Loomis canal shutdown leaves property owners searching for solutions
A longtime Loomis canal has been shut down, leaving dozens of property owners scrambling to find new water sources for their land.
In a recent meeting Placer County Water Agency board voted to permanently discontinue operations of the Eastside Canal, which has supplied untreated agricultural water to residents along Brace Road for more than a century.
Twenty-three customers are now without canal service, a move the agency says was necessary after years of mounting repair costs and infrastructure failures.
"I've got livestock, I've got stuff that needs it," said Charlie West, a Loomis resident of more than 60 years who relied on the canal for irrigation.
PCWA General Manager Andrew Fecko says customers affected by the shutdown can connect to treated water lines that already run along their streets.
"Those customers are free to call us," Fecko said. "If they need more service from the treated water line, we'll work with them to provide that."
But residents say that option could get expensive.
"With ditch water, you buy inches and get that. City water is on a meter and that meter is like a slot machine that won't stop going," West said.
Fecko says the agency faced repeated issues with the canal's aging infrastructure. After multiple leaks in 2023 and 2024, repair costs totaled about $30,000 last year, with an additional $80,000 needed for further fixes and no guarantee of reliable service.
"While it was a difficult decision, we don't like to shut down service to anyone. It does become one of economics and serving the greater Placer County public," Fecko said.
Now, with the Eastside Canal no longer in operation, residents like West say they're left paying thousands more just to maintain their properties.
PCWA says it does not plan to make any additional repairs to the canal and believes it remains safe as is.