Services
Irrigation Canal Information
PCWA's primary source of water is delivered through canals operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). After the irrigation season (October/November), PG&E shuts down various canals for routine maintenance. This annual maintenance affects delivery to PCWA customers. During this time, PCWA schedules irrigation canal outages and spreads remaining water supplies to mitigate the impact on its customers.
Additionally, PCWA owns, operates and maintains its own 170 miles of canals and, like PG&E, those canals must shut down from time-to-time for maintenance work. A part of this ongoing work is the gunite lining of canals to prevent seepage and water loss. The ongoing canal cleaning program also requires periodic outages; these are usually planned during the non-irrigation season months from January into April.
When outages are scheduled, specific outage dates and approximate times will be sent to customers whose water deliveries will be interrupted. In the case of emergency or extended outages, updates will be posted on PCWA's Outage Information page.
Irrigation Canal Season
| Zone | Summer | Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1Auburn – Rocklin | Apr 15 – Oct 15 | Oct 15 – Apr 15 |
| Zone 3Alta – Applegate | Apr 15 – Oct 15 | Oct 15 – Apr 15 |
Aquatic Weed Control
PCWA treats its canals for aquatic weeds and algae through the irrigation season. The 2026 aquatic pesticide application dates for each area are listed below.
Alta to Lake Theodore, Christian Valley, Clipper Gap to Auburn
Cedar Creek Canal from 8+61 to end, Boardman (#570) from 83+12 to 999+99, Boardman (#571) from 1000+00 to 1581+26, Boardman (#57) from 7+84 to 324+92, Bowman Feeder Canal.
Application dates
April 22, May 20, June 17, July 15, August 12, September 10, October 7
West Loomis, Newcastle, Penryn
Antelope Canal, Antelope Stub Canal, Ben Franklin Canal, Caperton Canal, Dutch Ravine Canal, Morgan Canal, Penryn Canal.
Application dates
April 13, May 4 & 26, June 15, July 6 & 27, August 17, September 8 & 28
Auburn, Ophir, Newcastle
Boardman Canal 352+05 to 830+36, Gaylord Pipe, Jamison Pipe, Lower Banvard Canal, Maring Pipe, Middle Banvard Pipe, Middle Fiddler Green Canal, Newcastle Canal, Rock Springs Canal, Shirland Canal, Shirland Stub Canal, South Loop Pipe, Upper Greeley Canal.
Application dates
April 14, May 5 & 27, June 16, July 7 & 28, August 18, September 9 & 29
Auburn, East Loomis, Newcastle
Boardman Canal YB 92 to YB 78, Rock Springs Canal, Maring Pipe, Newcastle Canal, South Loop Pipe, Upper Greeley Canal, Gaylord Pipe, Jamison Pipe, Lower Greeley Canal, Monte Rio Pipe, Niegel Pipe.
Application dates
April 15, May 6 & 27, June 17, July 8 & 29, August 19, September 10 & 30, October 1
Newcastle, Loomis, Penryn
Boardman Canal Foothill WTP to End, Sugarloaf Canal, Barton Canal, Perry Canal, East Perry Canal, West Perry Canal, Turner Canal, Yankee Hill Canal, Laird Ext., Baughman Canal, Ferguson Canal, Stallman Canal, Red Ravine, West Side Pipe, East Side Canal, Lyall Canal.
Application dates
April 16, May 7 & 29, June 18, July 9 & 30, August 20, September 11, October 1
Schedule subject to change. Additional days may be added. For questions or concerns about algae control, email customerservices@pcwa.net or call (530) 823-4850.
Valuable Information For Canal Water Customers
During the warm, high water use months, demand on the canal system is greatly increased. Canal water levels fluctuate during high usage periods such as early evenings, weekends, and holidays. Below are some precautions you should take to ensure water delivery, and what to do if you are out of water.
Know Your Irrigation System
- Understand your irrigation system and its connection to PCWA's canal system.
- Do you share the line with others? If so, how many are on the party line?
- We recommend storage (e.g. pond or tank). Is its capacity sufficient for your irrigation requirements?
- If you are pumping, does your pump have a low water cut-off switch?
- How much water are you buying? One miner's inch equals approximately 11 gallons per minute.
What To Do When There Is No Water In Your Irrigation System
1. Check flow
Is there water flowing into your delivery box?
2. Clean the inlet
Check and clean your screen at the connection point.
3. Check with neighbors
If you share your line, check with your neighbors to determine if they are also out of water.
4. Contact PCWA
If you are on an open canal and the canal water level is lower than usual or dry, please report this condition to PCWA.
Call PCWA Customer Services at (530) 823-4850 weekdays, Monday through Friday, 8am–5pm. After hours, our answering service will receive your call. If you call after 9:00pm, your call will often be referred to the office the next morning, as we are not able to send canal operators to unplug individual service lines during evenings and non-working hours. We recommend that customers keep an adequate supply in storage (pond or tank) for emergencies or outages.
Be safe first
We recommend that customers use appropriate safety measures when near PCWA's irrigation canals.
Need More Assistance?
Customer Service Representatives are available during our regular business hours. Our Hours of Operation can be found on our Contact Us page.