By Jennifer Wilson - Amador County may soon be facing yet another water rate increase. The California State Water Resources Control Board, or SWRCB, is proposing an increase on all wastewater dischargers that could be as much as 40% on the state fee portion of customer bills. The increase stems from over-spending during the 2007-08 fiscal year. During that year, the SWRCB overspent by 9.3 million dollars, with a projected deficit this year of 17.2 million. To alleviate this projected deficit, the State Water Board is proposing an overall increase in fees equivalent to $18.4 million dollars, and has offered up three options in which to acquire those funds. At last week’s Amador Water Agency Board meeting, General Manager Jim Abercrombie presented those options to the Board of Directors, along with his recommendation that the agency oppose the fee increase. District 4 Director Paul Scott was concerned about the public’s reaction to a possible fee increase and expressed that customers should know the details of where the increase was coming from. “We need to pass on this information to the public…” said Scott. As an example of how the rate increase would affect local customers, Abercrombie, in his report, stated that in the Eagles Nest area, the average bill would increase by 8 dollars per month. “The average bill is 70 dollars, so that’s (about) 10 percent of your bill, (which is) very disproportionate to the level of service (you would be getting),” noted Abercrombie, referring to the fact that the extra 10 percent would not provide any extra level of service to customers. “It’s just state fees,” added Abercrombie. The Board unanimously agreed to send a letter of opposition to the State Water Board, and will also ask the Amador County Board of Supervisors to do the same.