DOWNIEVILLE — On Halloween day 2022, the 8-inch pipe that distributes water to all of Downieville was cut off at the top of Oxford Mine Road. The town was heroic in its effort to curtail water use during the wait time to reconnect the system. This process was necessary to begin a one-year project to replace the two water tanks that had been in use for 50 years. One was a leaky redwood tank, while the other was a metal container with an unplanned moat surrounding it from a leak underneath.

Farr Construction’s Resource Development Company from Sparks, NV, accepted the Federal Grant bid and started the project, expecting to complete the work by early summer 2023. Winter, however, foiled the optimistic outlook, stopping progress immediately after the demolition of the 100,000-gallon redwood tank. The lone metal moat-surrounded tank would take over service for the next 14 months.

The project was completed in early November with two new 100,000-gallon tanks to supply Downieville with safe drinking water for the next 50 years. The following people are appreciated for their attention to the progress of this project: Downieville Public Utility District board chairman Don Potter, board members Mike Taylor and Greg Johnson, Water Treatment Operators Paul Douville, Mark Daigle and apprentice Brandon Kopp, engineers Dick Melim and Dean Marsh from Sauer Engineering in Nevada City, bookkeeper Suzanne Burr, all the construction workers from the Resource Development Company.