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April 2024
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A message from Yuba Water General Manager Willie Whittlesey
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Greetings,
Spring is here, and with the wettest winter months behind us, I’m thrilled to share that New Bullards Bar Reservoir is currently at an impressive 93 percent of its total capacity. This is not only above average for this time of year but is also great news for our local farmers, the environment and the upcoming summer recreation at Bullards Bar.
For the last couple of years, I’ve been fortunate to serve as an “honorary commander” for Colonel Geoffrey Church, the commander of Beale Air Force Base. The designation is part of a program designed to improve ties between the community and Beale.
As part of this program, I recently had the extraordinary opportunity to join Col. Church on a T-38 training mission. We flew high over Bullards Bar and pulled five G’s upside down, just 500 feet from the ground. While this was truly an incredible adventure for me, it is a testament to the strengthening bonds between Beale, Yuba Water Agency and our community. You can find photos from this unforgettable flight on our Facebook page.
As always, Yuba Water has been busy continuing our missions of reducing flood risk and ensuring a reliable water supply in Yuba County while being good stewards of the Yuba River watershed. Read on for a snapshot of all we’ve been up to recently.
Willie Whittlesey
Yuba Water General Manager
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Yuba Water teams up with local public water agencies on conservation kits for residents
 Yuba Water is teaming up with the Olivehurst Public Utility District, Linda County Water District, Wheatland Water District and North Yuba Water District to develop 1,500 conservation kits to decrease water use and, ideally, water bills for Yuba County residents. The kits are in development and are expected to be ready for distribution in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more soon! [Read more]
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Emergency repairs supported by Yuba Water help North Yuba Water District serve customers
 Earlier this month, our board of directors approved a $865,410 grant for the North Yuba Water District to make emergency repairs to its water delivery system in time for the irrigation season. North Yuba Water recently completed the repairs, saving the district about two cubic feet of water per second and helping ensure all of the district’s customers will receive their expected water deliveries this year. [Read more]
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Construction of new Power Systems facilities continues with significant progress in recent months
 Work on our new Power Systems facilities in Oregon House continues with several recent and exciting milestones to share! Our main administrative building now has walls and a roof, and a new fire suppression tank toward the back of the property is now in place! We appreciate our neighbors’ patience as we continue construction and look forward to wrapping up the project by mid-2025. [Read more]
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New animated video tackles the “why” behind water releases from New Bullards Bar Dam
 Water releases from New Bullards Bar Dam can spark questions from foothill residents to valley dwellers alike. Our newest video tackles some of the common questions we get about when and why we release water from Bullards Bar and how those decisions are made. Take a watch and share with a friend, family member or neighbor who may also be curious about our operations! [Watch it here]
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Who maintains Yuba County’s levees? Get to know your local reclamation district with our partner spotlights
 One of the ways Yuba Water works to reduce catastrophic flooding in Yuba County is by partnering with local levee and reclamation districts on levee improvements. Many districts typically spend spring and summer doing inspections, maintenance and other work. Learn about Yuba County's levee districts in our partner spotlight series on YouTube. [Watch more]
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CITRIS researchers, Yuba Water and local levee districts exploring new tools to extend the lifetime of Yuba County levees
 Can we make our local levees more resilient to extreme weather events by integrating new and emerging technologies? Yuba Water and local levees districts are working with researchers from the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) to pilot new monitoring technologies in Yuba County. [Read more]
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Blue Forest highlights Yuba Water’s role in reducing catastrophic wildfire risk in watershed
 In their annual impact report, Blue Forest highlights Yuba Water’s role in piloting the first-ever Forest Resilience Bond, an innovative financing model that fast-tracks the pace and scale of forest restoration to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. The bond successfully financed restoration in a 15,000-acre project area in the upper Yuba River watershed known as Yuba I, with a second Yuba Water-supported project, Yuba II, now underway. [Read more]
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Yuba Water’s chief dam safety engineer elected to United States Society on Dams Board of Directors
 Big congratulations to Yuba Water’s Chief Dam Safety Engineer Tim Truong, who has been elected to the board of directors for the prestigious United States Society on Dams! USSD is a leading organization dedicated to advancing the safe and sustainable operation of dams and levees and building a solid community of dam management professionals. Tim will serve a three-year term starting this month. [Read more]
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Behind the scenes during recent maintenance at New Colgate Powerhouse
To ensure our facilities continue to operate safely and reliably, Yuba Water’s team regularly inspects, repairs and upgrades equipment throughout the year. Much of this happens during annual maintenance, which requires extensive planning, coordination and teamwork to execute successfully. In our latest “Beneath the Surface,” join Electrician Jason Newton, Plant Mechanic Dennis Clark and other dedicated crewmembers in a behind-the-scenes look at annual maintenance on Colgate Unit 2. [Watch it here]
- Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors special meeting (April 30)
- Association of California Water Agencies spring conference (May 7-9)
- Yuba Water Board of Directors regular meeting (May 7 and 21)
- Yuba County Spring Be Prepared Fair in Brownsville (May 16)
- Memorial Day – offices closed (May 27)
- Yuba Water Board of Directors regular meeting (June 4 and 18)
- Juneteenth – offices closed (June 19)
- Independence Day – offices closed (July 4)
- Marysville Peach Festival* (July 19-20)
*Indicates Yuba Water booth or outreach presence
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Wildflowers like these lovely purple lupines are abundant around the Yuba River right now, a sign that spring has definitely sprung in Yuba County!
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