Colorado River Commission seeks three electricians, outlines substation and transmission work tied to SNWA solar project

Eric Witkoski, director of the Colorado River Commission, told the joint Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance subcommittee that the commission is seeking three new full-time positions to bolster operation and maintenance of its electrical system and described a multi-year capital plan tied in part to a solar project for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA).

Witkoski summarized the most important points for the committee: the commission manages both water- and power-related contracts, operates 27 high-voltage substations and an overhead/underground transmission network, and supplies power to 23 wholesale customers including utilities and industrial customers. “For the record, my name is Eric Witkoski. I’m the director of the Colorado River Commission,” he said during the hearing.

The commission’s budget request (Division 4490) includes three new FTEs: one power facilities electrician and two senior power facilities electricians, which Witkoski said are needed to maintain an aging system and to staff three new substations expected online in the next two years. He said the CRC is also adding a roughly 10-mile transmission line planned to be in service by the end of the year to carry output from a solar project into the Mead area.

Why it matters: the CRC’s electrical system powers the pumps used by water agencies across the Las Vegas Valley, and outages or under‑maintenance could affect water and wastewater pumping. Witkoski emphasized the operational connection between the electrical system and regional water delivery: the system “delivers the electricity that runs the pumps that move the water through the valley.”

Budget, funding and customers The commission is not general-funded, Witkoski said; operating revenue comes from charges for water-related work, administrative charges on power deliveries and reimbursements for project costs. Assemblymember Watts asked whether the commission’s customers support the increase in costs for the three positions; Witkoski replied that customers have been consulted and have signed on to the request after the commission’s summer budget discussions.

Capital work and timeline Witkoski presented a six-year plan that lists capital projects and recurring operational maintenance. He named three substations expected in the next two years—Boulder Flats, Mount Hill and Garnet Valley—and said Garnet Valley will support water delivery up to Apex in North Las Vegas. He also said the transmission line is being built to move power from a solar plus battery facility to Mead so SNWA can access renewable energy. The commission stated the 2019 legislative change that included SNWA in Nevada’s renewable portfolio requirements drives the need for more renewables.

Procurement and approvals Witkoski told the committee the commission submitted an Infrastructure Finance Committee (IFC) work program that week to provide authority to pay for certain asset acquisitions related to the Boulder Flats transmission and the developer interconnection if costs fall in fiscal year 2025. He said the developer has a contract with SNWA to interconnect and that SNWA requested the change to existing supply contracts.

No formal action The hearing was informational; committee members asked clarifying questions but did not take a vote on the budget or staffing request during the session. The presentation closed after questions and the subcommittee moved to the public comment portion of the agenda.

Closing note Witkoski said the commission has an active schedule of monthly meetings with its wholesale customers during the biennium and described ongoing maintenance needs to keep the system reliable in Southern Nevada’s high summer temperatures.