Public water system · CA5500125
ActiveGolden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode
At a glance
Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode (PWSID CA5500125) is an active community water system in Tuolumne County, California. It reports serving 210 people through 75 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
210
Service connections
75
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode compare with other water systems in Tuolumne County?
By EPA's size categories, Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Tuolumne County has 117 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 706 people per system, and accounts for 0.3% of the 82,611 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across California, the 7,479 active systems average 5,706 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode is well below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. California has 2,997 active community water systems, 40% of the state's 7,479 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 6,179 California systems (83%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode?
EPA lists Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode as privately owned. The CA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 75 of the 117 active systems in Tuolumne County (64%) are also privately owned.
Does Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between February 1983 and October 2025. By type: 7 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 4 monitoring and reporting and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 7 as archived, 4 as resolved and 1 as addressed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Addressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Addressed |
| 2025-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Lab Certification/Method Error (RTCR) · code 3D | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1983-09-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1983-08-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1983-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1983-05-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1983-04-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1983-03-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1983-02-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode: frequently asked questions
Who runs Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode?
Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode (PWSID CA5500125) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the CA state drinking water program.
How many people does Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode serve?
Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode reports serving 210 people through 75 service connections in Tuolumne County, California.
Where does Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the CA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode's water quality report?
As a community water system, Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Tuolumne County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tud - Upper Basin Water System | Tuolumne | 13,280 | Community | Surface water |
| Tud - Sonora/Jamestown Water System | Tuolumne | 11,054 | Community | Surface water |
| Tud - Columbia Water System | Tuolumne | 5,463 | Community | Surface water |
| Peppery Bar and Grill, the | Tuolumne | 4,500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Cdcr - Sierra Conservation Center | Tuolumne | 3,571 | Community | Surface water |
| Groveland Community Serv Dist | Tuolumne | 3,400 | Community | Surface water |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Golden Sierra Estates_fka Mother Lode, PWSID CA5500125, California”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/california/golden-sierra-estates-fka-mother-lode-ca5500125 (data as of October 1, 2026).