Residents of Cascade Shores east of Nevada City will be getting a larger, more reliable public water system, under actions taken Wednesday (May 23) by the Nevada Irrigation District Board of Directors.

The board voted to purchase 4400 feet of new eight-inch pipeline to replace deteriorating and undersized 4-inch and 6-inch main lines installed in the 1960s and 1970s by the developer of Cascade Shores. The new pipe will be purchased from low bidder Groeniger & Co. for $129,800.

The system improvement is planned along Cascade Loop, Cascade Drive and Artic Close and also includes nine new fire hydrants. NID maintenance crews are slated to begin installing the new pipeline in June.

The overall project is budgeted at $350,000 and is part of a systematic program to upgrade aging water infrastructure in four Nevada County residential communities developed in the 1960s and 1970s. An initial project was completed in Alta Sierra last year, an upgrade is now being completed in Lake of the Pines and an improvement at Lake Wildwood is planned for 2013.

Directors also awarded a $732,600 contract to T&S Construction, Inc. of Sacramento for construction of a new transmission main line along Highway 49 in North Auburn.

The water project will provide for more water and fire flow along the Highway 49 corridor from Locksley Lane to Quartz Drive. Work is expected to begin in June and be completed before winter.

In other business, NID directors:

• heard a report and received a 2011 independent audit of the district and authorized Finance Manager/Treasurer Jim Malberg to publish the district’s financial statements. Board President Nick Wilcox said the good audit “reflects the strength of our management team.”

• heard an announcement from Board President Nick Wilcox that the State of California is opposing a proposal by the South Sutter Water District to build a large new dam on the Bear River at Garden Bar. The NID board is already on record as opposed to the dam.

• viewed a presentation by Water Efficiency Technician Lesa Osterholm on the district’s website, which has been updated, redesigned and expanded. District customers and interested members of the community are invited to visit the website at www.nidwater.com.

• welcomed consultant Paul Kelley, who is helping the district track and monitor efforts on the lower Yuba River that could impact district operations and water supplies. Kelley, based in Santa Rosa, is a former county supervisor and water agency board member in Sonoma County, and former two-year president of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA).

The next regular meeting of the NID Board of Directors will be held at 9 a.m. on June 13 at the NID Business Center in Grass Valley. NID board meetings are open to the public.