On Jan. 23, 2018, a man’s body was discovered and retrieved from a reservoir pipeline in Northern California. The reservoir, which provides drinking water to several communities in the area, is not compromised in any way, according to authorities.
The body of Tory Robert Mayes, 34, was found flowing from Jenkinson Lake in El Dorado County, Calif., in an area of raw water. Because the water is raw, it is heavily treated before arriving to citizens for consumption, according to spokesman Jesse Saich of the El Dorado Irrigation District.
“The man must have gained entrance, in some way, and got up on this pipe, and in some way entered the pipe through a vent,” Saich said. “This is the first time this has ever happened.”
Roughly 40,000 residents were asked to conserve water after it was reported an individual had fallen into the pipeline. The affected residents live in Pollock Pines, Placerville, El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park. Water flow from the lake was also reduced and the treatment plant was shut down during the search for the body.