6.6 UTILITY SERVICE COMPANIES
ELECTRIC AND GAS
PG&E provides electrical and natural gas service to Sutter County. Electrical service is provided to all areas of the County. Natural gas service is provided only to the urbanized areas of Yuba City and Live Oak, and to the community of Nicolaus.
Most of the electrical service in the County is carried through above-ground lines. However, new urban development is now typically served by underground service. In addition, PG&E maintains a program to underground existing service lines.
Sutter County is crossed and served by two general types of Transmission
lines: a 500 kV line that is part of the Pacific Intertie System and a
series of 60-230 kV lines that serve the local needs of the County. The
reader is referred to Chapter 11 of this report for the general location
of transmission lines and substations.
In addition the County is crossed by gas transmission lines. These lines
transport gas from local wells in the western portion of the County as
well as gas that is imported from outside California. The reader is referred
to Chapter 11 of this report for the general location of gas transmission
facilities.
Issues And Concerns
PG&E currently has sufficient energy supplies and distribution facilities
to meet anticipated demands. They anticipate upgrading existing substations
over the next five years to improve the performance of the system.
TELEPHONE
Pacific Bell provides telephone service for the entire County. The main office is located in Sacramento.
Service
Currently, most of the Pacific Bell service lines within the County are above ground. Underground service has become more common for new projects, in or adjacent to, developed areas of the County. Pacific Bell participates in a joint undergrounding program with PG&E and has been incrementally undergrounding service in the urban areas of the County.
Issues and Concerns
Pacific Bell has adequate service to meet the anticipated demands within the County.
CABLE TELEVISION
There are two cable television providers in Sutter County, Continental Cablevision and the South Sutter Cable Company. General service areas have been established for these two companies by the County. The franchises are non-exclusive. Continental Cable is based in Yuba City and serves the Yuba City Urban Area including Tierra Buena, the Live Oak Urban Area, and the community of Sutter. The South Sutter Cable Company does not provide any service at this time, but was created to provide cable service in the southern portions of the County.
In existing developed areas, cable service runs on above-ground lines. All new urban development is served by underground service. The company currently maintains 274 miles of cable in Sutter County.
Issues and Concerns
At the present time, the only constraint to providing cable television service within the County is the rural settlement pattern which exists in the majority of the County. It is not cost effective to install cable service unless there are approximately 25 houses per mile.
6.7 SPECIAL DISTRICTS
Sutter County currently has 54 special districts that provide various public services for areas within their respective service areas. Table 6.7-1 briefly summarizes 10 different types of special districts providing service within Sutter County. Figures 6.7-1 through 6.7-4 show the Sutter County locations for: California Water Districts, Community Service Districts, Levee and Reclamation Districts, and Drainage Districts. (See Figure 6.4-1 for County Service Areas and Fire Protection Districts.)
TABLE 6.7-1
SPECIAL DISTRICTS
| CALIFORNIA WATER DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| Butte | Yes | Agricultural water supply and drainage | Butte County is principal county. |
| Biggs/West Gridley | Yes | Irrigation water | Serves approximately 1,000 acres in north Sutter County. |
| Feather | Yes | Agricultural water supply and drainage | |
| Oswald | Yes | Agricultural water supply and drainage | |
| Pleasant Grove | Yes | Domestic water and drainage | Formed in 1992 to serve South Sutter County Urban Area. |
| Sutter Extension | Yes | Agricultural water supply and drainage | |
| South Sutter | Yes | Agricultural water supply and drainage |
| COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| Pleasant Grove | Yes | Full urban services except for police | Formed in 1992 to serve the South Sutter County Urban Area. Not providing services yet. |
| Rio Ramaza | No | Domestic water and sanitary sewer service | Serves Rio Ramaza Mobilehome Park. |
| Sutter | Yes | Domestic water | Serves the community of Sutter. |
| Tierra Buena | No | Sanitary sewer | Formed in 1992 to provide sanitary sewer service to the Stonegate Subdivision. |
| COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| El Cerrito | No | Drainage | |
| El Margarita | No | Drainage | |
| Gilsizer | Yes | Drainage | District board composed of members of Board of Supervisors and Yuba City Council. |
| Tierra Buena | No | Drainage | Inactive. |
| COUNTY SERVICE AREAS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| C | No | Fire | East Nicolaus Fire Department. |
| D | No | Fire | Pleasant Grove Fire Department. |
| E | No | Drainage | Inactive. |
| F | No | Fire | Provides fire service to the community of Sutter and nearby unincorporated areas. By contract, serves the City of Live Oak. The Oswald Tudor Fire Department is included in this district. |
| FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| Meridian | Yes | Fire | Provides fire service to the community of Meridian and nearby unincorporated areas. |
| Sutter Basin | Yes | Fire | Provides fire service within the Sutter Basin area. |
| Walton | Yes | Fire | Provides fire service to the unincorporated area within the Yuba City Urban Area. |
| MOSQUITO ABATEMENT DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| Colusa | Yes | Mosquito abatement | Primarily located in Colusa County but also serves the Butte Sink area in Sutter County. |
| Sutter-Yuba | Yes | Mosquito abatement | Serves the majority of the valley floor areas of Sutter and Yuba Counties. |
| PUBLIC CEMETERY DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| Fairview | Yes | Public cemetery | |
| Live Oak | Yes | Public cemetery | |
| Meridian | Yes | Public cemetery | |
| Nicolaus | Yes | Public cemetery | |
| Pleasant Grove | Yes | Public cemetery | |
| Sutter | Yes | Public cemetery |
| RECLAMATION DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| 70 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 777 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 783 | Yes | Reactivated in 1994 for drainage and reclamation. | |
| 803 | Yes | Inactive. | |
| 817 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | Yuba County is principal county. |
| 819 | Yes | Inactive. | |
| 823 | Yes | Inactive. | |
| 1000 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | Sacramento County is principal county. |
| 1001 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 1004 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | Colusa County is principal county. |
| 1500 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 1660 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 2054 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 2056 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | |
| 2103 | Yes | Storm drainage, reclamation and levee maintenance. | Yuba County is principal county. |
| LEVEE DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| 1 | Yes | Levee maintenance | |
| 9 | No | Levee maintenance |
| MISCELLANEOUS DISTRICTS | |||
| DISTRICT | INDEPENDENT | SERVICE | NOTE |
| Feather River Air Quality Management | No | Air pollution control | Bi-County agency regulating air quality requirements. |
| Robbins Water Works | No | Domestic water and sanitary sewer service | Formed in 1986 to provide domestic water to the community of Robbins. Services expanded in 1992 to provide for sanitary sewer service. |
| Sutter County Flood Control and Water Conservation | No | Flood improvement planning | |
| Sutter County Resources Conservation | Yes | Soil and water conservation | County-wide agency |
| Sutter County Water Agency | No | Flood control and drainage | County-wide agency with authority to act in all matters pertaining to water; e.g., drainage, irrigation, domestic, etc. |
| Tisdale | Yes | Irrigation water |
FIGURE 6.7-1
CALIFORNIA WATER DISTRICTS
FIGURE 6.7-2
COMMUNITY SERVICE DISTRICTS
FIGURE 6.7-3
LEVEE AND RECLAMATION DISTRICTS
FIGURE 6.7-4
DRAINAGE DISTRICTS AND RECLAMATION DISTRICTS
PROVIDING DRAINAGE SERVICES
6.8 FINDINGS
* The major issue facing the Sutter County Sheriff's Department is filling
and maintaining an adequate number of sworn positions in the department
to meet desired service levels.
Education
Schools
* In addition to the significant increase in enrollment in the past
several years, a 39.3% increase in K-12 enrollment is expected for Sutter
County between 1992 and 2002.
* Several school districts in Sutter County are at or near capacity. The
largest district (Yuba City Unified) has resorted to the use of portable
classroom facilities, school impact fees, and year-round academic schedules,
among other measures, as a solution to the chronic lack of classroom space
and increased enrollment.
Fire Protection
* The current fire protection levels of service are adequate to meet
the County's existing needs. However, future growth in the County will
require a re-evaluation of service needs.
Utility Service Companies
* PG&E has adequate gas and electric supplies and facilities to
meet short-term demands. They have plans to upgrade various substations
to improve their electric services in the County.
* Pacific Bell has adequate services to meet anticipated demands within
the County.
* The only constraint to providing cable service is low density development
patterns in the rural portions of the County.
6.9 PERSONS CONSULTED
Fire Protection
Hinton, Earl, Fire Equipment Operator. Meridian Fire Protection District
Johner, Mike, Fire Chief. Walton Fire Protection District
Kraus, Gary, Fire Services Administrator. Sutter County
Education
Barton, Normalee, Secretary. Grafton Elementary School
Brittenham, Lee, Superintendent. Yuba City Unified School District
Conley, Evelyn, Secretary. Lee Jr. High School
Heape, Joe, Director of Facility and Support Services. Live Oak Unified School District
Hill, Sam, Superintendent. Live Oak Unified School District
Hubbard, Susanna. Sutter County Superintendent of Schools Office
Prange, William, Principal. Meridian Elementary School
Root, Miriam, Public Relations Director. Yuba College
Cable Television
Adams, Rick, Technical Supervisor. Continental Cable Television
Law Enforcement
Denny, Jim, Undersheriff. Sutter County Sheriffs Department
Manies, Ken, Officer. California Highway Patrol
Whitmore, Dale, Biologist. California Department of Fish and Game
Utility Service Companies
Bartolome, Art. Pacific Gas and Electric
Kirchaval, Melody. Pacific Gas and Electric
Roady, J.P., Engineer. Pacific Bell
6.10 BIBLIOGRAPHY
California Department of Finance. California State Census Data Center Newsletter, January 1994.
Live Oak Unified School District. Twelve Year Master Plan Committee Report, November 1993.
Sutter County. 1995-1996 Proposed Budget.
Sutter County Local Agency Formation Commission. Sphere of Influence Study, Sutter County Districts, October 1983.
University Center For Economic Development & Planning, CSU Chico. Draft Sutter County Profile, October 1993.
Yuba City Unified School District. Facilities Strategic Plan 1993-2001, October 1993.
Yuba College. Yuba College Campus Map and General Directory, 1993.