District's Reservoir Expansion Project Honored at Statewide Conference
SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2013) - The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today presented the prestigious Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award to Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) for its Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion project.
The award was presented during the annual ACWA Spring Conference & Exhibition in Sacramento, where more than 1,500 local water officials are gathered through Friday for programs and panel discussions on a variety of key water issues. Contra Costa Water District was selected from among six finalists to receive the award.
"Contra Costa Water District is an outstanding example of a local agency implementing creative solutions to manage California's water resources," ACWA President Randy Record said. "CCWD ensured water supplies for its customers by making innovative and proactive decisions."
Facing unreliability in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water supplies, Contra Costa leaders devised a plan to expand the Los Vasqueros Reservoir from 100,000 to 160,000 acre feet. With cost-effectiveness in mind, CCWD decided that instead of constructing a new dam, they would build on an existing dam, allowing the reservoir to remain in service during construction. Nearly 90 percent of the materials used to raise the dam were mined from district property; these "borrow areas" were later turned into wetlands. The entire project was completed four months ahead of schedule and $11 million under budget.
ACWA's Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence is an annual award program that recognizes outstanding achievements by public water agencies. The winning agency has the honor of awarding a $5,000 scholarship to a deserving student in the name of Clair A. Hill, founder of the consulting engineering firm CH2M Hill.
Other finalists for this year's award were:
ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Lisa Lien-Mager
Director of Communications
916/441-4545
or 530/902-3815 (cell)