Drought Relief

Campbell Gulch Diversion Reconstruction (Yuba IRWM)

The Camptonville Community Services District is conducting a project that will significantly increase water supply reliability for the disadvantaged community of Camptonville through the reconstruction of a failing diversion structure. The diversion structure is a critical component of Camptonville Community Services District’s (CCSD) water supply system. This project includes completing the design, environmental permitting, and construction of a new diversion structure and associated piping. The new structure will alleviate supply concerns during a severe drought by increasing water system capacity and reliability.

Community Drought Resiliency – Phase-2: Plan, Design, and Implementation of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) System and Telemetry Communications Upgrades for Critical Public Water Systems within the Southern Sierra Nevada (Southern Sierra IRWM)

The Sierra Resource Conservation District in Fresno County is upgrading five critical community and public groundwater-based water systems that have been impacted by severe drought and impacts from the Creek Fire of 2020:

Alder Springs Community of approximately 25 domestic connections

1. Pine Ridge Elementary School
2. Sierra High/Junior High School
3. Big Creek Elementary School
4. Auberry Elementary School

This includes the planning, design, and implementation of System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems and Telemetry Communications capabilities, allowing for remote monitoring and control of the water system.

Lake Camanche Water Service Replacement – Phase IV (Mokelumne/Amador/Calaveras IRWM)

The Amador Water Agency is currently replacing and upgrading the Lake Camanche water systems’ polyethylene water service laterals, the pipes that provide water from the water main in the street to a home or business. The existing laterals are currently experiencing high water loss and failure rate, and replacing them will save an estimated 314,814 gallons of water per year. Replacement material will be selected for durability and longevity, and the upgrade will include eliminating the existing mutual-use manifold service connections and installing one lateral per parcel, which will improve domestic and private fire suppression flows to each home to meet the California State Fire Marshal’s Sprinkler Requirements for new homes built after 2011. They have already completed Phases I through II,I during which approximately 540 service connections were replaced. This project, Phase IV, will replace approximately 50 laterals, about 14 percent of the remaining 353 poly-tube service laterals within the Lake Camanche system.

Palermo Clean Water Consolidation Project (North Sac Valley IRWM)

The Butte County Department of Water Resources and Conservation is connecting 380 parcels in the Palermo community to the South Feather Water and Power Agency’s treated water system. The Project will include the installation of approximately 40,000 linear feet of distribution pipelines, 380 water service lines with meters/meter boxes, additional fire hydrants and valves, and a service line connection from the property to the meter box. The project will mitigate groundwater contamination from septic sewers; provide Palermo customers with a safe, reliable water supply that meets the California Safe Drinking Water Act requirements; and increase drought resiliency.

Stockton Creek Preserve Phase II (Yosemite Mariposa IRWM)

The Sierra Foothill Conservancy has secured a letter of intent to purchase approximately 40 acres from a willing seller/developer strategically located adjacent to the existing 722-acre Stockton Creek Preserve. The existing Preserve is owned and operated by the Mariposa Public Utility District (MPUD) for watershed protection; including the protection of the Stockton Creek Reservoir (the primary water source for the town of Mariposa), Stockton Creek and its headwaters and tributaries as well as the management of this watershed land for the benefit of water quality and water storage via forest health improvement, control of invasive species and restoration of native species. Additionally, the Preserve is managed to provide recreation and education via free public access to the Preserve for hiking, walking, and biking.

Tuolumne Stanislaus DAC Drinking Water Reliability Project (Tuolumne-Stanislaus IRWM)

The Tuolumne-Stanislaus Integrated Regional Water Management Authority is proceeding with two separate programs to address drinking water reliability for disadvantaged communities in the Tuolumne-Stanislaus IRWM region (TStan) and to specifically address the human right to water for the homeless within the region. The first of these projects is the creation of water bottle filling stations that could be utilized by the homeless. Providing access to safe, clean water through filling stations at trusted locations would benefit people experiencing homelessness and directly address the human right to water in our region. The second project is a water quality testing program for private well users. The TStan would develop a program that could provide testing to private well users at low or no cost, or an outreach program that could provide users with information on testing services.

Water Infrastructure for Miwok-Maidu Cultural Resilience (Cosumnes, American, Bear, Yuba (CABY) IRWM)

The Sierra Fund is leading a project to install a groundwater well, solar water pump, solar panels, back-up battery, and other necessary infrastructure to convey water to a 2,500-gallon storage tank that will provide water access to Todd’s Valley Miwok-Maidu Cultural Foundation (TVMMCF) and affiliated Tribal members. The project includes site identification, geological engineering, permitting for relocating a historic building onto the property, building a traditional roundhouse on an existing foundation, drilling and installation of a well, a solar pump, and a water storage tank. The outcome will be access to water and power, allowing TVMMCF to implement culturally informed ecosystem restoration activities at the site, including fuels reduction, prescribed fire (cultural burns), native plant management, and education.

Learn more about Sierra Institute’s work facilitating collaborations with Integrated regional water management groups across Sierra Nevada rural and tribal communities.

DACTI MAIN REPORT