NEVADA CITY, Calif. December 6, 2016 – At its regular meeting today, the State Water Resources Control Board approved funding in the amount of $2.2 million to reconfigure the Cascade Shores waste water treatment operation.  With this action, the Water Board has provided the financial resources necessary to eliminate two longstanding water quality treatment issues and to stabilize and substantially reduce rate payers’ costs over time. Cascade Shores sewer subscribers currently pay $2,400.00 in annual sewer rates.

The Cascade Shores plant, because of its size and location, has experienced a variety of challenges during the past few years, most notably a landslide in 2006 that required expensive repairs and continuously changing state waste water treatment standards that have  required costly plant modifications spread among a small base of rate payers.

District 1 Supervisor, Nate Beason, who testified at today’s water board meeting in Sacramento, described the action as a “positive outcome that will allow us  improve water quality and profoundly reduce costs to my constituents.” Beason credited a “ variety of a county staff for their determination and persistence who refused to give up on the issue.”  Beason thanked the regional water quality board staff for “ their support for the financing” and the state board staff for “their diligence in working with the county to get where we are today.”

Editor’s note: The State Water Board, with today’s decision, agreed to provide $1.1 million in Prop. 1 Small Community grant funding and an additional $1.1 million in CWSRF financing for the Project at an interest rate of one percent (1.7%.)