Utilities director outlines 2026 priorities to boost reliability and plan for conservation

Dan Lewis, director of utilities, told the board the utilities department will focus in 2026 on improving reliability, increasing efficiency and reducing risk across water and sewer systems. He said planned actions include installing a new sewer pump control panel at Gold Coast, adding variable frequency drives at water and sewer stations, automatic transfer switches to improve outage resilience, pump and motor replacements at wells, and expanded meter-testing to check efficiencies.

“We will continue to evaluate mergers and consolidations and moving into utilities department operational priorities and projects,” Dan Lewis said, listing the department’s strategic priorities and noting that staff will perform much of the work in‑house with consultants used only as needed. He also identified regulatory planning tasks: completing an updated urban water management plan and a sewer system management plan to prevent sanitary sewer overflows, and developing an implementation plan to make conservation “a way of life,” per the State Water Board regulatory framework.

Staff said the cross-connection control plan required by the state will require a residential and commercial survey and substantial outreach once adopted, and that some large projects (Tahoe Cedars, Madden Creek, West Shore storage) will demand significant staff time and capital coordination in 2026. Board members pressed staff on sequencing and timing; staff said many projects carry forward from previous years and will be prioritized as financing and staffing allow.