ACWA Member Efforts Feb 25, 2025 Protecting Water at its Source Here are some examples of innovative projects and collaborative efforts by ACWA members to protect and restore California’s headwaters: Placer County Water Agency’s Health Initiatives Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) is leading major forest restoration efforts to protect its essential water resources, reduce wildfire risk, and improve ecosystem health in the upper American River watershed. French Meadows Forest Restoration Project began after the King Fire in 2016, with work commencing in 2019 to restore 28,800 acres. The project has since treated thousands of acres through mechanical thinning, prescribed fire, and meadow restoration. Located in the headwaters of the Middle Fork American River, this project is a model for public-private collaboration, uniting federal, state, and local partners to restore forest health while protecting water supply, hydropower infrastructure, and recreational access. Long Canyon Project, launched in 2022, will begin work in 2026 in the American River watershed, reducing wildfire risk across 16,500 acres of overgrown forest within the American River watershed. This effort integrates fuel reduction, habitat improvement, and erosion control, ensuring long-term benefits for both water quality and ecosystem resilience. Through innovative partnerships, science-driven management, and sustained investment, PCWA is restoring forested watersheds at scale, protecting water resources, enhancing community safety, and preserving the region’s natural landscapes for future generations. Tuolumne Utilities District’s Wildfire Safety Projects Tuolumne Utilities District has secured several Cal Fire Wildfire grants to support critical projects to enhance wildfire safety and resilience in the community. In 2023, the district received a $249,927 USDA Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense Grant to develop a comprehensive Wildfire Risk Mitigation Plan to act as a roadmap for addressing local wildfire risk. Learn more about Tuolumne Utility District projects Yuba Water Agency’s Watershed Resilience Program Yuba Water Agency’s core mission areas rely heavily on the condition of the upper Yuba River watershed. However, much like many of the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains, the forests are overstocked with small trees and brush and are at risk of high-severity, catastrophic wildfire due to historic fire suppression and timber harvesting practices. As a result, communities and infrastructure within the watershed are at significant risk. To combat this, Yuba Water launched its trailblazing Watershed Resilience Program in 2018, developing strategies to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in the region, protecting communities, critical infrastructure and water supply. Through innovative partnerships, like the North Yuba Forest Partnership, and creative funding mechanisms, the agency and its partners are working at an unprecedented scale to collaboratively plan, analyze, finance and implement forest restoration across the Yuba River watershed, one of the few watersheds in California that hasn’t experienced devastating wildfire. Learn more about Yuba Water projects Nevada Irrigation District – English Meadow Nevada Irrigation District (NID) is restoring and enhancing approximately 200 acres of montane meadow habitat and another 175 acres of white and red fir forest roughly 21 miles northwest of Truckee. The restoration project is part of NID’s efforts to protect its source watersheds and adapt its water system to a changing climate, which threatens our future supply of drinking and agricultural water. The work also supports the important ecological and hydrological function of high-elevation meadows. The English Meadow Restoration Project is funded by the Wildlife Conservation Board’s Forest Conservation Program, and joins a growing movement to restore meadows in the Sierra Nevada region of California. This restoration project has multiple goals. NID has developed a multifaceted approach that aims to improve montane meadow hydrology; reduce sediment delivery into Jackson Meadows Reservoir; and protect rare and declining wildlife habitat in the Sierra Nevada from climate impacts, including catastrophic wildfire. Learn more about the project here Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority Forest First Program As home to the headwaters of the Santa Ana River, the San Bernardino and Cleveland national forests encompass approximately 33% of the Santa Ana watershed’s land mass. These forest areas also receive 90% of the watershed’s annual precipitation. The Forest First program is envisioned as a collaborative venture between the Forest Service and downstream stakeholders focused on ensuring the national forests within the Santa Ana watershed are kept as healthy as possible and continue to provide high-quality water to the valleys below. The effort underscores the forests’ vital significance to the overall health and continued sustainability of water resources within the watershed. The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority and the Forest Service have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that is the first step to integrating forest management practices with interests of downstream water users. San Diego IRWMP – Reservoir Source Protection and Restoration San Vicente Dam, owned by the City of San Diego, was raised by the San Diego County Water Authority as part of its Emergency Storage Project. The dam raise doubled the capacity of San Vicente Reservoir, the keystone facility of the San Diego region’s water supply infrastructure. To ensure an adequate source water protection buffer is in place to protect water quality, the city, SDCWA, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Diego Gas and Electric, and other partners have collaborated to advance San Vicente Reservoir source water protection through the Watershed Property Acquisition and Restoration Project, which acquires into preserve status lands surrounding the reservoir and along San Vicente Creek, the major tributary stream. These collaborative efforts prevent further water quality degradation that might come from development, agricultural uses, or other general disturbance of the watershed lands. The acquisitions also will help prevent future development of several parcels, enhancing watershed function and reducing potential sources of contamination. ACWA / California Forest Watershed Alliance Video The California Forest Watershed Alliance, in partnership with ACWA, produced this video to educate the public on headwaters issues. The video explores the impact uncontrolled wildfires have on water quality, and includes an interview with Placer County Water Agency about the impacts of the 2014 King Fire. Want to add your ACWA member agency’s project to this list? Please contact Heather Engel at (916) 669- 2387
