Photo of the week

This #PlacerLife photo of a sunset in Rocklin was taken by @thewinningshotphotos on Instagram.

Featured story

Placer County Water Agency preparing to restore full untreated water deliveries from Lake Spaulding following PG&E repairs

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has completed ongoing infrastructure repairs at Lake Spaulding Powerhouse No. 1 and resumed water releases into the Drum Canal system July 24. As a result, Rollins Reservoir—owned and operated by Nevada Irrigation District —is actively refilling, and PCWA is preparing to restore full untreated water deliveries to canal customers by Aug. 15.

Repairs at the Spaulding Powerhouse No. 1 have been ongoing since March 2024. PCWA continues to coordinate closely with NID to monitor reservoir levels and canal flows to ensure a smooth transition—just in time for the peak of summer heat.

Read more

Environment

Illegal dumping threatens free cardboard recycling bins in North Auburn

Illegal dumping and trash disposal at the Bell Road free cardboard recycling drop-off bins in North Auburn has increased. These bins are for cardboard only. Continued misuse of this site will result in removal of the bins. Learn more 

Food & agriculture

Placer families can now shop at farmers’ markets using their WIC card

With the rollout of updated California WIC cards featuring a QR code, participants can now shop for fruits and vegetables directly from local farmers at WIC-authorized farmers’ markets. Learn more and find participating markets

Roads

Lane reduction and intersection closure scheduled for Highway 49

Caltrans is alerting motorists about upcoming lane reductions and intersection closure along state Route 49 at Lorenson Road/Florence Lane as work continues on a $38 million safety barrier and roundabout project. Read more

Transportation

Get involved: PCTPA outlines next 25 years of transportation in Placer

The Placer County Transportation Planning Agency has released its Draft 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and supplemental environmental impact report for public review. You’re invited to participate in planning. Read more

In other news

Listen: Director of Library Services details events and summer programming at Tahoe City and Kings Beach libraries, plus a deep dive into Tahoe green waste and bear boxes

In case you missed it, our Placer Business Resource Center hosted a tariff webinar. Click to see what every business needs to know.

Paving work has begun at the Eastern Regional Landfill and visitors could experience slight delays

Placer County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday in Auburn. See what’s on the agenda.

This week in Placer County history

On July 27, 1946, Richard Ballenger, originally from Colfax, wrote a letter to his mother describing his firsthand account of a nuclear bomb test at Bikini Atoll on July 1, 1946.  The letter, which was published in the Aug. 2, 1946, Colfax Record, stated: “I saw the bomb go off and it sure was pretty. We were 12 miles away from it but it still vibrated the ship a little…About 15 hours after the bomb was dropped we went in…the water around there was boiling and also full of radioactivity…” The test Ballenger witnessed was the first to take place at Bikini Atoll, a coral reef in the Marshall Islands. The bomb was dropped by the B-29 bomber Dave’s Dream and detonated over a target fleet of unmanned ships at a height of 520 feet. However, the bomb, which was to be dropped directly over the USS Nevada, missed by 710 yards. This resulted in the sinking of just four ships, with a fifth sinking the following day.  The second nuclear test at Bikini Island took place July 25, 1946, and was detonated 90 feet below the surface of the ocean while being suspended from the landing craft LSM-60, which was vaporized by the bomb. Nine other ships were sunk, but more troubling was the radioactive water that covered all the target ships. The Navy tried to decontaminate them, but the task was mostly unsuccessful and highly dangerous to Navy personnel. Because of this, nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll was paused only to resume in 1954. But it should be noted that Richard Ballenger, a local boy from Colfax, witnessed just the fourth nuclear explosion in the history of the world.  News reports of the nuclear tests inspired fashion designer Louis Réard to name his 1946 two-piece swimsuit design the bikini. Photo: Target ships near Bikini Atoll, c. 1946

Advisory committees and commissions

Whether it’s representing your community or sharing your expertise on topics like agriculture or parks, there are always opportunities for you to help advise county leaders on the issues that matter to you most. Recruitment is open now to fill seats on the following committees or commissions, among others. Learn more and apply

Current recruitments include:

• Area 4 Agency on Aging Advisory Council
• Building Board of Appeals
• Civil Service Commission
• Colfax Cemetery District
• County Parks Commission
• Deferred Compensation Committee
• Economic Development Board
• Fish & Game Commission
• Gold Run Cemetery Committee
• Greater Lincoln Area Fire Safe Council
• Historical Advisory Board
• Housing Development Advisory Taskforce
• In Home Support Services Advisory Committee
• Juvenile Justice / Delinquency Prevention
• Granite Bay Municipal Advisory Council
• Historical Advisory Board
• Horseshoe Bar-Penryn Municipal Advisory Council
• Municipal Advisory Council - Donner Summit
• Municipal Advisory Council - Weimar-Applegate-Colfax
• Newcastle Ophir Municipal Advisory Council
• Placer County Behavioral Health Advisory Board
• Placer County Child Care Advisory Council
• Placer County Older Adult Advisory Commission
• Placer Sierra Fire Safe Council
• Solid Waste Local Task Force
• Tahoe Basin Design Review Committee (DRC)
• Veterans Advisory Council
• Wastewater Advisory Committee

Fun things to do this week

Don’t miss the fun coming this next week in...

Roseville: NorCal Summer Smash: The Ultimate Outdoor Combat Robotics Event, Music in the Park

West Roseville: National Night Out

Rocklin: Toddler Time, Preschool Storytime

Lincoln: Family Storytime

Loomis: Coffee Connection, National Night Out

Auburn: Preschool Storytime, Toddler Time, Hybrid Job Connections

North Auburn: National Night Out

Colfax: A Vintage-Inspired Marketplace, Coffee and Conversations, Colfax Farmers Market, Preschool Storytime, Baby Lapsit

Granite Bay: National Night Out

North Lake Tahoe: National Night Out, SunSets Live Music Series at Palisades Tahoe, Music on the Beach - Kings Beach, Summer Music Series and Roller Skating- Northstar, Concerts on Commons Beach, Live at the Launch Music On Monday Nights, Bluesdays Concert Series at Palisades Tahoe, First Street Yoga at Palisades Tahoe, Wild Things at the Tahoe City Library, Preschool Storytime: Kings Beach Library, Baby Lapsit: Kings Beach Library, Kings Beach Library Book Club, Tahoe City Farmers Market 

...and many Placer County Library and Placer County Museum events.

Visit our regional partners to discover more of the fun happening right here in Placer County!

Placer County Visitors' Bureau
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tahoe City Downtown Association
The Arts Council of Placer County
Placer Valley Tourism
PlacerGROWN
Placer Wine Trail

Upcoming public meetings and events

Board of Supervisors, Aug. 5, 9 a.m. Information
Eastern Regional Firewise Coalition, Aug. 5, 5:30 p.m. Information
Planning Commission, Aug. 7, 9 a.m. Information
Olympic Valley Supervisor Forum, Aug. 7, 6 p.m. Information

To learn about other Placer County committees and commissions and current opportunities to serve your community click here.

List of active projects throughout Placer County

Projects are listed alphabetically and by Board of Supervisors districts. A hard copy of the list is available at the Placer County Community Development Resource Agency, 3091 County Center Drive in Auburn. 

Active Projects

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