Tuesday February 18, 2025
Placer Sentinel —
At its Thursday Feb. 13 meeting, the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors approved a $5.8 million contract for the Hell Hole seasonal storage increase project, adding to the capacity of the Hell Hole Reservoir so it can store more water during wetter winters.
“This is a crucial and timely adaptation of local resources for Placer County residents, in the near and long-term future,” said PCWA Board Chair Robert Dugan. “By increasing the size of an existing reservoir, more water during wet winters can be saved for summer use without the cost of building a new reservoir.”
Storage at Hell Hole Reservoir will increase by approximately 7,600 acre-feet, enough water to supply more than 10,000 households in Placer County. The contract was awarded to K.W. Emerson, Inc. of San Andreas.
Increasing the capacity of Hell Hole also has other benefits. A direct outgrowth from PCWA’s Middle Fork Project relicensing effort, this project will allow greater control of water in wetter years and provide environmental benefits to aquatic species in the Rubicon River through pulse flows and increased instream flows. Water then can be recovered at the Agency’s American River Pump Station and Folsom Reservoir, located about 40 miles downstream of Hell Hole Dam.