PCWA responsibilities and activities are organized into three divisions, Agency Wide, Power System and Water System.
Agency Wide
The west shore of Lake Tahoe
The Agency Wide Division is responsible for general administration and water resource planning and management activities within Placer County and in the surrounding region. The Agency is active in surface water and groundwater issues.
Watershed areas in which PCWA is involved include the American, Yuba and Bear rivers, the Lake Tahoe/Truckee River system, the Central Valley Project and Bay/Delta system.
Power System
PCWA operates a small power
plant at Hell Hole Reservoir
The PCWA Power System operates the Middle Fork American River Project, which was completed in 1967 and includes two major reservoirs, seven dams, five hydroelectric power plants, 21 miles of tunnels and related facilities. The project also includes public recreational facilities at PCWA mountain reservoirs.
PCWA has a power generation capacity of 244 megawatts and in the average year produces enough clean, hydroelectric energy to power more than 100,000 homes. PCWA's power output is sold to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
Water System
PCWA's water lab in the Foothill
Water Treatment Plant
The Water System Division supplies irrigation and treated drinking water in four service zones in central and western Placer County, generally located along the Interstate 80 corridor between Roseville and Alta; and one service zone in the Martis Valley, south of Truckee, in eastern Placer County.
The Agency operates an extensive raw water distribution system that includes 165 miles of canals, ditches, flumes and several small reservoirs. A significant amount of Agency raw water irrigates agricultural land and golf courses. Drinking water is produced through a network of eight water treatment plants. More than 150,000 people depend on PCWA water supplies.
