The Agency’s 2019 Appropriations Limit has been calculated at $1,026,619. Proceeds from property taxes for the Agency in 2019 are budgeted to be $543,800.

Please see the complete report for more information: 2019 Appropriations Limit

The South Feather Water and Power Agency experienced flooding in their main office on Oro Quincy. The office will be closed as repairs are being made. Phone lines should be operational after 10am on Tuesday April 9th. Please call (530) 533-4578 for any assistance.

SFWPA Discovery Request

Please see our new page on applying for water service at “How do I find out if water is available on my property?“

The “turf and toilet” rebate program is financed by the Proposition 1 water bond approved by voters in 2014. The program will help carry out Governor Brown’s April 1 Executive Order on drought to further reduce water use in homes by replacing more than 10 million square-feet of lawn and upgrading more than 60,000 water-wasting toilets.
DWR will oversee the two rebate programs, which provide a $100 consumer rebate to replace one old toilet per household and up to $2 per square foot for lawn replacement. Californians can visit www.SaveOurWaterRebates.com to apply for the rebates.

June 3, 2015

Re: Implementing State-Mandated Drought Contingencies

Dear Water User:

On April 1, 2015, Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-29-15, directing the State Water Board to issue emergency water conservation regulations to achieve a mandatory statewide 25% reduction in potable water usage through February 28, 2016. Subsequently, the State Water Board adopted Emergency Regulations which, among other things, impose additional water use prohibitions and mandate the Agency to achieve 36% savings in its customers’ potable water use in 2015 as compared to their use in 2013.

The Agency’s current available water supply, in conjunction with its customers’ conservation record and the Agency’s conservation efforts, would not independently justify imposing a mandatory 36% reduction in the Agency’s potable water production in order to protect against continuing drought conditions, as the Emergency Regulations do. Were it not for these mandatory regulations, South Feather Water and Power would not have to impose restrictions on its customers other than to request reasonable and voluntary conservation efforts. The Agency’s water storage currently stands at 70% of average for this time of year, which amount exceeds well over four times its customers’ annual potable demand.

Although the Agency believes that the State is imposing conservation measures on Agency customers that are inappropriate and unnecessary, South Feather intends to utilize its best efforts to comply with the Emergency Regulations’ mandates, which include the following wasteful water practices:

1. Applying potable water to outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes runoff such that water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures;
2. Use of a hose that dispenses potable water to wash a motor vehicle, except where the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle or device attached to it that causes it to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use;
3. The application of potable water to driveways and sidewalks;
4. The use of potable water in a fountain or other decorative water feature, except where the water is part of a recirculating system;
5. The application of potable water to outdoor landscapes during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall;
6. The serving of drinking water other than upon request in eating or drinking establishments, including but not limited to restaurants, hotels, cafes, cafeterias, bars, or other public places where food or drink are served and/or purchased; and,
7. The irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians;
8. The irrigation with potable water of landscapes outside of newly constructed homes and buildings in a manner inconsistent with regulations or other requirements established by the California Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development; and,
9. Failure of the operator of hotels and motels to provide guests with the option of not having towels and linens laundered daily.

Also, outdoor irrigation of ornamental landscapes or turf utilizing potable water shall only be conducted between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. This restriction does not apply to the limited use of a hand-held bucket or similar container, a hand-held hose equipped with a positive self-closing water shut-off nozzle or device, an irrigation system that uses stream rotor sprinklers that meet a 70% efficiency standard, very low-flow drip-type irrigation systems where no emitter produces more than two gallons of water per hour, or to commercial nurseries and growers utilizing non-potable, raw water.

We know that our customers are conscious of the drought because they already achieved a 10% decrease in 2014 as compared to 2013, and they are on track to conserve even more in 2015. So, in addition to implementing the mandatory conservation measures listed above, we’re asking Agency customers to implement measures within their households and businesses to reduce per-capita water use by 25% so that we can achieve the Agency’s assigned water conservation goal (water saving tips are available at www.southfeather.com). The Agency has no plans to impose water budgets or penalties on its customers, and there are also no plans to increase water rates to affect conservation.

Please let me know if you have questions or need additional information.

Sincerely,

South Feather Water and Power Agency

Michael C. Glaze, General Manager

In order to maintain compliance with state and federal regulations, South Feather Water and Power Agency will be performing a significant modification project to the Lost Creek Dam that will result in increased strength and serviceability of the dam.  As a result, Lost Creek Dam and Reservoir will be closed to the public beginning in the spring of 2015 through the fall of 2017.  Any change in status of this project will be posted at www.southfeather.com

All questions relating to this project can be directed to Shawn Hayse at 530-538-8856; or through email at shayse@southfeather.com

*** Updated: September 25, 2014 ***

On September 15, 2014, the bid specifications and drawings for the Lost Creek Dam Improvement Project were issued to contractors that have executed a Non-disclosure Agreement with SFWPA.  To receive bid documents and supporting data, a Non-disclosure Agreement must be submitted to SFWPA Power Division Manager, Kathy Zancanella (Kzancanella@southfeather.com), no later than September 24, 2014.  A Mandatory Pre-bid meeting will be held at 10am on September 29, 2014 at the SFWPA Board Room located at 2310 Oro Quincy Highway, Oroville, CA 95966.  Bids will be opened on October 24, 2014. No new prime contractors will be allowed to participate in the bid process after the September 29, 2014 pre-bid meeting.  Subcontractors who want to review bid documents must either execute a non-disclosure agreement with SFWPA prior to the pre-bid meeting or be added to a prime contractor’s subcontractor list.

The Lost Creek Dam Improvement Project will be released to bid when the final engineering approvals are received from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the California Division of Safety of Dams.  This is expected to occur in August-September 2014.

Parties interested in receiving notifications relating to the procurement process for the subject project should contact the Project Engineer at AECOM Technical Services, Inc., via regular U.S. mail or email at the addresses provide below in order to be added to the list.

Please provide contact information for the person to be notified regarding the status of the construction services procurement process for the subject project as follows:

Interested parties will be required to execute a Non-disclosure Agreement with South Feather Water and Power Agency prior to receiving any bid documents that are considered Critical Energy Infrastructure Information.

This notice contains South Feather Water and Power’s proposed resolution for the May 27, 2014 board meeting. This resolution will establish the 2014 Appropriation Limit.

2014 Appropriations Limit

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency for California and has called for a 20% reduction in personal water use statewide.

South Feather Water and Power Agency’s total consumptive demand in 2013 was only 33% of the anticipated yield for the 2013-14 drought-declared water year.  Therefore, SFWPA is not anticipating having to impose drought contingencies, restrictions or rationing requirements on its customers.  The Agency’s water storage and supply sources will continue to more than adequately meet the current and foreseeable future demand.

Storage information (in acre-feet) for SFWPA’s storage facilities is posted at http://cdec.water.ca.gov.  The Station ID for Little Grass Valley Reservoir is “LGV”, and the ID for Sly Creek Reservoir is “SLC.”  Agency personnel send its storage report every Monday, and the data is usually posted to this website by DWR about one to two weeks after it is sent.

Notwithstanding South Feather’s ample storage and supply, water conserved by Agency customers becomes available for environmental and consumptive uses in areas of the state south of SFWPA’s service area.  Therefore, South Feather Water and Power Agency strongly supports the drought declaration and the statewide voluntary reduction in water use.

In the recent past, SFWPA has expended significant financial and personnel resources to implement many water conservation measures including updating, repairing and replacing water conveyance facilities,  modernizing water treatment plants, and water measurement improvements.    You can also play a role in conserving water and save yourself money in the process by becoming conscious of the amounts of water your household is using, and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can.  It is not hard to conserve water.  Here are a few tips:

• Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded.  So get a run for your money and load it to capacity.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
• Check every faucet in your home for leaks.  Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons each day.  Fix it and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year.
• Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank.  Watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl.  It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons per day from an invisible toilet leak.  Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons per year.
• Use your water meter to detect hidden leaks.  Simply turn off all taps and water-using appliances.  Then check the meter after 15 minutes.  If it moved, you have a leak and may need to call a plumber.

The Board of Directors will consider adopting the attached resolution at its meeting on January 28, 2014 to establish the appropriation limit of the Agency at $910,897 for Fiscal Year 2013.

PDF – Resolution: 20140128_Appr_Limit