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Capital Improvement Program
The South Tahoe Public Utility District’s complex water, sewer and wastewater systems require ongoing maintenance, replacement and improvements. The Board of Directors adopted new rates for the 2023 fiscal year that sets the District on the path to installing $218M in water and sewer infrastructure improvements over the next 10 years through the Capital Improvement Program. By investing in our system today, we will lower long-term costs, protect the environment, and ensure long-term, quality service. Click here to see a breakdown of the new rates that will go into effect July 1, 2022.
Background
Our community’s water and sewer systems were installed mostly in the 1960s and 1970s, and some of our water mains are even older. Click here to learn more about the District’s concerns for its aging system.
To comply with State law, over the past 10+ years the District has focused its water system spending on installing water meters rather than replacing undersized and leaking water mains. The Capital Improvement Program will fund 15,000 feet of water main replacement per year, getting us closer to our annual goal of 22,500 feet per year. Replacing watermains prevents leaks, provides increased fire flows, and improves water quality. Click here to see how the new plan compares to our actual past replacement rates.
Our water system pipes are old and failing. The number of water leaks we fix each year is on the rise, and the volume of water leaking from our system is very high. Click here to see how our water system performance compares to others in the western United States and Canada, and how the condition is changing.
Capital Improvement Program
WATER: The Capital Improvement Program will replace more than 27 miles of water main in the next 10 years (11% of the total system) and will install two miles of brand new main on Pioneer Trail to improve our ability to respond to future wildfires. Click here to see a map of where we plan to be working and when.
SEWER: The Capital Improvement Program will repair or replace more than 11 miles of sewer main in the next 10 years (~3.5% of the total system). By replacing sewer mains before they fail, we prevent sewer spills and costly emergency repairs, and reduce our cost to treat wastewater. Click here to see a map of where we plan to be working and when.
PUMP STATIONS: The Capital Improvement Program will rebuild 18 of the District's 39 Sewer Pump Stations, originally constructed between 1955 and 1983. Sewer pump stations move wastewater from the neighborhoods to the treatment plant. Click here to see a map of the District’s sewer stations and treatment plant, showing where we plan to be working and when.
10 Year Plan
Click here to see the complete 10 year Capital Improvement Plan. This plan outlines projects, budgeted costs and expected year of implementation. These project schedules are updated annually with input from the District’s Operations and Engineering Staff, so that we are confident that the most urgent needs of the water and sewer systems are being addressed at the right time.
Proposed Rate Increases
The Capital Improvement Program relies on small but continuous annual rate increases to fund the projects on the plan. By continuing to invest in our system, we will lower long-term costs, protect the environment, and ensure long-term, quality service. Click here to see how residential rates would need to increase over the next ten years to fully fund the Capital Improvement Program.
Click here to see an overview of adopted rates that will go into effect July 1, 2022.