Project Status

Updated: 5/1/2025

TCPUD continues to make steady progress with this complex project, including work on preliminary design, environmental compliance, and securing necessary funding. 

We have reached an important project milestone by awarding a design-build contract to Granite-DOWL, a construction and engineering firm with 30 years of Tahoe Basin experience. We will be working closely with the Granite-DOWL team to design and build the project and keep Tahoe Cedars property owners updated.

Project Timeline and Next Steps

The rest of 2025 will focus on project planning, permitting, and design. You may see crews from Granite-DOWL working this summer on fieldwork and surveying to support the project design. The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin in 2026. Exact construction phase locations are still being determined. We expect this project will involve multiple construction phases over the next four to five years.
 

Sign Up for Project Updates

The project will begin to move at a quicker pace with more frequent updates. We will share timely updates using our project e-mail list (sign up below) and on this website.

We will send all official project communications affecting your property via U.S. Mail to the property owner of record.

You may also receive project updates and communications directly from Granite-DOWL staff on behalf of TCPUD.

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Project Overview

In January 2018, TCPUD acquired the Mid-Sierra Water Utility (Tahoe Cedars and Madden Creek water systems) and began operating both systems. In March 2021, the TCPUD Board of Directors adopted a comprehensive Tahoe Cedars Water System Master Plan, which recommended the full replacement of the existing system, which was originally constructed in the 1940s and is actively failing. Following a series of long-term financial planning sessions, the Board directed staff to proceed with design and permitting, development of project implementation plans, and financing plans for the full reconstruction of the Tahoe Cedars water system.

Fully reconstructing the Tahoe Cedars water system is a unique undertaking for TCPUD. It is significantly larger, more complicated, and more expensive than any previous TCPUD water system reconstruction project and is currently estimated to cost $72 million (does not include costs for relocating water service lines from backyards to the street). Funding sources for this project will include water rates, property tax revenue, the Infrastructure Improvement Charge, and potential grants.

Completed Improvements

• Replaced chronically failing water mains on 2nd Avenue.
• Installed an interconnection between the Tahoe Cedars water system and an adjacent TCPUD water system to provide critical backup water supply.

Planned Improvements

Infrastructure improvements will include:

• Replace 15 miles of undersized and failing water mains.
• Install 97 new fire hydrants.
• Install over 1,000 residential water meters.

Project benefits include the delivery of secure and reliable drinking water and improved fire protection within the water system service area.

Private Service Relocation

In portions of the Tahoe Cedars water service area, the existing water mains are located in backyard alignments outside of the public right of ways (‘back of lots’). System reconstruction will include abandoning these water mains and installing new water mains in the street. Where this occurs, a property’s private water service connection will need to be relocated from the back to the front of the property at the street.

 

TCPUD is working on a Private Service Relocation Policy to address properties that have the existing water main located in a backyard alignment outside of the public right of way. TCPUD will notify affected property owners when this policy is presented to the TCPUD Board of Directors, which is expected to occur sometime this summer.

Learn more on the Service Lateral Relocation FAQs:

• Service Lateral Relocation FAQ  (PDF - 164kb)

Project Communications

TCPOA Summer Meeting Follow Up - November 18, 2022

Below the Ground Look at Leaks - March 1, 2023

A Look at Hydrants - March 16, 2023

A Look at Water Mains - March 30, 2023

A Look at Meters - June 16, 2023

Protecting the Community from Wildfires - July 14, 2023

Questions? Please email or call 530-583-3796.