New vision for Texas Hill: Conservation

The El Dorado Irrigation District (EID/District) Board of Directors on Monday authorized an agreement with the American River Conservancy (ARC) to begin evaluating permanent land conservation opportunities at Texas Hill, roughly 1,000 acres of undeveloped District-owned land along Weber Creek south of Placerville.

The ARC, an accredited land trust dedicated to conserving the lands and waters of the upper American and upper Cosumnes River watersheds, has expressed interest in acquiring the property for wildlife habitat, watershed protection, scenic open space, and recreation.

The agreement is expressly preliminary and non-binding. It does not obligate EID to sell, and does not commit the Board to any particular course of action. It allows the parties to explore land conservation concepts, conduct due diligence, pursue grant funding, and engage the public.

Acting now enables the ARC to pursue Statewide Park Program funding ahead of the Dec. 17 application deadline. If that funding is secured, the parties would negotiate a separate Purchase and Sale Agreement setting price and other binding terms, which would return to the Board with any related California Environmental Quality Act documentation.

EID acquired Texas Hill intending to build a water supply reservoir, an idea first studied in the 1960s and revisited periodically since.

Recent planning analysis determined a reservoir there is not a feasible or cost-effective way to meet the District's future water supply needs.

"Our job is to be honest about two things at once: a reservoir at Texas Hill isn't a cost-effective way to serve our customers, and this property is a real asset that belongs to our ratepayers," said General Manager Pravani Vandeyar. "We owe them a thoughtful answer about its future. The American River Conservancy has been a capable partner of ours since 2001, and grant funding means the land conservation option doesn't come out of anyone's water bill."

Next steps include property evaluation, developing the conservation concept, engaging partners, public involvement and preparing the grant application.