More than $2M coming to El Dorado County for water projects

The House of Representatives passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which included Representative Kevin Kiley's request for more than $2 million in funding for projects in the El Dorado County region.

South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) will be receiving $1M for enhancing the resilience of critical water infrastructure.

Funds will be used on the Pioneer Trail Project which will install a critical backbone pipeline in the water system, replacing old and deteriorating waterlines, and enhancing fire protection. With this federal funding, STPUD will be able to build a waterline between Marshall Trail and Susquehana in the summer of 2025. This waterline connects two different parts of the water system and adds new fire hydrants along the wildland-urban interface to enhance firefighting capabilities.

"The Board of Directors of the South Tahoe Public Utility District, and myself would like to thank Congressman Kiley for his unwavering support to upsize water infrastructure to help fight fire in the Tahoe Basin. The $1 million of federal funding will install fire hydrants and waterlines along Pioneer Trail to protect South Lake Tahoe from wildfire. Thank you for the continued support," said Paul Hughes, STPUD general manager.

Georgetown Divide Public Utility District Water Reliability and Fire Resiliency Storage Tank Project will be getting the rest of the money allotted for the County. $1,250,000 is going to the Georgetown Divide Public Utility District to construct a 2-million-gallon fire-resilient water storage tank to aid in fire suppression efforts. This project would benefit the community by providing additional water supply reliability to meet current and future needs.