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PG&E Completes Repairs to Main Tuolumne Canal Safely and Ahead of Schedule

| Posted on |

FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2026

SONORA, Calif. – Water is flowing again in the Main Tuolumne Canal, the primary source of water for 95% of Tuolumne County residents, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) announced today.

The 14-mile canal was severely damaged by a series of winter storms that started on Feb. 16 and lasted several days. The combination of strong winds, heavy rain and deep snow propelled approximately 250 trees to fall into or onto the canal. Ultimately, PG&E stopped water flowing into the canal on Feb. 17 as the canal had at least seven locations where the damage required significant repairs and rebuilding of flumes.
“These storms affected more than 600,000 electric customers and prompted an all-hands-on-deck response from PG&E to safely restore service,” said Dave Gabbard, Vice President of Power Generation. “The Tuolumne Utilities District is a customer, too, and getting the canal repaired and back in operation was the top priority for my team.”
Up to four feet of snow covered the canal during the storms, and those wintry conditions challenged the PG&E crews over the past three weeks. Supplies had to be flown in via helicopters. Crews had to use snow cats to get to work sites. In recent days, as the snow melted, mud became the next challenge.
TUD receives its water from the Sierra snowpack. It is delivered from the South Fork of the Stanislaus River at Lyons Reservoir via the Main Tuolumne Canal. PG&E owns the canal, the reservoir and nearby Pinecrest Lake.
At the peak of the repair work, PG&E had 59 coworkers at the work site with a 16-person Incident Management Team facilitating coordination and communication. TUD supplied additional personnel to expedite the repairs.
Throughout the past three weeks, PG&E and TUD have been in continuous contact with each other as well as numerous stakeholders, including county elected officials and staff.
“While weather-related damage occurs to the Main Tuolumne Canal every few years, the recent damage is the most severe we’ve seen in over 30 years,” said TUD General Manager Don Perkins. “PG&E told us that fixing the canal and getting water back to our community was their priority, too. We’re thankful for all they’ve done.”

Perkins also complimented TUD customers who heeded a voluntary call for conversation which allowed back-up sources of water to be adequate while the canal wasn’t operating. As of today, TUD is happy to report that water conservation is no longer necessary, and customers may resume normal water usage.

About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news

About TUD
Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) is a water and wastewater utility serving nearly 44,000 residents in Northern California’s Tuolumne County. The mission of the Tuolumne Utilities District is to provide responsible water and wastewater services for our customers with great customer service in a socially, financially, and environmentally responsive manner at a fair Value. For more information, visit www.tudwater.com.

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