$2 Million Contract for Auburn Water Treatment Plant

Auburn, Calif – The main water supply pipeline to the Auburn Water Treatment Plant will be upgraded under a $2.06 million construction contract awarded Thursday (Dec. 18) by the Placer County Water Agency Board of Directors.

The board approved the contract with Doug Veerkamp General Engineering, Inc. of Placerville, who submitted the lowest among nine bids received by the agency.

The project involves installation of a half mile of new 36-inch pipeline near I-80 and the Foresthill exit on Lincoln Way.  It will extend from near Sylvan Vista Drive and Lincoln Way to the water treatment plant located on Ferguson Road adjacent to the PCWA Business Center.  This project is one of twenty-one anticipated to occur over the next twelve months.  A full list of projects was reviewed for 2009 at the Board meeting.

Deputy Director of Technical Services Brent Smith said that, ‘Renewal and replacement charges were implemented by the agency board in 2002 to generate revenue to address the water system’s aging infrastructure.’  He explained that as components of the system reach the end of their useful life that the agency has the ability to fund necessary life-cycle replacement or renewal.  This assures system reliability and reduces the risk of costly unexpected failures and resulting water outages.

In other business, directors:

• ratified for all agency employees a negotiated compensation package of three and a half percent in exchange for strong board and management rights provisions plus cost containment language related to managing future retiree health costs.
• endorsed a Placer County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) request to annex three areas at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort into the Donner Summit Public Utility District.  The areas currently receive service but have not been formally annexed as have surrounding parcels.
• heard a briefing from Director of Customer Services John Kingsbury, who has been monitoring state and federal water conservation efforts.  Kingsbury said it is anticipated that in coming years water agencies such as PCWA will face increasing pressures to impose water conservation measures on urban water use.
• reviewed and commented upon a strategic planning survey as requested by the Sacramento Regional Water Authority (RWA).