Regional Program Activities
As an important partner, EDWA provides strategic input and technical expertise for the following regional water resources programs:
Cosumnes, American, Bear, Yuba Integrated Regional Water Management
RMS 9
EDWA serves in a leadership role in the Regional Water Management Group, which is the primary decision-making body for the Cosumnes, American, Bear, Yuba (CABY) Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM). CABY is an innovative, stakeholder-driven collaboration among local government, Tribes, watershed groups, and interested partners in the foothills region of California. IRWMs began in 2002 when the Regional Water Management Planning Act (SB 1672) was passed by the Legislature to serve as a regional planning mechanism and a means for distributing statewide bond funds for water and environmental projects. CABY integrates long-term planning and high quality project implementation in an adaptive management framework fostering coordination and communication among the region’s diverse stakeholders.
Regional Water Authority's Regional Water Reliability & Drought Contingency Plan
RMS 7
EDWA actively participated in development of the 2019 Regional Water Reliability Plan (RWRP) and 2017 Regional Drought Contingency Plan (RDCP). These plans are closely related planning efforts to evaluate vulnerabilities of the water resources in the region and identify the most promising opportunities to improve long-term water supply reliability at the agency, sub-regional, and regional levels. The RDCP focuses on mitigation actions and near-term responses specifically related to drought conditions. The RWRP goes beyond the scope of the RDCP by evaluating a broader set of vulnerabilities and mitigation actions.
El Dorado County Tahoe Basin Initiatives
RMS 3
EDWA, South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD), and Tahoe City Public Utility District (TCPUD) are working on several key projects to secure and protect water reliability in the Tahoe Basin. These projects bring numerous benefits to the region including: 1) improving the quality of surface and groundwater supplies; 2) creating reliable drinking and agriculture water supplies; 3) mitigating and reducing flood risk; 4) improving snowpack retention and natural watershed enhancements; 5) reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions; 6) creating jobs, enhancing community amenities, and improving public safety, and 7) improving domestic water supply reliability by capturing stormwater or wastewater for reuse.
Tahoe Valley South Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan
RMS 3
EDWA and STPUD work together to manage groundwater within the local basin under a Memorandum of Understanding. EDWA is the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for the Tahoe South Subbasin for the portions of the subbasin outside of the STPUD service area. Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), GSAs are required to consider the interests of all beneficial uses and users of groundwater. Users of groundwater in the Tahoe South Subbasin include public water systems, domestic well owners, environmental users, the U.S. Forest Service, and disadvantaged communities. In order to provide a forum to discuss groundwater issues that affect all users and facilitate collaboration throughout the Subbasin, STPUD convened a Stakeholders Advisory Group. In addition, STPUD and EDWA have recently completed the Alternative Plan for Tahoe Valley South Subbasin, which serves as the Groundwater Management Plan for this portion of the Tahoe Basin.
U.S Bureau of Reclamation’s American River Basin Study
RMS 5
The 2022 American River Basin Study is one of the most sophisticated evaluations of climate change impacts on water supplies in California to date, using the best available science and latest modeling tools to forecast potential impacts on water supply, water quality and critical habitat within the American River Basin. Developed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in collaboration with EDWA and other local water agencies, the American River Basin Study takes a detailed, watershed-level look at how climate change is projected to impact the availability of local water supplies in the American River Basin and Reclamation’s operation of Folsom Reservoir for all authorized purposes, including the environmental needs of the Lower American River. The report describes regional vulnerabilities, management actions, and adaptation portfolios to address the combined climate pressures of warming temperatures, shrinking snowpack, shorter and more intense wet seasons, and more volatile precipitation. It outlines six potential strategies for adapting to the changing climate, one of which is Alder Creek Reservoir(PDF, 1MB).