(YWA release) –  Yuba Water Agency’s board of directors yesterday approved an $865,410 grant for the North Yuba Water District to make emergency repairs on its water delivery system ahead of irrigation season. The work is expected to save about two cubic feet of water per second, which will help ensure all of the district’s customers receive their expected water deliveries this year.

“One of our core missions is water supply reliability, and I think this
is a fine way to help advance that mission while supporting our local
water district partners and foothill residents,” said Jon Messick, Yuba
Water’s board chairman, who also represents Yuba County’s foothill
communities as a county supervisor.

The emergency request was approved unanimously by the board and will help district staff make repairs in the coming weeks on five critical
areas of a canal system that delivers water for residential and
agricultural use in the Yuba County foothills. The funds will also
support a study to identify additional actions needed to maintain the
district’s water delivery infrastructure long-term.

North Yuba Water District is providing in-kind work by employees to
complete the repairs and eventually increase total water savings to
three cubic feet per second. The district also helped fund a previous
study that identified and prioritized repairs in their service area.

This latest grant builds upon improvements already underway, including work funded by a prior grant from Yuba Water for $1.6 million to line 9,500 feet of irrigation canals and significantly reduce leaks and water loss in the district.

“This is a critical repair needed to safeguard water deliveries for
about 110 of our current irrigation customers in Dobbins and Oregon
House,” said Leona Harris, North Yuba Water District’s general manager. “Thanks to Yuba Water’s support, we’ve accomplished more as a district in the last year than in the last few decades. In the future, we plan to continue improvements to increase water savings and reliability even more for our customers.”

The board also approved a $5,000 sponsorship for the Bear Yuba Land
Trust, which will support trails and other investments in preserving and
protecting the Yuba River watershed.

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