Former TUD boss dismisses ‘secret water rights’ as board cancels proposed rate hike
A former Tuolumne Utilities District general manager on Tuesday dismissed talk of “secret” water rights that Tuolumne County acquired in a 1983 purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co., and urged TUD’s elected board of directors to continue to pursue the “opportunity to get this water” out of the South Fork Stanislaus River. Tom Scesa, who retired from TUD as its general manager in June 2015, told the district’s board in a public meeting that he was speaking based on his 17 years with the water and sewer agency. He said he didn’t want to talk about “theoretical water” or “sometimes available water.”