Sheep Creek Water Company is still technically under a moratorium issued by the state of California. The company needs to dig more wells and increase it’s water supply in order for the moratorium to be lifted.
An application was submitted to drill wells at three different sites, one of which was outside the company office in Phelan. A test well was drilled at the end of 2022, and that came up essentially empty. So that site is not an option anymore.
There are two additional sites where Sheep Creek is planning to attempt digging wells. The first is is on Nielson Rd., close to Sheep Creek Rd., just north of the Phelan Self-Storage and across the street from the school district buildings. The second site is located in an undeveloped area where Cambria Rd. meets Mescalero Rd, close to Beekley Rd. and the fire station. It is my understanding with both sites that the board is waiting to see if Joshua Trees are going to be added to the endangered species list in California, because they will need to apply to have some Joshua Trees removed and/or relocated in order to dig these wells.
Here is the link to the full CEQA application for these wells:
