State Leaders Hear About TUD’s Supply And Infrastructure Challenges

TUD Courtesy Image

Pinecrest, CA — Members of the Tuolumne Utilities District gave California water leaders a tour focused on the challenges the county faces when it comes to water supply, with hopes that it will bring long-term solutions.

34 people were on the tour yesterday that started at Pinecrest Lake, and later moved to Lyons Reservoir, then to the Section Four ditch, and ended at Phoenix Lake.

Spokesperson Lisa Westbrook says, “The focus, really, was trying to raise awareness about the very vulnerable water supply that Tuolumne County, and TUD, is faced with. Unfortunately we only have two reservoirs that are the main water supply source, and a lot of people from out of the area are very surprised that Pinecrest Lake and Lyons Reservoir are our two main sources. A lot of places in California have carryover storage, but the district only has those reservoirs that refill every year, as our water source.”

We reported earlier that one of the big concerns at Pinecrest is the mandatory elevation level before Labor Day, set at 5,608 ft. Click here to view an earlier story. TUD has also met in closed session recently to discuss assets that could become available as a result of the PG&E bankruptcy, as both Lyons and Pinecrest are owned by PG&E.

Dave Eggerton, who is the Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies, was among the dignitaries on the tour. There were also officials with the state’s department of water resources and state water resources control board.

Westbrook adds, “The purpose was to really educate all of the partners to see if we can better improve the water supply for Tuolumne County and TUD.”

TUD hopes the stories told can spur additional conversations, and possibly long term changes.

You can enlarge the image box to view several photos from the tour.