Annual Report
2024
ENERGY
Annual Report
2024
Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) is the primary water resource agency for Placer County, California, with a broad range of responsibilities including water resource planning and management, retail and wholesale supply of drinking water and irrigation water, and production of hydroelectric energy.
PCWA is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, each elected to a four-year term by registered voters within five geographic districts of Placer County. The boundaries of each district coincide with Placer County's supervisorial districts. Each Director represents their district's residents and the broader community within PCWA's 1,500-square-mile county-wide jurisdiction of the county.
DISTRICT 1
Gray Allen
DISTRICT 2
Primo Santini
DISTRICT 3
Chris Wilson
DISTRICT 4
Robert Dugan
DISTRICT 5
Joshua Alpine
2024 Year-end Review
ANDREW FECKO
General Manager
Meeting challenges while finding balance
In a year of extremes, your Placer County Water Agency found balance.
Winter storms made up for a dry start to our water year with above-average snowpack in the Northern Sierra. We entered our dry season with a healthy water supply in our reservoirs, and we needed it. Summer 2024 will be remembered as Northern California's hottest on record.
Careful, long-term planning helps us prepare for the unexpected. That included the loss of water supply from PG&E's Spaulding Reservoir and hydroelectric facilities in March 2024 due to emergency repairs. That major supply stayed offline for months, but we were able to meet our customers' needs by tapping into other sources.
In 2024, we made strides after a challenging 2023, which included one of the wettest winters ever. We started to build back after the 2022 Mosquito Fire that devastated our power system facilities and torched the environment of our headwaters.
Our American River watershed conservation and restoration efforts have paid off. An independent study in 2024 rated PCWA's drinking water exceptionally high in quality and far exceeding regulatory requirements.
We completed one phase and began the next in the Rocklin Pipeline Replacement Project, an important effort to replace aging pipelines and enhance long-term water reliability for residents in the City of Rocklin.
In late September, we saw the successful roll-out of our new utility billing system and Customer Service Portal. This new system aims to streamline operations, improve data management, and enhance our customers' experience.
Western Placer County continues its explosive growth. In November, our board approved $128 million for the first phase of the Ophir Water Treatment Plant - the agency's first new water treatment plant this decade.
Through it all, we continue to meet our customers' needs while assuring safe and quality water for our future.
343,000
acre-feet of reservoir storage capacity
236,900
acre-feet of water delivery capacity
44,000
customers provided with water service
1957
the year the Agency was created
1,500
square miles of service area
654
miles of treated water pipeline
224
megawatts of installed generation capacity
170
miles of canal
9
water treatment plants delivering safe drinking water
5
powerhouses supplying clean hydroelectric energy to the CA grid
237
full time employees
5
member Board of Directors, elected by the people of Placer County, and serving 4-year terms
Water Service Overview
The Placer County Water Agency delivers two types of water, treated water and untreated water, to two types of customers, retail and wholesale customers, throughout Placer County, California. To see an overview of our customer base and a map of where we serve water, see here.
Treated Water
Treated water, or potable drinking water, is water that has been processed and purified to meet state and federal drinking water standards. PCWA produces treated water at nine water treatment plants and delivers it through 654 miles of pipeline to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
Untreated Water
Untreated water, or raw water, is water sourced directly from natural waterways or reservoirs, and is commonly used by farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural operations, as well as some homeowners for landscape irrigation. This water is conveyed through an extensive system of 170 miles of canals, flumes and tunnels owned and operated by PCWA.
Retail Customers
PCWA provides retail water service directly to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers in communities, cities, and towns from Alta down to Rocklin and Roseville. Treated water is delivered through PCWA's distribution system, while untreated water is available for irrigation.
Wholesale Customers
PCWA provides both treated and untreated wholesale water service to several local providers. Untreated, or raw, water from the Middle Fork Project is delivered to the City of Roseville, San Juan Water District, and other local providers, which operate their own treatment facilities. PCWA also supplies wholesale treated water to California American Water (CalAm), the City of Lincoln, and other local providers.
Water Division Credit Outlook
AAA
Standard & Poor's rating
4.26
Debt service coverage ratio
(Ideal ratio=2 or higher)
17%
Debt ratio
Agency Assets and Net Position
$685M
Investments in capital assets
$85M
Agency reserves
$282M
Cash & Investments
$48M
Capital assets currently under construction
$67M
Outstanding debt
$39M
Retirement commitment
Agency Performance
$150M
Agency Revenue
$90M
Operating Budget
$83M
Funded 2024 Budget Capital Investment Program
Total Budget
Sources by Division
PCWA Grant Funding Over Time: By leveraging these grant funds, PCWA can contribute to lower rate increases and maximize financial sustainability while advancing critical projects that benefit the community and environment.
Placer County Water Agency maintains key relationships with state and federal agencies for many reasons. In recent years, the Agency has become more focused on strengthening those relationships to track available funding and competitive grant opportunities that could support various water-related projects and initiatives. With large Federal investment packages such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 making once-in-a-generation resources available, the Agency has become highly motivated to compete for its fair share of funds.
Further, PCWA's capital investment needs over the next five years for infrastructure modernization and resource management are larger than they have ever been. This has resulted in a priority to attract outside funding from other sources to match and spread PCWA investment dollars as widely as possible.
Over the past few years, PCWA has been more successful with several competitive applications resulting in approximately $27 million dollars in grant funds being awarded to PCWA. These grants are helping to fund critical infrastructure, resource management, and stewardship efforts, ensuring that PCWA can deliver reliable water service while meeting environmental and regulatory standards.