Standby power at PCWA pump stations is one of the projects included in the Water Connection Charge update and will help support delivery of American River water to the future Ophir Water Treatment Plant. Photo by Joel Schaap/PCWA

AUBURN, CA (MPG) – To keep water infrastructure funding aligned with the cost of serving new development, the Placer County Water Agency Board of Directors approved an update to the Agency’s Water Connection Charge (WCC).  WCCs are one-time charges paid when new or expanded development connects to PCWA’s treated water system, and they help fund the added water capacity needed to serve those new connections, including treatment, transmission, storage and groundwater facilities.

Customer water rates, by contrast, are separate and support ongoing water service and the operation, maintenance and renewal of the existing system.

The update applies to new or expanded treated water connections in PCWA’s Auburn/Bowman and Foothill/Sunset/Ophir drinking water systems. It reflects updated construction cost information from recent bids for four major expansion projects included in PCWA’s existing WCC model. Those projects are part of the backbone infrastructure needed to provide water service to new homes and businesses in western Placer County, including the first phase of the Ophir Water Treatment Plant, the Foothill Water Treatment Plant Valve Station, standby power at the American River Pump Station and Ophir Road Pump Station, and the Placer Parkway Pipeline.

“Today’s action updates the Water Connection Charge to reflect the current cost of these major infrastructure projects,” said PCWA Board Director Jefferson Willoughby. “As a public water agency, we have a responsibility to keep these charges accurate, maintain long-term financial stability, and ensure new connections help fund the added water capacity they require.”

“We appreciate the opportunity to continue working closely with the Building Industry Association and other partners during development of this cost study, and we look forward to ongoing dialogue moving forward,” said Willoughby.

The 2026 update is effective immediately and adds the latest bid information to PCWA’s previously adopted 2024 Water Connection Charge Study. All other assumptions in the study remain unchanged, and PCWA plans to begin a more comprehensive update following this action.

Updated information will be available at pcwa.net.