GROUNDWATER WELL PROJECT COMPLETED
Well Project Update, February 2026
As you may or may not know......
- The District’s sole source of water for Domestic Use and Fire Protection is Railroad Springs, located adjacent to Nichols Mill Road, approximately one-half mile west of Old Truckee Road.
- The District received a $970,730 grant in February, 2023 from the State of California Department of Water Resources to drill and equip a new Well as a Secondary or Alternate source of water supply in the event that Railroad Springs was to be contaminated or otherwise, become unusable.
- The new Well is located approximately 100 feet southeast of the Booster Pump Station and uses the same pipe as the Pump Station to convey water to the Storage Tanks located on Randolph Hill. Water is then delivered to the Community by gravity through the District’s distribution system.
Summary
The Sierraville PUD Well Project is now completed! The Well Project was successful from Production and Water Quality perspectives and will provide a safe and reliable alternate source of drinking water and fire protection for the District’s Customers and Community. Operation of the Well will alternate with Railroad Springs as determined by the District’s dedicated Board of Directors.
Specific features of the Well include:
- Total drilled depth was 360 feet
- Total casing depth is 350 feet. The casing is eight-inch diameter high strength / low alloy steel casing with perforations/louvers at the depth(s) determined by the District’s Hydrogeologist based upon sampling of water quality and quantity;
- The Well Head/Pitless Adapter was installed at 30 inches above the surface to 54 inches below the surface and includes a seal to contain the artesian flow of approximately 15 gpm;
- A concrete Sanitary Seal was installed around the outside of the casing to 100 feet, twice the depth, required by the State;
- The Well is equipped with a submersible pump controlled by a variable frequency drive (VFD) to provide a design output of 120 gpm. This is the same rate as diversion of the supply from Railroad Springs,necessary to meet the Community’s Maximum Day Water Demand.
- The water was tested extensively, (general chemistry, anions, trace metals, volatile organic compounds, synthetic organic compounds and radiological), almost all of the constituents were non-detect and those present were significanly below Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) thresholds. NO treatment of the water will be necessary to use the Well as a drinking water source.
SIERRAVILLE PUD ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2019: Water Storage Tank Replacement Project
2022: Meter Replacement Project
2023: Grant Funded, Booster Pump Station Replacement
The Sierraville PUD has worked diligently over the past eight years to improve its Facilities to ensure that the District’s Customers will continue to be served by modern, firesafe infrastructure systems for years to come. We are tremendously proud of these accomplishments!!
The District will be hosting a “FIRST SIP” event up at the Well Site sometime in the Spring. Watch for more information coming soon!
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to call the District phone at 530-414-5994 or send an email to info@sierravillepud.gov
