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New Push To Connect Paradise & Chico Water

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A stalled plan to link two Butte County water purveyors received new life today.

 

Along with all the other problems, the Paradise Irrigation District—the entity providing drinking water to much of the area consumed by the 2018 Camp Fire—is facing a financial doozy. 


Much of its infrastructure was damaged or contaminated. Even worse, it will be years, if not decades before there are enough bill-paying customers to keep the district in business.  

 

Yesterday Assemblyman James Gallagher revived a proposal to study linking publically-owned P.I.D. with investor-owned California Water Service’s Chico Division. 

 

Gallagher was unable to be reached by deadline, but in a promotional video statement released yesterday he said Paradise deserves its own water district that’s locally accountable.  

 

“Absent this pipeline project, I don’t see how Paradise Irrigation District is going to be able to continue to operate this system.” Gallagher explained.

 

A similar proposal was ultimately rejected by the Board of Supervisors last year.  

 

Supervisor Debra Lucero said P.I.D.’s problems are deeper, and pre-dated the fire. 

 

“We are not going to be able to save P.I.D. with this pipeline project. That is not what the letter from the California Department of Finance says.” Lucero said.

 

She said PID had a backlog of deferred repairs, going back decades. Lucero noted that the nearly $15 million in state funding that’s replacing two-years worth of the utility's revenue is contingent on it participating in a state study into consolidating P.I.D. with another entity. 

 

One critical piece of P.I.D.’s infrastructure, the Magalia Dam completed in 1918 is rated ‘poor’ by the State Division of Dam Safety. The division also rates the dam as a high hazard to those downstream.