Palermo Clean Water Consolidation Project

The County would like to address the health and safety issues being faced by the Palermo community. The majority of the parcels within the Palermo community are served by individual water wells for their potable water supply and by on‐site septic systems for wastewater treatment and disposal. Flooding, high groundwater levels and continued septic system failures have resulted in cross-contamination of the existing wells and possibly contamination of the groundwater aquifer. Many of the domestic wells are shallow and face challenges complying with the Revised Total Coliform Rule and some wells have high Nitrate levels which are close to exceeding the maximum contaminant level (Nitrate as N).

Current Happenings

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration (PDF) Posted for 30-day Comment Period-Posted December 13, 2021

Indicate your interest in receiving clean reliable drinking water as a future customer of South Feather Water and Power Agency by filling out this Letter of Interest (DOCX) and mailing it back to our Department.

Palermo Project Block of LandThe County and the South Feather Water and Power Agency (SFWPA) are collaborating through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to resolve these health and safety issues by pursuing the Palermo Clean Water Consolidation Project (Project) for the Palermo community which would provide a safe reliable water supply that reliably meets Safe Drinking Water Act drinking water requirements. The SFWPA already provides treated surface water from the Feather River to more than one hundred parcels within the Palermo community. This Project would connect your property to existing SFWPA infrastructure and install new water mains, valves, fire hydrants, and meters for those not adjacent to the existing SFWPA water facilities. The Project will provide a clean and reliable source of drinking water to Palermo residents within the service area enclosed by Messina Avenue to the north, South Villa Avenue to the south, the railroad to the west and Upper Palermo Road to the east.

Information about the project is also available on the Palermo Clean Water Consolidation Project Flyer (PDF).

Current Problems & Challenges

  • High rates of septic failure during periods of high rainfall have resulted in stormwater and shallow groundwater contamination
  • Previous studies have indicated that up to 25% of the domestic wells have coliform and nitrate above the current MCL

Current Solutions & Benefits

  • Connect to South Feather Water and Power Agency existing infrastructure to provide drinking water to current domestic well owners
  • Reduce demand on the aquifer and provide a clean, reliable, and sustainable water supply to the community

Project schedule & timeline

If grant funding is awarded for the Project in 2022, the goal is to have the Project completed by mid-2024.Palermo Clean Water Consolidation Project Timeline