By Kim Boyd, Director of Strategic Affairs, Tahoe City Public Utility District and @Vanessa Gonzales, CSDA Communications Specialist
The Tahoe City Public Utility District (TCPUD) is honored to be recognized for its ongoing initiative and action to protect communities from wildfires and excited to receive the 2023 CSDA Exceptional Outreach and Advocacy Award (Large District Category). This effort is part of a special district collaboration with the Tahoe Water for Fire Suppression Partnership (Partnership), which includes the North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD) and the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) and has demonstrated measurable success in raising awareness at the local, state, and federal level of the importance of improving water infrastructure for fire suppression in rural communities. Water infrastructure for fire suppression projects include those that upsize waterlines, install fire hydrants, and increase water storage capacity. These types of projects can be costly for small rural communities and the TCPUD’s advocacy and outreach efforts have been focused on creating new funding eligibility to increase the pace and scale of these critical improvements.
"TCPUD is honored to be recognized for our advocacy work that helps protect our communities from wildfires. This award demonstrates the positive impact of collaboration and collective action and strengthens our commitment to implementing projects that make communities more fire- resilient.” TCPUD Board President Dan Wilkins
The Partnership focuses its efforts on communicating the importance of water infrastructure for fire suppression as a critical part of community hardening and highlighting the significant gaps in funding for these types of projects. These funding gaps are deeply concerning, especially as wildfire continues to threaten small, rural communities located in the wildland urban interface (WUI). The majority of communities around the Lake Tahoe Basin are located within the WUI, with many neighborhoods backing up directly to massive, forested lands mostly owned by the state or federal government.
In addition, the distinctive history of water system development in the Tahoe Basin complicates things further. Many of the water systems were developed between the 1930s and 1950s to serve only the domestic water needs of summer seasonal cabins. Significant portions of the Tahoe Basin are served by a patchwork of small, geographically isolated, and undersized water systems that lack the capacity and infrastructure to meet modern fire suppression needs. This patchwork represents a serious deficiency in the ability to supply and move water critical to protecting lives and structures during a wildfire event.
The 2007 Angora Fire first highlighted the dangers of this insufficient water distribution infrastructure. The impacts of this fire were devastating, and despite the fire’s relatively small size of 3,100 acres, it destroyed 258 homes and left limited access to the local water supply. In the aftermath, the Partnership was formed and prompted immediate action and investments in both forest health, such as fuel reduction projects, and water infrastructure improvements. The community benefit of these investments was evident when the 2021 Caldor Fire crested the ridge into South Lake Tahoe and put this issue squarely in front of agencies responsible for public health and safety. The investments made over the previous decade demonstrated how vital these combined efforts were in protecting lives and property, as fire behavior decreased, homes had defensible space, and water was available for fire fighters. Not a single home was lost in South Shore’s Christmas Valley. If the fire had hit a deficient part of the water system, a different outcome would likely have occurred.
The TCPUD, NTPUD, and STPUD have dedicated considerable time and effort hosting tours, cultivating relationships with candidates, elected officials, and legislators, advocating for new legislation, and pursuing the creation of new funding opportunities. Collectively, these advocacy efforts are crucial to increasing the pace and scale of investment in critical water infrastructure for firefighting. The results of these efforts are measurable, and include:
- Participation in the National Special Districts Coalition stakeholder working group, comprised of 24 water and fire protection district leaders, to examine the barriers local agencies face to ensure adequate water infrastructure for fire suppression exists within communities, culminating in a Final Report urging lawmakers to act.
- Creation of new grant funding through the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (LTRA), a federal bill that allocates funding for water infrastructure for fire suppression projects in the Tahoe Basin.
- Introduction of Senator Alvarado-Gil’s SB 470 to create statewide eligibility for water infrastructure for fire suppression projects.
- Inclusion of language in the 2023 Climate Bond measures, AB 1567 and SB 867 (Allen), to create eligibility for water infrastructure for fire suppression projects.
- Inclusion of Committee Report Language in Senate Interior and House Interior spending bills recommending project eligibility in the Community Wildfire Defense Grants program and State Fire Assistance Grants program to generate support for water infrastructure for fire suppression improvements.
Advancing support for investments in water infrastructure for fire suppression projects that create fire-resilient communities is critical to the long-term viability of our small rural communities. These investments benefit entire regions and help protect the environment and sustain rural economies into the future. Looking ahead, the TCPUD, working closely with the partnership, will continue advocating for new legislative initiatives and changes in programmatic funding requirements through collaboration at the local, state, and federal level, with the goal of filling funding gaps and accelerating the installation of critical water infrastructure improvements to protect the health and safety of our communities