San Juan Water District received a Project of the Year Award from the Sacramento Chapter of the American Public Works Association for the district’s Hinkle Reservoir Floating Cover and Liner Replacement Project. Before water is delivered to homes, it passes through the 62-million-gallon Hinkle Reservoir. This facility is the main storage for all the wholesale agencies, which include Citrus Heights Water District, Fair Oaks Water District, Orange Vale Water Company, a section of Folsom north of the American River and San Juan’s Retail Service Area. Photo courtesy of San Juan Water District.

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) has selected San Juan Water District (SJWD) as the recipient of a Project of the Year Award. San Juan Water District's Hinkle Reservoir Floating Cover and Liner Replacement project received the honor in the awards program's Environment–Water category, and San Juan Water District was formally recognized during an awards ceremony on Aug. 9 in Sacramento.

San Juan Water District provides reliable, high-quality water service to approximately 265,000 retail and wholesale customers in eastern Sacramento and southern Placer counties. In addition to serving its own retail customers, San Juan delivers wholesale water supplies to Citrus Heights Water District, Fair Oaks Water District, Orange Vale Water Company, the City of Folsom (for customers north of the American River) and, periodically, to Sacramento Suburban Water District.

Multiple factors are considered when evaluating projects for an award. The American Public Works Association Awards Program recognizes projects that exhibit outstanding management, administration, design, sustainability, construction, and community relations. Maintaining a strong association among the managing agency, designer, contractor, and construction management team who worked together to complete the project are also integral components of the evaluation.

“We are honored to be the recipient of APWA's Project of the Year Award,” said Paul Helliker, general manager of San Juan Water District. “The upgrade and replacement of Hinkle Reservoir's floating cover and liner was our largest infrastructure project in four decades. Because the Reservoir is essential to our operations, the project had to be completed during a short wintertime window, which our design, construction management, and construction contractors very successfully achieved.”

Originally built in 1916, Hinkle Reservoir was located in what is now Folsom Lake before being moved to its current site in the 1950s.

To meet new environmental regulations and protect water supplies from contamination, San Juan Water District installed a Hypalon geomembrane liner and floating cover in 1980. Although the cover and liner were originally guaranteed for 25 years, San Juan Water District significantly extended the system's lifespan through regular maintenance and testing to ensure its integrity.

 

In 2022, with the system now more than 40 years old, San Juan Water District determined a replacement was necessary. The cover and liner replacement project was completed in April 2023, on time and under budget.

 

Hinkle Reservoir provides drinking water to more than 265,000 customers in the greater Sacramento region and has a total storage capacity of 62 million gallons.