Water ditch plan advances

Tuolumne Utilities District has moved one step closer to hammering out a comprehensive plan for managing its 57 miles of open ditches, used for water delivery.

The TUD board, senior staff members and a handful of area residents attended a public workshop Wednesday morning to hash out the details of the ongoing Ditch Sustainability Project plan.

The district hired Stantec, a Modesto-based planning and engineering firm, to study options for capital improvement projects to prevent leaks and to manage water flows through the ditches, which provide drinking water to the majority of TUD customers. The consultant began work in September and was hired using $500,000 in grants from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the Environmental Protection Agency.    

The project had several aims. Among them was finding a way for TUD to use the ditch system to convey water to treatment plants and customers while “protecting the cultural and biological resources within the system.” The work group also focused on finding ways to reduce the amount of water that leaks out of the ditch system.    

Stantec expects to submit the completed study to the TUD board in February, said project manager Sarah McIlroy.    

The working group discussed setting up outreach programs at area schools to teach students about the history of the ditch system, and using field trips to educate them about the local environment. McIlroy said consultants are working with Columbia College to set up a website that will serve as a resource to students and teachers.   

Board member Barbara Balen, a longtime advocate of maintaining the environmental aesthetics of the ditches, said she wanted area school children to have more opportunities to learn about the water system.   

"Getting them out there and getting their hands dirty is where it’s at,” Balen said.       

McIlroy suggested TUD print maps and cartoon posters for the public that detail the routes and walking trails that line the ditch system.    

“You can get a lot of information out to a lot of people with relatively low tech,” she said.    

Management of the ditch system has been a bone of contention between local land owners, environmentalists and water experts.        

The district uses a concrete-like construction material known as gunite to seal the ditch system and prevent water leaks. TUD General Manager Pete Kampa said the material is cheap and has helped reduce the cost to seal the system to about $100,000 a year.    

“The gunite has cumulatively reduced our costs and increased our water supply,” he said.    

Balen objected to the use of gunite in many places saying it took away from the beauty of the ditch trails, and that applying the material can damage old ferns and other plant life along the ditches.        

Stantec engineer Gerry LaBudde said the district should allocate more money to cut down trees that threaten the ditch system.        

A large portion of Wednesday’s meeting was devoted to finding ways to prevent the loss of water meant for TUD customers.    

LaBudde said half the water that flows down the ditch system is lost to cracks, roots and evaporation, with some water also being soaked up by plants or stolen by people. He said the district should focus its improvement projects on capturing more water for consumption.     

“It would be great if money wasn’t an issue here, but we are talking about $10 to $15 million in capital improvements,” LaBudde said. “You want to spend your money so you get the biggest bang for your buck.”    

The district has applied for grants to install 25 stations along the ditch system that monitor the flow of water, and is looking at installing automated gates at some locations.    

The ditches were built in the 1850s to funnel snowmelt down from the high country to the foothills for gold mining operations.