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Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) is slated to begin design and permitting in order to improve the water quality and storage capacity of Phoenix Lake and Phoenix Lake watershed.
The Phoenix Lake Preservation and Restoration Project will start next week. Using a floating barge, Horizon Water and Environment, Inc. and its partner consultants will conduct sediment sampling on Phoenix Lake beginning June 20 through June 23.
Located approximately 3 miles east of the City of Sonora, Phoenix Lake water rights and facilities, as well as portions of the lake, are owned by the TUD. TUD uses the lake as a primary drinking water source for the communities of Sonora, Jamestown, Scenic View and Mono Village. Phoenix Lake is an 88-acre water storage reservoir. Though the allowable storage capacity of the lake is approximately 850 acre-feet (ac‐ft.), the current capacity is only 600 ac‐ft. Reduced lake capacity affects the water quality at Phoenix Lake, which is marginal at times and is declining due to nutrient inputs, sedimentation and invasive aquatic vegetation.
“The District and the Phoenix Lake Task Force have been collaborating for several years to bring this project to fruition,” states Erik Johnson, District Engineer. “We are pleased to be able to take the next step in the process to design and secure permits for the project. The results of the lab analysis of the sediment will inform us about the chemical composition of the sediment, its physical characteristics, and also any environmental issues that may need to be addressed when the sediment is removed from the lake.”
A sediment forebay will be constructed to remove a majority of the sediments transported to the lake via the Sullivan Creek watershed. Sediment removal is necessary to improve water quality conditions in the lake, provide for the long term health of the lake and maintain its storage capacity. The project will improve the water quality and restore storage capacity in Phoenix Lake and the Phoenix Lake watershed. The actual dredging phase of the project is estimated to begin in Spring of 2018.
TUD has received approximately $5 million dollars in grant funding through the Tuolumne-Stanislaus Integrated Regional Water Management Authority for the Phoenix Lake Preservation and Restoration Project. More information on the Phoenix Lake Preservation and Restoration Plan is available on the District’s website at http://www.tudwater.com/projects-development/phoenix.
