El Dorado Water Agency Releases Public Draft of Upper American River Basin Regional Drought Contingency Plan PLACERVILLE – The El Dorado Water Agency (Agency) has released the Public Draft Upper American River Basin Regional Drought Contingency Plan (UARB RDCP) for a 30-day public comment period. The UARB RDCP aims at building long-term resiliency to drought for the western foothill area (West Slope) of El Dorado County through coordinated and collaborative efforts. The Agency led the development of the plan in partnership with the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) under the WaterSMART Drought Response Program. Plan development also included close collaboration with the County of El Dorado, public water agencies, Tribes, land use authorities, resource managers, business and community leaders, environmental groups, and other interested parties for collective implementation. The objectives of the UARB RDCP are to: Improve resiliency to droughts in the West Slope, especially those areas not currently served by a public water agency. Lay out a plan for regional implementation to improve drought preparedness and resiliency. Improve regional collaboration for sustainable water resources management. Align water management planning efforts of Reclamation and water agencies in the West Slope. “The topic of drought resiliency is timely as we are facing yet another severe drought on the heels of the devastating 2012-2016 drought with impacts in El Dorado County and throughout the state,” said Lori Parlin, Agency Board Chair and County District IV Supervisor. “Improving drought resiliency along with other related issues like wildfire is paramount for the safety and well-being of our community.” The Agency’s development of the UARB RDCP is an action identified for improving drought preparedness and response in the Agency’s 2019 Water Resources Development and Management Plan, which promotes integrated water management and collaborative implementation for achieving long-term economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability in El Dorado County. The Public Draft UARB RDCP is available for public comment from September 13, 2021 to October 13, 2021. The plan and instructions for submitting comments can be found here: https://www.edwateragency.org/uarb-rdcp. # # # About the El Dorado Water Agency The El Dorado Water Agency celebrates more than 60 years of water resource planning and management, dedicated to ensuring that El Dorado County has adequate and affordable water to maintain economic prosperity, protect the environment, and support the rural-agriculture way of life for today and in the future. El Dorado Water Agency is a public agency created under the 1959 El Dorado County Water Agency Act.
