2015 Drought Forums
Sonora, CA — Dried up wells, emergency services offered and the drought outlook in Tuolumne County are some of the water issues that will discussed at a series of forums.
The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services has organized the five community water forums. Each meeting will be held in a different district of the county with the first one starting in late April and the series running through May. Office of Emergency Services Coordinator Tracie Riggs says, “The purpose of the forums this year is that we can provide an update on the current water situation in Tuolumne County as well as the resources available to those who are experiencing problems specifically related to wells. That is our biggest issue right now; wells are going dry throughout the county.”
Riggs says that already 65 wells that service 80 families have gone dry. She adds that number is deceiving, as it does not include the number of permits that have been taken out to extend wells so Riggs says the number is likely much higher. She says having the forums is one of the ways to hear directly from the people affected by the drought to get a more global picture of what is happening in regards to water in the county. Last year, the county held similar forums surrounding the water restrictions due to the drought.
Here are the county’s scheduled forums and a list of the speakers: (All forums will begin at 6:30 p.m.)
- District 1 – April 29th BOS Chambers
2 South Green Street
Sonora - District 2 – April 13th Soulsbyville Elementary School
20300 Soulsbyville School
Soulsbyville - District 3 – April 21st Tuolumne Memorial Hall
18375 Fir Avenue
Tuolumne - District 4 – April 14th Groveland Community Hall
18990 Highway 120
Groveland - District 5 – April 20th Jamestown Elementary School
18299 5th Avenue
Jamestown
Panel members include:
- District Supervisor
- Tuolumne County OES
- Tuolumne County Environmental Health
- Tuolumne County Fire/Cal Fire
- Tuolumne County AG Commissioner
- Tuolumne County Public Health
- Tuolumne Utilities District
- Groveland Community Services District
- Twain Harte Community Services District
- Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency
