Auburn, Calif.- Directors of the Placer County Water Agency on Thursday (May 20) voted to support the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2010, a program that would authorize $415 million in federal funding to preserve and protect the lake which is known for the crystal clarity of its waters.
The board’s unanimous vote followed a presentation by Gina Banks, Northern California director of field services for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is a sponsor of the bill (now known as HR 4001).
Banks said the federal program, a reauthorization of the original 2000 Act, would provide funding over an eight-year period in three key areas:
- Priority restoration projects including stormwater management, watershed restoration, forest health, air quality and wildlife habitat.
- Fuel reduction projects to reduce the threat of fire in the Tahoe Basin, including incentives for local communities to adopt progressive building codes and dedicate funding for defensible space efforts.
- Protections against infestations of Quagga mussels and other invasive aquatic species. The bill would provide funding for removal of existing invasive species and for continued boat inspections to limit further invasion. Banks said the federal measure has wide support in the Lake Tahoe region and is co-sponsored by elected leaders from California and Nevada.
The PCWA Board authorized letters of support to U.S. Senators Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and U.S. Congressman Tom McClintock, who are among the bill’s sponsors.
In other business, directors:
voted to oppose Proposition 16 on the June primary ballot, which would require a two-thirds voter majority for a public agency to establish or expand electrical service. PCWA does not currently provide retail electrical service but could provide such utility service as authorized by the Placer County Water Agency Act of 1957. – voted to offer the 1.8-acre site in Foresthill currently used as headquarters for the PCWA Power System to the County of Placer. PCWA is currently developing a new Power System headquarters on a 9.1-acre parcel at the old Foresthill mill site and expects the move to be complete by year’s end. County officials have expressed interest in acquiring the current site.
Information on PCWA board meetings may be obtained through the Clerk to the Board at (530) 823-4850 or (800) 464-0030.