A Word from Our General Manager, Rebecca Guo

Please join me in thanking Director Dave Peterson for his service on our EDWA Board over the past four years. His background in civil engineering and his extensive experience serving on boards of other water agencies was instrumental as our Board provided direction on EDWA policies and programs. We greatly appreciate Director Peterson’s dedication to EDWA. 

His seat has been filled by Director Nick Haven. Director Haven also serves on the South Tahoe Public Utility District Board, works at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency as the Long Range and Transportation Planning Department Manager, and serves on several national committees related to land use, transportation planning, and infrastructure. Director Haven has extensive experience with long range planning, capital infrastructure planning, budgeting, and funding and will be an asset on our Board of Directors.

We also are excited to have a new team member! Hannah Romero joined EDWA as a Water Resources Principal in July. Hannah has worked in the water industry for over ten years and has both public utility and consulting experience. Her background includes overseeing drinking water production operations, managing engineering design and construction projects, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Hannah previously worked in a conjunctive use water system and collaborated with other water purveyors in the region. We are glad to have Hannah on our team!

Ecosystem Valuation Report Published in Peer-Reviewed Water Journal

EDWA’s innovative Ecosystem Goods and Services Valuation Report showed that the upper American River watershed (UARW) is a natural capital asset worth $1.6 trillion over a 100 year period. This value includes agricultural lands which provide a multitude of benefits beyond food production such as groundwater recharge, pollination, biodiversity, and more. Agricultural lands in the UARW have an estimated annual value of $56 million which increases to about $80 million in El Dorado County alone if non-food (e.g., timber) and value-added products (e.g., making apples into cider) are included. This is important because if there are adequate and reliable water supplies, agricultural lands can be significantly expanded on the West Slope providing even greater economic and ecosystem benefits.

EDWA’s ecosystem goods and services valuation demonstrates the importance of maintaining and investing in a healthy watershed as it has a myriad of benefits not just for local communities but for residents across the globe. We are thrilled that a research paper based on the report was published in WATER, a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal that brings together research from diverse disciplines.



The paper, entitled "Headwater Valuation as a Tool for Economic Development, Healthy Forest Management, and Water Resilience," is third-party validation that valuing natural capital in economic terms provides a common metric for comparison and integration with other types of investments in built and social capitals. Putting a monetary value on natural assets is important for helping to inform policy and investment decisions aimed at increasing climate adaptation, improving watershed health, and building rural-agricultural community resilience.

In addition, we are excited that EDWA has been invited to present on this topic at the upcoming joint water resources conference hosted by the American Water Resources Association, the Universities Council on Water Resources, and the National Institutes for Water Resources this fall in St. Louis, MO.

Water Resources Development and Management Plan 2024 Update

In 2019, EDWA completed a major update of the Water Resources Development and Management Plan (WRDMP) which serves as a guide for developing resource management strategies to counter the threats facing our county, including droughts, wildfires, deteriorated headwaters, limited groundwater resources, and fragmented water management. 

Over the past five years, we made significant progress advancing these resource management strategies including signing the Central Valley Project Water Service Contact with the Bureau of Reclamation; completing the American River Basin Study and Upper American River Watershed Regional Drought Contingency Plan with Reclamation and regional partners; and helping to secure state and federal funding for fire recovery and response for local agencies. 

Now, we are in the process of updating the WRDMP so that the resource management strategies and management actions address evolving conditions. Our county has experienced devastating wildfires such as the Caldor Fire and Mosquito Fire as well as intensified localized flooding which severely impacted local communities and environmental resources. 

The 2024 WRDMP update will also reflect policy and regulatory changes that have been enacted in the last five years as well as incorporate resources management strategies and actions identified in the 2023 Programmatic Watershed Plan for the upper American River watershed. EDWA created a Plan Advisory Group to collaborate in the WRDMP 2024 update, extending the same successful approach we used before. Please visit our website to learn more about the 2024 WRDMP update.

El Dorado County and EDWA Reaffirm Partnership Through Updated MOU

We are pleased to report that both the EDWA Board of Directors and the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors recently approved an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which reaffirms our partnership and EDWA’s role in assisting the County in water-related issues. Recent drought conditions, wildfires, and flooding exacerbate the need for EDWA and El Dorado County to proactively develop and implement cooperative plans.

The MOU provides a vehicle to enhance collaboration and increase efficiencies as we collectively work to ensure our county has reliable water supplies, is investing in water resources related infrastructure, and is implementing watershed protections. 



The MOU states, “water resources are critical to achieve the objectives of the adopted General Plan in maintaining economic prosperity, environmental protection, and El Dorado County’s preferred rural agricultural way of life. Facing diverse yet interrelated water resources challenges, prudent and comprehensive water resources planning is not just a niche service for El Dorado County today, but a necessity to achieve sustainability for future generations. As stewards of water resources in El Dorado County, both the County and EDCWA have embraced the full spectrum of their responsibilities to residents and communities in El Dorado County, consistent with their authorities. The combined County and EDCWA outcome-oriented actions have resulted in securing water supplies, improving drought preparedness, evaluating stormwater as a resource, and enhancing watershed health—all integral elements for proactive water management planning for the county’s future.”