Improving Reliability and Resilience with Reservoir Retrofits and Replacements
Set to begin this fall is the first in a series of reservoir retrofits to address seismic resilience. This important project has been years in the making and will benefit from exclusive federal grant funding that provides 30% principal forgiveness and zero interest loans. The District is excited about this opportunity to pursue needed capital improvements as affordably as possible, as it strengthens the ability to provide for the community’s future water needs.
The District’s Strategic Plan identifies Infrastructure dependability as a top goal because a reliable supply of water depends on ongoing and pro-active maintenance, repair and replacement of the District’s extensive facilities, including treatment plants, pipelines, pump stations and reservoirs. The District’s Asset Management Plan prioritizes projects based on risk and consequence of failure and recommends modernizing existing water storage reservoirs, some of which were built nearly 100 years ago. These project costs, subsidized by federal funding, are already incorporated into the annual budget, 5-year rate study, and 10-year Capital Improvement Program.
“These large-scale capital improvements require long-term planning, consistency, and considerable expenditures to be seen through completion,” said General Manager Nick Turner. “Finding favorable funding opportunities that align with the District’s functional needs is a win-win for the community, it’s how we keep water service both reliable and affordable for our customers.”
In 2015, an independent technical study by Tetra Tech investigating the structural integrity of nine District water storage reservoirs concluded that retrofits and/or replacements are needed to meet current seismic requirements. In 2020, District management identified “ASADRA” (Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act) an exclusive, favorable funding opportunity available only to public agencies impacted by the 2017 Thomas Fire. In addition to severely burning portions of the District service area and Jameson Lake watershed, the Thomas Fire led to the January 2018 Debris Flow which had devastating and long-lasting impacts on the community. ASADRA funding, made available by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency to be administered by the California State Water Board, supports improving infrastructure resiliency and is uniquely appropriate for the District’s Reservoir Seismic Retrofit and Replacement Project which will reduce vulnerability to potential future disasters such as earthquakes.
District reservoirs are distributed throughout the service area and are constantly monitored to provide operational flexibility and storage redundancy. Plans are complete for all reservoirs, yet construction will be underway on only one or two reservoirs at any given time to ensure adequate water storage at all times. The total project will take approximately six years, with each reservoir requiring 12-18 months to complete. A specialized construction management firm is on contract to ensure that all work is executed in the most efficient and timely manner and to provide detailed oversight on compliance with grant funding requirements.
With construction on the first reservoir starting soon, the District would like to reassure the public that every effort will be made to minimize any potential inconvenience. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation, and we hope that you will share in our excitement as the District proceeds with this much-needed project for the community.
