PCWA selects Carollo for new Ophir Water Treatment Plant project

The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) has selected Carollo Engineers to provide construction management and SCADA programming services for the new Ophir Water Treatment Plant, a project designed to expand drinking water capacity and improve system reliability in Placer County, California.

The first phase of the project will add 10 million gallons per day (MGD) of treatment capacity, enough to serve approximately 10,000 families. The facility is part of a long-term expansion strategy and is planned to ultimately support up to 30 MGD on a 22-acre site in Auburn, California. Construction costs for Phase 1 are estimated at approximately $210 million.

PCWA, which provides treated water to about 192,000 people and supplies wholesale water to neighboring agencies, said the new plant will help address growing demand while relieving capacity constraints at its existing Foothill Water Treatment Plant. The agency noted that the Foothill facility operates near peak capacity during summer demand periods.

“This is a long-term investment that’s been planned for decades,” said PCWA General Manager Andy Fecko in a press release. He added that the project is structured so that new growth helps fund the additional treatment capacity while also improving reliability and resilience for existing customers.

In addition to increasing treated water capacity, the Ophir plant will provide system redundancy and allow PCWA to extend maintenance and construction windows at the Foothill facility, supporting future rehabilitation and upgrade work.

Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026, with the new treatment plant scheduled to enter service in 2030.