GDPUD and PCWA Win Regional Water Management Awards by Georgetown Divide Public Utility District Jan 15, 2026 Member Submitted News GEORGETOWN – The Georgetown Divide Public Utility District (GDPUD) and Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) have won Regional Water Management Awards from the Sacramento Regional Water Authority (RWA) for the work completed in the projects “Fire Safe on the Divide” and the French Meadows Forest Restoration Project. RWA is a joint powers authority that represents twenty-four water providers in the greater Sacramento Region. Their mission is to serve, represent, and align the interests of water providers to improve water supply affordability, availability, reliability, and quality. The award is given to organizations that implement water projects or programs addressing water management needs in the area. The award is given to exceptionally special projects. GDPUD’s “Fire Safe on the Divide” was a collaborative project with the Georgetown Divide Fire Safe Council to reduce wildfire risk and protect critical water infrastructure in the American River Watershed. Using grant funding from Cal Fire and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the project focuses on hardening water infrastructure, constructing fire-resilient storage tanks, reducing hazardous fuels around water facilities and evacuation routes, and improving long-term system resilience following catastrophic events such as the Mosquito Fire. These efforts protect the District’s water supply, Stumpy Meadows Reservoir, while reducing risks to downstream water quality and regional supplies. GDPUD Board of Directors, Michael Saunders, accepted the Award on behalf of GDPUD at the RWA Annual Holiday Event held on December 11, 2025. “I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the District and the work our staff does to keep our community fire safe,” said GDPUD Director Michael Saunders. “We are grateful for the award and acknowledgement of our District’s hard work on this project,” said GDPUD General Manager Schneider. “These types of projects will strengthen our region’s water reliability during fire season, ensuring a sustainable and secure supply for generations to come.” PCWA’s General Manager, Andy Fecko, also received this award for the French Meadows Forest Restoration Project. The French Meadows Forest Restoration Project is a large-scale, collaborative effort to improve forest and watershed resilience in the upper American River watershed. The project was launched in response to the 2014 King Fire, which highlighted the need for proactive forest management to protect water supplies, hydropower facilities, habitat, and downstream communities. On-the-ground implementation began several years later and is now in its seventh season. Spanning approximately 28,000 acres of Tahoe National Forest lands and adjacent private property near French Meadows Reservoir, the project brings together Placer County Water Agency, Tahoe National Forest, Placer County, and partners including The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, American River Conservancy, and UC Merced’s Sierra Nevada Research Institute. At the start of this year’s season, approximately 8,700 acres have been treated using ecological forestry practices such as strategic thinning and prescribed fire, with mechanical thinning about 85% complete toward the planned treatment area. Prescribed fire, meadow restoration, and long-term scientific monitoring continue to support sustainable forest and watershed resilience. “We’re honored by this recognition,” said PCWA General Manager Andy Fecko. “In the headwaters, every acre we restore strengthens the watershed that so many communities depend on, and the French Meadows project is demonstrating a model of restoration that others can build on to protect forests and water supplies across the Sierra.” For more information, visit gd-pud.org or call 530-333-4356.
