Sonora, CA– A winter storm that struck Tuolumne County last week severely damaged a major water supply canal, prompting a local emergency declaration and urgent calls for residents to conserve water.
County officials said the February 17th storm toppled more than 200 trees onto the Pacific Gas and Electric Company main Tuolumne Canal and damaged multiple wooden flumes above Twain Harte, forcing the utility to halt water flow. The canal provides about 95% of the drinking water for the Tuolumne Utilities District. With water no longer reaching district ditches, officials said supplies are limited to stored water and a small number of groundwater wells. The district warned the outage could affect multiple communities and up to 90% of the county’s population, raising concerns about drinking water, sanitation, and fire protection.
PG&E has activated an incident management team and is coordinating repairs with the utilities district and county officials, though no timeline has been confirmed for full restoration. The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services director, Dore Bietz, declared a local emergency Monday, citing threats to public safety and infrastructure that could exceed county resources. The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider ratifying the emergency proclamation at a special meeting on Thursday.
Officials said a more detailed update on conditions and repair progress will be released following that meeting.
