New Melones agreement sets shared 6,000-acre-foot annual ceiling

Tuolumne Utilities District says Board President Jeff Hollis signed a long-term water-service agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Nov. 12, 2026, for New Melones Reservoir water. The agreement sets a shared annual maximum of up to 6,000 acre-feet: up to 2,500 for TUD and up to 3,500 for the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians. The 6,000-acre-foot figure is shared, not TUD’s individual limit.

The use breakdown puts about 82% of the shared maximum toward agriculture and about 18% toward municipal and industrial uses. Those percentages describe the allocation ceilings, not water actually used or delivered.

The amounts are maximum access limits, not guaranteed annual deliveries. They do not establish how much water either party will receive in a particular year or, by themselves, a change in TUD customer rates or service.

Approval came before the signing i

The California CEQA Clearinghouse notice identifies TUD as lead agency and records project approval on Oct. 27, 2026, with a negative declaration prepared. That was 16 days before the signing. The notice describes the project as serving TUD’s existing service area, including Sonora, and enabling water use by the Tribe within its federally recognized trust boundaries.

TUD says its effort to secure a long-term New Melones supply dates to 1968. The state notice records project approval; TUD reported the later agreement signing.