Project Home Page

NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-CA-C080-2026-0001-CX
Project Name: Tuolumne Irrigation District Pipeline Upgrade

Project Home | Documents

Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-CA-C080-2026-0001-CX
Project Name

Tuolumne Irrigation District Pipeline Upgrade
Project Type

CE
NEPA Status

In Progress - Public Review and Comment Period
Lead Office

Mother Lode Field Office
Last Updated

6/9/2026 5:00:00 PM

Project Description

Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) requests renewal of CACA 028797 and to amend the ROW to include ROW CACA 017464 as these water facility ROWs are both for the Columbia Water Ditch, supporting Columbia, California water needs. This amendment would also include and add a portion of the Columbia Ditch along Mountain Boy Rd that was not included in either ROW when it was installed during the 1850’s for water supply to the communities of Sonora, Jamestown, and Columbia. This portion of the ditch supports the needs of the community of Columbia and for the CalFire Columbia Airport.  Total length is 8740’ and 20’ wide, with a total acreage of 4.01.
Under the amended ROW CACA 028797, TUD proposes to install a new 20" diameter steel pipe (above ground) parallel to an existing 14" diameter steel pipe along an approximately 200' long ditch segment of the Upper Columbia Ditch, located near Mountain Boy Road in the Big Hill area of Tuolumne County. The existing pipeline was installed by PG&E in the 1950's using common pipe material for the time. The piped section supports the Columbia ditch flows through an elevation drop of approximately 40' and is in a relatively remote part of the ditch that receives little public attention. The existing pipe size is too small to accommodate debris that accumulates in the ditch causing frequent plugging and overflow of the ditch at this location. Additionally, some of the footings for the piers supporting the pipe have eroded and pipe supports have degraded and may have slipped and be at risk of failing in the future. The new 20" steel pipe and footing/supports would be built on the downward side of the existing pipe. The new pipeline would be installed on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcel APN 084-100-014. The existing pipe would remain in place.  The construction processes would consist of hand installation of concrete and steel pipe supports with a visual appearance generally matching the existing structure. Heavy materials and pipe sections would be transported to the site using a helicopter.
Preliminary determination of no historic properties affected.

What's New

None

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Sonora	California	95370	Tuolumne County

Application Information

Applicant

Tuolumne Utilities District
Case File Number

CACA 032743
Program

Lands and Realty
Sub-Program

Rights-of-Way

Project Dates

Start Date

10/6/2025

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Mother Lode Field Office
Offices

Mother Lode FO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Beth Brenneman
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(916) 941-3138