Amador County – Better late than never, the Amador Water Agency board of directors heard Thursday that its second quarter cash amount was helped by a half-million-dollar grant for the Amador Transmission Pipeline.

Finance Manager Mike Lee said it helped AWA’s cash total $1.47 million as of Jan. 1, and finances are “tracking better than expected.”

Lee said “we did receive a $500,000 grant from the Department of Water Resources,” which was “placed in the Amador Water System reserves.” It was specific to the AWS and came as a “water use efficiency grant,” for the pipeline. He said “it came late but it will still help.”

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said Assemblywoman Alyson Huber was instrumental in getting that Department of Water Resources grant pushed through, and that “check processed” by the state.

Director Art Toy asked about the sustainability study in Camanche, and Engineering Manager Erik Christesen said it had a $27,000 agency in-kind match, and about $200,000 left on the grant.

Christesen said staff had begun to negotiate easements for the Gravity Supply Line, which he said is going better than he expected, with an excellent job being done by Ken Hunt.

Christesen reported that the application had been finished and submitted for a Proposition 50 grant for the small diameter pipeline in the Amador Canal. The AWA board authorized up to $10,000 in staff time to finish the application, and it was completed at a cost of $1,500. The application seeks a $2 million Prop 50 grant to build the pipeline to serve about 100 customers on the old Amador Canal.

Christesen said staff work was 1 or 2 months behind on GSL work, with the work on Prop 84 and Prop 50 grants coming up. Mancebo said a financial plan needs to be in place by July 22 toward getting the USDA grant for the GSL pipeline. The plans include rate increases, if needed. He said they would “like to have the bids before they go forward.”