The Calaveras County Water District and Blue Lake Springs Mutual Water Company boards approved an agreement Wednesday, which sets into motion the provision of a supplemental water supply to Blue Lake Springs from CCWD’s system. This comes after many months of negotiations, and both Boards were pleased to approve an agreement that recognizes the longstanding relationship between the two parties.

“On behalf of Blue Lake Springs, I’m pleased we were able to work out an agreement with CCWD through the efforts of Dave Eggerton, Charles Palmer, Larry Diamond, Michael Minkler and both boards of directors,” said Dave Hicks, BLSMWC general manager. “Like all negotiations, they have their ups and downs, but we always had the clear idea that we would eventually come to an agreement and I’m very happy that we did.”

“This agreement dramatically improves the reliability of water supplies for the community of Blue Lake Springs by augmenting existing groundwater resources of BLS with treated surface water from CCWD,” said Dave Eggerton, CCWD general manager. “With our boards’ adoption of this agreement, we are building a partnership that will be mutually beneficial for years to come.”

Blue Lake Springs serves more than 2,025 residential connections using a groundwater system it operates. The ongoing drought has caused this series of wells to become less reliable. With access to surface water from CCWD, Blue Lake Springs can extend the life of its wells by operating a conjunctive use system supplied by a combination of surface and ground water. CCWD will provide up to 100,000 gallons per day of treated wholesale water during critical summer months as well as access to additional water for fire flows if necessary. Blue Lake Springs will continue to deliver retail water to its customers through its existing distribution system.

The agreement also sets out a clear road map that will be followed if Blue Lake Springs decides to purchase additional water from CCWD in the future, which was a high priority for both boards.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Eggerton expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Hicks and Minkler in developing a mutually beneficial proposal for the boards’ consideration. He also thanked Palmer, Jeffrey Meyer and Larry Diamond for their diligent work on this agreement.

“This outcome is truly rewarding, knowing that we have created a new relationship that will benefit our community now and in the future,” Eggerton said.

For additional details on the agreement between CCWD and BLSMWC, go to www.ccwd.org/board-of-directors/board-agendas/ to read the full agenda packet.