The Sheep Creek Water Company is a private mutual utility company owned by its Shareholders. The company was formed on December 5th, 1913. Water came from Sheep Canyon where water was stored and kept in an open ditch. Although an open ditch was easy to build, it was not a permanent pipeline to move and store water. Soon after, a pipeline was constructed to convert water to nearby homes and ranches. The first reservoir was constructed in 1915 located in Horse Canyon. Availability to water attracted people to move into the area.
A few decades later, an underground water source was found south of Desert Front Road where our main water supply comes to us today; it is a gravity flow tunnel located north of Wrightwood. Water was brought to Phelan by a combination of ditch and concrete channels along with steel pipes; a section of this original pipe can still be seen sitting on the east side of Highway 2, just south of Desert Front Road.
For more history, open “The Sheep Creek Water Company 1913 thru' 2003" written by John R. Lovett ~
Today, our primary source of water is the gravity flow tunnel and five wells located in Sheep Canyon. There are seven storage reservoirs with a combined storage capacity of 6.1 million gallons. The company's water system is a gravity flow system, eliminating the need for booster pumps. There are a total of 43 pressure reducing stations throughout the system. The water is delivered through approximately 73 miles of pipeline ranging in size from 4" - 14".
Sheep Creek Water System Map:
Sheep Creek Water Company By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation:
Sheep Creek Articles of Incorporation