Escalating population has water officials concerned

El Dorado County officials are working to figure out where the county will get the water it needs to serve its growing population, which is increasing about 2 percent a year.

Water officials have come up with a water resource plan for the next 25 years or so, drawn up in concert with the county's overall growth plan. Officials want residents to attend a meeting next week to offer feedback on the water plan.

The two most pressing issues are water storage and drought protection, said Lonnie Curtis, general manager of the El Dorado County Water Agency.

Possible options in the plan include diverting water at the El Dorado County Irrigation District's water treatment plant at Folsom Lake; damming the Weber River south of Placerville to create a new reservoir; or diverting water from the north fork of the American River near Georgetown.

"We're making sure it's an open process for everybody because we don't know everything," Curtis said. "There are a lot of people who have a lot of information out there."

The plan is expected to be presented to the board of the water agency in March, and it could be in place by April.

"Planning is never done," Curtis said. "It will be revisited as things happen, be it a drought or the county adopts certain land-use policies."

The group that developed the options in the plan includes El Dorado Irrigation District (31,800 connections), South Tahoe Public Utility District (13,320 connections) and Tahoe City Public Utility District (570 connections).