Water Services
Our District treats and distributes drinking water to the community of Twain Harte - approximately 1,600 residential, commercial and public facility connections. Our operations staff treat and test drinking water, install new water connections, repair water main leaks, lay new water mains and respond to all emergency water calls. Staff are required to secure and maintain water treatment and distribution certification licenses issued by the State of California.
Surface Water
Surface water is our primary water supply source. Our surface water originates high in the Sierra's in the form of rain and snow before it flows into Pinecrest and Lyons Reservoir where it is stored. It is then conveyed to the District's water treatment plant via an open ditch system that was originally constructed by miners in the 1800's. The ditch is currently owned and operated by PG&E and Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD).
We also store surface water in Shadybrook Reservoirs, two small ponds (approximately 10 acre-feet or 3.3 million gallons) located within the District. The reservoirs are fed from the ditch and Sullivan Creek. A pump station enables us to use these reservoirs as a back-up water supply during emergencies. It is also used as the main water supply during the annual ditch outage each October.
Groundwater
Groundwater serves as our secondary source of water. We own and operate three groundwater wells that were recently constructed with State grants. These wells are capable of providing about 80% of normal winter water use and about 35% of our normal summer water use. Each well treats water for drinking before pumping it into the distribution system. The wells are extremely important for water supply reliability, enabling us to continue to provide essential drinking water to our community during extreme drought and emergency, such as wildfire damage to the elevated wooden flume portions of the ditch system.
Water Distribution
After purchasing the raw surface water from TUD, the water is treated in our water treatment plant (1 million gallons per day capacity), pumped through two pump stations, stored in six storage tanks (totaling 2.5 million gallons of storage) and finally distributed to your home or business through 27 miles of pipeline. Each customer's water use is measured via "smart" meters. These meters enable us to efficiently read meters remotely instead of employing a part-time meter reader. They also can detect customer leaks and enable us to print minute-by-minute reports of water use.