South Shore's largest water provider said its supply has not been adversely affected by the onslaught of firefighters using the resource in its battle against the Angora fire.

Dennis Cocking, spokesman for South Tahoe Public Utility District, said water use restrictions won't tighten for homeowners.

"The short answer is the system has worked like it's supposed to," Cocking said.

There was no interruption of water service, but pressure did fluctuate when water use to fight the fire was at its peak, Cocking said.

The district received an e-mail commending the water supplier from a woman whose husband was fighting the fire for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Cocking said. He advised people in the Meyers and North Upper Truckee area to minimize water use "as much as possible," Cocking said.

The district serves about 14,000 customers using 21 different zones that pull water from deep ground aquifers.

There are three other smaller water companies in the South Shore area in addition to people who draw from private wells.

Power to the people

About 350 customers are still without power in the North Upper Truckee and Tahoe Mountain area, Sierra Pacific Power reported Wednesday. The electricity purveyor took a beating Sunday when the Angora fire raged through the neighborhoods.

Fifty power poles, 15 transformers and thousands of electrical wire were destroyed.

Spokeswoman Faye Anderson said the Reno-based utility is awaiting permission from the fire departments to go into the severely-damaged area to restore power to the remaining customers.