Big Bend Customers
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Lake Angela

There is no doubt that Lake Angela is a picturesque and serene area. Did you know that using the lake for recreation is not allowed? Impact from recreational use by humans introduces harmful pollutants, which causes algae bloom and dangerous bacteria, including E. Coli, that adds stress to the water treatment process. The District encourages the community to respect this drinking water source and refrain from using the lake for recreation.

Donner Summit PUD provides water service to the communities of Norden and Soda Springs; to the east- and west-bound Caltrans rest areas off I-80 west of Truckee; and to the Sugar Bowl, Soda Springs Resort, Boreal and Donner Ski Ranch ski resorts. The District owns and operates its sole water source, Lake Angela, as well as all related facilities including the Lake Angela dam and water delivery infrastructure.

Lake Angela is located near the peak of Donner Summit at 7,280-feet elevation and is fed by snow melt and spring sources. The lake has a maximum storage of 310 acre feet. Although the natural water supply from Lake Angela is relatively high quality, it does require treatment to meet annual inspections and permit requirements set by the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW). The Division of Dam Safety also performs annual inspections of the dam.

In 2017, the District completed an upgrade to the water treatment plant in order to meet Federal and State water quality standards. One significant upgrade included two clarification/filtration treatment basins, which addressed the high levels of turbidity found in the potable water supply. The new system filters out the turbid conditions caused at times by an overabundance of algae in the lake.

The water treatment plant has a two-basin system with the capacity to treat 1.0 MGD of water daily. This is required to meet a state mandated regulation to have redundant basins, each having the capacity to process 0.5 MGD, and that provides a back-up basin in the event the other basin becomes unusable for any length of time or during normal plant maintenance.

Donner Summit PUD also supplies water to the Big Bend Community.