TUD Office
18885 Nugget Blvd.
Sonora, CA 95370
209.532.5536

• Customer Service
• Questions About Your Water
• Wastewater Services
• Water Emergency

Water Services

Many people take water for granted. It’s easy to expect, clean cool water when you turn on a faucet in your home. TUD is dedicated to delivering this expectation to its customers. Over the years, TUD has developed extensive water transmission and distribution systems to continue to service its customers now and in the future.

Where Our Water Comes From:

The topography of Tuolumne County varies greatly from gently rolling terrain at the lower elevations, to steep hilly uplands deeply traversed by streams and tributaries that drain south to the Tuolumne River or north to the Stanislaus River. The majority of TUD customers reside in or near the community of Sonora which is at about elevation 2,000 feet. TUD also serves customers in several communities to the east up to about elevation 6,000 feet in the Sierras and west of Jamestown at an elevation of less than 1,500 feet. Through its history, the water system, which is now operated by TUD, has changed from a utility serving mainly gold rush mining operations to one that serves the 21^st century vibrant and diverse residential, commercial and industrial sectors of Tuolumne County.

TUD has a contract with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) which provides for perpetual water supply for TUD from the South Fork Stanislaus River. This water is stored in Pinecrest Lake, Lyons Reservoir, Phoenix Lake and other small reservoirs on the TUD ditch system. PG&E owns Lyons Reservoir and the 15.7-mile Main Canal that leads to its Phoenix powerhouse. From the Main Canal, TUD’s water splits into three branches – one serves Twain Harte, Soulsbyville and Tuolumne; and another feeds TUD’s network of ditches, pipelines and treatment plants that serve Crystal Falls, Big Hill and Columbia. The remainder goes into Phoenix Reservoir to serve Phoenix Lake, East Sonora, Sonora and Jamestown.

A Look at the TUD Water System: (Areas served by TUD)

• Water Connections – 13,433 households
• Delivered 1.6 billion gallons of treated water in 2007
• Operates 14 Surface Water Treatment Plants
• 80 Treated Water Storage Tanks
• 55 miles of open ditches built in 1850s
• Maintains 296 miles of treated water pipeline
• Maintains 55 miles of open ditches