Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project

The Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project will provide secure and reliable drinking water and improved fire protection within the Tahoe Cedars service area.

Benefits will include:

  • Replacing 15 miles of undersized and failing water mains.
  • Installing 97 new fire hydrants.
  • Installing over 1,000 residential water meters.

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Project Status

Project Details

Private Service Lateral Relocation FAQs

Contact Us

Project Status 

Updated: 6/23/2025

We have reached an important project milestone by awarding a design-build contract to Granite-DOWL, a construction and engineering firm with 30 years of Tahoe Basin experience.

Meet the Project Team

Project Timeline

  • 2025 - Focus on project planning, permitting, and design. You may see crews from Granite-DOWL working this summer on fieldwork and surveying to support the project design.
  • 2026 – 2031 (estimated) – First phase of construction scheduled to begin. Exact construction phase locations are still being determined. This project will involve multiple construction phases over the next four to five years.

Sign Up for Project Updates

The project will begin to move at a quicker pace with more frequent updates. We will share timely updates using our project e-mail list (sign up below) and on this website.

We will send all official project communications affecting your property via U.S. Mail to the property owner of record.

You may also receive project updates and communications directly from Granite-DOWL staff on behalf of TCPUD.

Sign up for project email updates 

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Project Details

Project Overview

In January 2018, TCPUD acquired the Mid-Sierra Water Utility (Tahoe Cedars and Madden Creek water systems) and began operating both systems. In March 2021, the TCPUD Board of Directors adopted a comprehensive Tahoe Cedars Water System Master Plan, which recommended the full replacement of the existing system, which was originally constructed in the 1940s and is actively failing. Following a series of long-term financial planning sessions, the Board directed staff to proceed with design and permitting, development of project implementation plans, and financing plans for the full reconstruction of the Tahoe Cedars water system.

Costs

Fully reconstructing the Tahoe Cedars water system is a unique undertaking for TCPUD. It is significantly larger, more complicated, and more expensive than any previous TCPUD water system reconstruction project and is currently estimated to cost $72 million (does not include costs for relocating water service lines from backyards to the street). Funding sources for this project will include water rates, property tax revenue, the Infrastructure Improvement Charge, and potential grants.

Completed Improvements
  • Replaced chronically failing water mains on 2nd Avenue.
  • Installed an interconnection between the Tahoe Cedars water system and an adjacent TCPUD water system to provide critical backup water supply.
Project Communications

2025

Tahoma Tattler (PDF -1.8MB) - January 2025

Letter Sent to All Tahoe Cedars Customers (PDF - 0.9MB) - May 9, 2025

Tahoe Cedars Project Update E-Mail - May 14, 2025

2023

Below the Ground Look at Leaks - March 1, 2023

A Look at Hydrants - March 16, 2023

A Look at Water Mains - March 30, 2023

A Look at Meters - June 16, 2023

Protecting the Community from Wildfires - July 14, 2023

2022

TCPOA Summer Meeting Follow Up - November 18, 2022

 

Meet the Project Team

Granite-Dowl

TCPUD awarded the design-build contract to Granite-DOWL, a construction and engineering firm with 30 years of Tahoe Basin experience. Having delivered 255 projects in the Tahoe Basin, Granite-DOWL have extensive local knowledge and a proven track record on complex projects.


Granite Construction is the construction contractor and will be responsible for building the project. Granite specializes in water infrastructure and transportation projects. They lead the industry in safety practices and have earned awards for their commitment to quality and sustainability. 


DOWL is the Designer-of-Record and will perform the field investigations and develop the project designs.  DOWL has extensive experience providing engineering design services in the Eastern Sierra and has designed and managed the construction of more than 180 miles of new water distribution and transmission main in the region.

Weidinger Public Relations

This project welcomes Jenn Boyd Lemming with Weidinger Public Relations to serve as the primary customer contact throughout the project. With over 17 years at WPR, Jenn consistently delivers outstanding results for clients including the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA), Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), and NDOT. Jenn led the communication efforts for NDOT's SR28 Lake Tahoe East Shore Trail, where she worked with Granite as the team's Public Outreach Manager. Based at Lake Tahoe, Jenn is well-acquainted with the project area and has cultivated numerous working relationships with community leaders, residents, and businesses throughout the various work zones.

Private Service Lateral Relocation

In portions of the Tahoe Cedars water service area, the existing water mains are located in backyard alignments outside of the public right of ways (‘back of lots’). System reconstruction will include abandoning these water mains and installing new water mains in the street. Where this occurs, a property’s private water service connection will need to be relocated from the back to the front of the property at the street.

TCPUD is working on a Private Service Relocation Policy to address properties that have the existing water main located in a backyard alignment outside of the public right of way. TCPUD will notify affected property owners when this policy is presented to the TCPUD Board of Directors, which is expected to occur sometime this summer.

Learn more on the Service Lateral Relocation FAQs:

Contact Us

For questions, comments, or concerns about the Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project, please contact Jenn Boyd Lemming, Tahoe Cedars Public Outreach Manager, at tahoecedars@tcpud.org or call (775) 339-9612.

 

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