MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Yuba Water Agency’s board of directors approved $912,000 in community impact grants on May 7 to support water infrastructure improvements, water safety and continued flood risk-reduction work in South Yuba County.

Water infrastructure and water safety
Yuba Water Agency granted the Olivehurst Public Utility District $605,000 to support a sewer consolidation project that will help protect groundwater quality in South Yuba County by converting nearly 150 homes from septic to sewer. The funding is expected to help the utility district save more than $5 million in implementation and construction costs by combining water and sewer upgrades into a simultaneous effort rather than separate construction projects.

“It’s great to see OPUD leveraging funds from Yuba Water to improve efficiencies and help save millions down the line. That’s exactly how our grant program is designed to work,” said Gary Bradford, Yuba Water Agency’s vice- chairman.

The board also committed $15,000 to help open the Olivehurst Public Utility District swimming pool in Olivehurst this summer and encourage residents to swim safely in the community pool instead of the local rivers.

Flood risk reduction for areas south of the Yuba River
Two additional grants totaling $292,000 will support continued flood risk-reduction work in Reclamation District 784, which primarily manages levees and pumps around Linda, Olivehurst and Plumas Lake. A $150,000 grant will help the district rebuild two drainage pumps in West Linda to accommodate drainage ahead of the next rainy season. A $142,000 grant will fund an erosion and risk analysis for a site along the south bank of the lower Yuba River near Marysville.

Agency’s dam safety engineer outlines plans to further enhance dam safety
The board also heard an update from Yuba Water Agency chief dam safety engineer Tim Truong, who outlined several maintenance and dam-safety projects planned in the years ahead. Yuba Water Agency owns and operates New Bullards Bar, Log Cabin and Our House dams as part of the Yuba River Development Project, a multipurpose flood risk-reduction, water supply, hydroelectric power generation, fish habitat and recreation project on the Yuba River. The agency also maintains Lake Francis Dam, which used to serve Colgate Powerhouse but is now only a recreational reservoir.

In addition to weekly internal inspections, Yuba Water Agency’s dams undergo comprehensive external reviews by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Water Resources’ Division of Safety of Dams. In its most recent comprehensive listing of California’s major dams, the state rated all of Yuba Water dams as “satisfactory,” which is the highest rating issued by the state.

Learn more about Yuba Water Agency’s missions and investments in Yuba County at yubawater.org.