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Truckee Donner PUD 2022 year in review

Submitted to the Sun
TDPUD brought on new technologies, replaced aging equipment and software systems and expanded staff.
Provided / Truckee Donner Public Utility District

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Last year, the Truckee Donner Public Utility District took on a number of important new projects. These efforts not only improved water and electric utility service, customer experience and community safety but also continued to position TDPUD as a valued resource in conservation and sustainability.

“Our goal is to provide and maintain reliable, high-quality water and electric services to customers,” said TDPUD General Manager Brian Wright. “And while that sounds simple, it takes a lot of work to make sure customers don’t have to think twice about what will happen when they flip a light switch or turn on a faucet.”

TDPUD brought on new technologies, replaced aging equipment and software systems, expanded staff and began to explore how to continue to serve the community with potential new services, like community-wide broadband. Here’s a closer look at a few of the improvements TDPUD brought to the community in 2022, and what’s on the agenda for 2023.



Click here to read the entire year-in-review report, at http://www.tdpud.org/2022

Improved Customer Services



TDPUD invested in the digital tools and platforms offered to customers. This includes the new outage management system which detects power outages and sends customized alerts in almost real time. This November, the process of transitioning customers to paperless billing began, and more than 8,600 customers are currently enrolled. 

Conservation & Rebate Programs

After two years of being sidelined due to COVID, TDPUD’s conservation department returned to in-person events. TDPUD attended Truckee Day, Big Truck Day and Truckee Thursdays to share sustainability messages, information on rebate programs and hand out energy and water conservation tools.

One of the conservation department’s major goals is to provide customers with rebates and incentives to make their homes more efficient. In total, TDPUD provided customers with $67,400 in rebate incentives in 2022 and eliminated 169 tons of CO2 via its rebate programs.

Your Rates at Work

In 2022, TDPUD took on crucial maintenance work, started major construction projects and completed a decade-long undertaking to modernize one of its most important remote monitoring systems. These projects allow TDPUD to maintain an exceptional level of service for the community, from better response times to creating system redundancies. 

On the waterside, TDPUD replaced water pipeline, rehabilitated water tanks and broke ground on a new pipeline and pump station construction project. On the electric side, TDPUD replaced aging power poles and electric wire, and upgraded equipment at a major substation.

Prioritizing Community Safety

As wildfire danger continues to be front of mind, TDPUD took action to mitigate the risk posed by their electric infrastructure. One of the biggest efforts is the annual tree trimming and removal to create a safe clearance around power poles and power lines. In 2022, TDPUD removed 1,275 cubic yards of vegetation through this program. 

Planning for the Future

TDPUD currently gets more than 60% of its energy from carbon-free resources, and this number will continue to increase in 2023. TDPUD is invested in the Red Mesa Tapaha Solar plant, which is slated to come online in spring of 2023 and will provide 10 percent of the district’s current energy demand. TDPUD is also exploring new resources like geothermal energy and energy storage, which allows for intermittent energy sources like wind and solar to be more consistently available. 

TDPUD will also implement its first integrated resource plan, which will help it navigate a volatile energy market and balance its priorities of providing reliable service at a responsible rate using renewable resources.

TDPUD will conduct a greenhouse gas inventory in 2023, the first update to this metric in a decade. Understanding environmental impacts and how this is changing over time creates the opportunity to better manage impacts and explore ways to reduce carbon use.

In 2022, TDPUD launched a community-wide broadband initiative – a project that emerged from a current four-year strategic plan. The district also hired a consultant to survey the community, determine interest, and examine district resources to predict project costs and viability. The consultant’s findings will be presented to the board of directors and community at the Jan. 18, 2023, TDPUD board meeting.

2022 By the Numbers

  • 1.28 billion gallons of water delivered
  • 172,062-megawatt hours of electricity delivered
  • 60+% of TDPUD electricity came from carbon-free resources
  • 1,152 new TDPUD accounts created
  • 681 customers received rebates
  • $67,400 allocated in rebates
  • 169.3 tons of CO2 eliminated via rebate program
  • 5,682 customers enrolled in new outage text alerts
  •  8,614 customers enrolled in paperless billing
  • $12,980 in financial assistance to customers in need 
  •  84 electric poles replaced
  • 11,000 feet of obsolete electric wire replaced
  • 1,275 cubic yards of vegetation cleared from power lines
  • 238 miles of water pipeline surveyed for leaks
  • 7,000 feet of water pipeline replaced
  • 2 water tanks underwent significant maintenance work

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