Truckee Donner Public Utility District
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"Where Does Our Water Come From?" TDPUD's Communications Team talks with Truckee-Tahoe Radio about all things Truckee water—where it comes from, how we deliver it to you, and the upcoming water rate public process.
"Truckee Donner PUD modernizes bill pay methods" In April, TDPUD's Board of Directors approved new account management tools for customers, accepted new funding from grants and insurance reimbursement for training and operations, and recognized staff for their hard work, both on the job and at the recent Lineworkers Rodeo. Read more here.
"TDPUD Approves Power Cost Adjustment Credit" TDPUD's Board of Directors approved several key initiatives at its March meeting, including a power cost adjustment credit to electric customers, a new bill round-up program, and a resolution outlining the impacts that federal funding cuts will have locally on wildfire mitigation and readiness. Read more here.
"Truckee Donner PUD recognized for transparent financial reporting for fourth year in a row" TDPUD's Financial Reporting Team was honored by a government finance industry group for its excellence in financial reporting. Read more here.
"Truckee Donner PUD Launches New Scholarship Program" TDPUD has launched a new scholarship program that targets both college-bound high school seniors and local students interested in pursuing the trade and vocational skills that make electric and water utilities function. Read more here.
"Martis Valley Groundwater Basin: A Vital Resource for the Region" Do you know where Truckee's drinking water comes from? The Sierra Sun dove deep into our unique underground resource. Read more here.
"TDPUD Board Advances Groundwater Plan Update and Broadband Expansion" Exciting projects were approved by the TDPUD board at the February meeting. Read more here.
"Truckee Donner PUD Board Kicks Off 2025" The TDPUD board held its first meeting of the year. Read more here.
"Truckee Donner PUD Reflects on a Transformative 2024, Plans for a Resilient Future," General Manager Brian Wright spoke to the Sierra Sun about TDPUD's successes in 2024 and trajectory going into 2025. Read more here.
"TDPUD Recaps its 2024," TDPUD's Communications Team talks with Truckee-Tahoe Radio about what the agency accomplished in 2024, and its plans for the future.
"Truckee Donner PUD awarded Transparency Certificate of Excellence," Truckee Donner Public Utility District has been awarded the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence from the Special District Leadership Foundation, in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance. Read more here.
"Resource Planning Efforts, Battery Storage Assessment Detailed by Truckee Donner PUD GM," In the latest episode of APPA's podcast, Public Power Now, Brian Wright, General Manager for California public power utility Truckee Donner Public Utility District, discusses the utility’s resource planning efforts and details a battery energy storage system assessment. Listen here
"Truckee Donner PUD Honors Board Member Joe Aguera's 37 Years of Service," Truckee Donner Public Utility District named a newly-built water pump station the Joseph “Joe” R. Aguera Pump Station, in recognition of Aguera’s 37 years of commendable service. A ceremony was held at the pump station on Aug. 28, which included Director Aguera’s family, friends, colleagues and local agency leaders. Read more
"Truckee Water Agencies Celebrate 8th Annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week," Truckee Sanitary District, Truckee Donner Public Utility District and Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency express their gratitude for the community’s great water professionals and everyone who supports them. Read more
"Beat the Heat Without Breaking the Budget," TDPUD shares tips for staying cool while limiting energy use. Read more
"TDPUD Fire Season and the Possibility of Power Loss," TDPUD staff speak with KTKE Truckee-Tahoe Radio about preparing for wildfire safety outages and TDPUD's wildfire mitigation efforts. Read more and listen below.
"Finding the Pieces for the Resource Adequacy Puzzle," TDPUD Electric Utility Director Jared Carpenter spoke to the American Public Power Association about the challenges the district faces in procuring the energy needed to power Truckee, and how our IRP addresses these obstacles. Read more
TDPUD Press Releases
TDPUD Adopts Integrated Resource Plan and Approves Local Watershed Stewardship Efforts
- TDPUD’s first integrated resource plan creates a roadmap for Truckee’s energy future.
- Truckee’s water quality continues to be superb, as noted in annual report.
- After identifying watershed stewardship as a priority, the board approved two efforts that carry this initiative forward.
Truckee, Calif. (April 16, 2024)—Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s board of directors oversaw a packed agenda at the April board meeting. After adopting TDPUD’s first-ever integrated resource plan, they also reviewed TDPUD’s report on electric power purchased in 2023. On the water side, they received the annual Consumer Confidence Reports detailing TDPUD’s water quality, and approved two efforts that focus on local watershed stewardship.
Integrated Resource Plan
The board voted to adopt TDPUD’s new integrated resource plan. An IRP is a powerful tool for an electric utility; it outlines the anticipated power demand and supply for our community for the next 15 years. As our community’s energy needs grow, TDPUD can better plan for the future by understanding our customers’ projected demand, and then forecasting what energy resources will be available in the future to meet that demand. The IRP also factors in regulatory mandates, market trends, reliability, affordability and more. The IRP is a living document that TDPUD’s electric team will continue to update as it tracks and analyzes our community’s growth.
“The district’s resources are adequate in the short term, but we have to plan for the future,” said Jared Carpenter, TDPUD electric utility director. “We have to keep looking for new resources and developing new projects. We’re not the only ones looking for these resources, even beyond other utilities; there are big companies who are permitted to buy power from the wholesale markets that we’re up against. There is competition today that 10 years ago I couldn’t have envisioned.”
To learn more about TDPUD’s energy planning efforts, visit tdpud.org/energy.
Purchase Power Review
The board also received the annual purchase power review for 2023. Staff reports out to the board on the type of power TDPUD purchased in the previous year, as well as the costs, and how they lined up to budget. In 2023, Red Mesa Tapaha Solar Farm came online, which drove up solar power’s percentage in TDPUD’s overall portfolio. While the final portfolio stats for 2023 won’t be finalized until the fall, TDPUD is projected to have increased its percentage of renewable/clean energy to 64 percent, over 60 percent in 2022. Carpenter explained to the board that this is a very positive result, especially given the volatility in the energy market.
Water Consumer Confidence Reports
The 2023 Consumer Confidence Reports were presented for the two water systems TDPUD maintains—the Truckee and Hirschdale systems. The California State Water Resources Control Board determined that TDPUD had “no reportable violations” in 2023, meaning Truckee’s tap water continues to be of the highest caliber.
“We have amazing water quality here and we’re very fortunate to have the groundwater source and well-maintained infrastructure that we have here,” said Chad Reed, TDPUD water utility director. “We’re very proud of the water department’s work and what our staff has been able to achieve.”
Martis Valley Groundwater Basin Management Plan
TDPUD has a long history of stewardship, management and scientific work in the Martis Valley Groundwater Basin, and more than a decade ago joined forces with Northstar Community Services District and Placer County Water Agency to collaboratively develop the Martis Valley Groundwater Management Plan. A report is issued annually by an expert consultant summarizing the monitoring and state of the basin, and every five years the plan is analyzed and updated by a consultant. The board awarded the contract for this work to GEI Consultants, with local Balanced Hydrologics as a sub-contractor, to complete the five-year GMP update. The community will have an opportunity to engage with the partner water agencies and consultants at a public meeting following the completion of the plan update.
Truckee River Watershed Council Partnership
Continuing its commitment to local watershed stewardship, the board also approved a memorandum of understanding between multiple local water agencies with an interest in responsibly maintaining the Martis Valley Groundwater Basin and working together toward shared stewardship goals. TDPUD, Truckee River Watershed Council, Northstar Community Services District and Placer County Water Agency will sign on to the MOU in an effort to formalize and expand on existing partnerships, which will better position the agencies to seek outside funding for stewardship projects.
About Truckee Donner PUD:
TDPUD is a public utility district created in 1927 and overseen by a locally elected board of directors. TDPUD is a not-for-profit entity that provides the greater Truckee area with reliable and high-quality water and power services, while guiding the community to conserve resources. For more information about TDPUD, call 530-587-3896 or visit tdpud.org.
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Media Contact: Steven Poncelet, Truckee Donner PUD, 530-582-3951, stevenponcelet@tdpud.org
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Media Contacts
Steven Poncelet, Strategic Affairs & Public Information Director | stevenponcelet@tdpud.org, 530-582-3951
Alex Spychalsky, Communications Program Manager | alex@tdpud.org, 530-582-3986