placer County region was one of the leading producers of tree fruits in the nation. The same canals that were originally used to transport water to the productive lands of the county also became part of PG&E’s Drum-Spaulding hydroelectric facilities.

In 1967, PG&E decided to exit the retail water business, and PCWA purchased its western water system with overwhelming support from voters. We did this to bring more affordable water to our customers and to ensure the water system received the best possible operation and maintenance.

Then, in 1983, PG&E sold the upper portion of their retail system, from Alta to Auburn, to PCWA. By this time, PG&E had exited the retail water business, and PCWA took over the duty to continue delivering water to the people of Placer County.

Importantly, through both of these water system sales, PG&E has been bound by long-term contracts to ensure the continued delivery of water from the Drum-Spaulding system to PCWA, in order to supply the same customers and lands historically served by PG&E.