$500,000 grant awarded for new Forbestown Ditch pipeline
A state grant for half a million dollars was awarded to the North Yuba Water District to help cover the costs of planning and engineering a new Forbestown Ditch pipeline. The upgrade will help mitigate washouts during heavy rainfall and reduce the amount of water lost to seepage and evaporation.
“Our customers have endured massive blowouts on the ditch, and periods of uncertainty with their drinking water,” said Jeff Maupin, NYWD general manager, in a press release. “Piping the ditch was literally a ‘pipe dream’ until this year. Now through the actions of our Board of Directors and the availability of Prop. 1 funds, piping the ditch is finally a possibility.”
The California State Water Resources Control Board awarded the planning grant to the district. Maupin said the grant will go toward creating a construction plan and final budget to pipe the ditch. The total cost of the pipeline project is estimated to be anywhere from $8 million to $14 million.
The Forbestown Ditch is about 10 miles long and is the sole source of drinking water for approximately 3,500 NYWD customers. The open canal – which is unlined and has had problems in the past with washouts and water loss – conveys water to a treatment pond for NYWD customers.
The district’s board decided nearly a year ago that establishing a piped ditch was the best route to take in order to ensure customers had a reliable source of water.
The pipeline is expected to increase the amount of water available to customers while eliminating the possibility of materials like dirt, trash and other contaminants from entering the treatment pond.
The district will look for additional construction grants during the planning phase to help cover the overall cost. Potential funding sources include a Prop. 1 grant of up to $5 million and a grant from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Hazard Mitigation Program of up to $3 million, according to a press release.
