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 Board Approves Electric Bill Credit for Customers
Truckee, Calif. (May 7, 2024)—At Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s May board of directors meeting, the board approved an electric bill credit under the new Power Cost Adjustment rate, approved a crucial water infrastructure maintenance project in Tahoe Donner, and held a workshop to review TDPUD’s new Emergency Operations Plan.
Electric Bill Credit from Power Cost Adjustment
A Power Cost Adjustment rate option was approved in November 2023 as part of the 2024-25 electric rates. This allows electric bills to reflect—up or down—changes in electric resource procurement costs, in order to adapt to short-term price changes in real time, without requiring a permanent rate change. The PCA is calculated and implemented quarterly and is a new line item on customers’ monthly bills.
During the first three months of 2024, power costs were about $325,500 less than TDPUD budgeted for, which will result in a credit to customers under this new rate option. All customers—residential and commercial—will receive a credit of $.0088 per kilowatt hour on their bill for the next three months (May, June and July). The exact credit amount is determined by usage, but it amounts to an average residential credit of $7.36 per month.
Power costs were under budget due to lower prices on natural gas, landfill gas and wind. Energy usage during January through March is also heavily influenced by heating costs, and with this year’s mild winter, customers used less energy for heating than was anticipated. Under the PCA rate option, TDPUD doesn’t keep that overage in reserves, which immediately benefits customers. However, it’s important to note that if there is a quarter where power costs exceed budget, that will result in a subsequent overage charge for customers.
Ski Run Water Tank Replacement
The Ski Run water tank and pump station are critical to serving customers in the upper elevations of Tahoe Donner. This tank is 50 years old, and after inspection, rehabilitation of the tank was not recommended due to its condition and because the tank is undersized for the system’s current needs. In addition, it would not meet current industry standards (which have changed since its construction), and the cost of repair is close to the cost of replacing it. Construction will begin this month on a new tank and is anticipated to be completed in October, with the new pump station following in the future.
Emergency Operations Plan Workshop
TDPUD staff also presented the board with its new Emergency Operations Plan. TDPUD is mandated to have this plan by the state and federal governments, and it is important to comply because it can dictate whether or not an agency receives funding in the aftermath of a disaster or incident. The EOP describes how TDPUD will respond in an emergency, including establishing a chain of command and assigning roles, taking inventory of available resources, and outlining a communications plan for disseminating information to both staff and the community.
Information about TDPUD board meetings and access to agendas, minutes, live streaming and archived video can be found at tdpud.org/boardmeetings.
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