San Juan Water District receives Project of the Year Award

American Public Works Association honors Hinkle Reservoir Floating Cover and Liner Replacement project

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. SJWD’s Hinkle Reservoir Floating Cover and Liner Replacement received the honor in the awards program’s Environment–Water category, and SJWD was formally recognized during an awards ceremony on August 9, 2024,  in Sacramento.

Multiple factors are considered when evaluating projects for an award. The APWA 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 SJWD. “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, SJWD installed a Hypalon geomembrane liner and floating cover in 1980. Although the cover and liner were originally guaranteed for 25 years, SJWD 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, SJWD determined a replacement was necessary. The cover and liner replacement project was completed in April of 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.