Auburn, Calif.- The Placer County Water Agency has received a report entitled Supplying Water to Placer County from the Placer County Grand Jury, which was reviewed with the PCWA Board of Directors at their Thursday (March 3) meeting. General Manager David Breninger said the February 17 report follows several meetings between PCWA staff and the Grand Jury over the past several months.
The report notes that PCWA: ‘is an efficient, lean organization’, is ‘central to the continued growth of Placer County’ and that ‘[g]iven the number of potentially significant impactive issues facing PCWA . . ., increased focus and preparation needs to be placed on the future.’
The report concludes ‘The Grand Jury was impressed regarding the quality and dedication of PCWA management. There was a consistent enthusiasm shown for the job they were performing and for fulfilling the needs of their customers. With few exceptions, the organization is focused on serving the current customer with safe, reliable, affordable water.’
Breninger said PCWA staff and Grand Jurors met again on March 1 to discuss the report with focus on four recommendations made by the Grand Jury.
Recommendations include: establish an ongoing process to prioritize and rank proposed projects that will be funded from the additional revenue expected by the sale of power from the Agency’s Middle Fork Hydroelectric Project; increase staffing in the PCWA Strategic Affairs Department; a formalized succession plan for key staff and management positions; and a plan to update or create process and procedure documentation. A response to the recommendations will be returned to the Grand Jury by May 17.
In other business, PCWA directors:
- welcomed Rocklin Fire Chief Bill Mikesell, who also serves as president of the Western Placer County Fire Chiefs Association. Mikesell thanked the water agency for supporting local fire departments in preparing for a new state law, effective Jan. 1 that requires sprinklers in new residential construction.
- recognized retiring Director of Customer Services John Kingsbury for his 10 years of public service with the agency. Kingsbury will leave PCWA Mar. 11 and take a position as executive director of the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association.
- authorized an additional 24 miners’ inches of summer irrigation water to be made available to customers on waiting lists where canal capacity has been a limitation.
Information on PCWA board meetings may be obtained through the Clerk to the Board at (530) 823-4850 or (800) 464-0030.