Amador County – The Ione City Council took a “huge step” in the city’s 3 years of work on a wastewater master plan by approving the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report. The council held a public hearing with one member of the public speaking, that being Jim Scully, a long-time critic of the city’s treatment plant storage ponds, who lives next door to the plant’s “Pond Number 7.” The council heard reports from staff before voting 3-1 with Councilman Jim Ulm against the project, saying he thought it “should be more broad.” Councilwoman Andrea Bonham was absent. Scully asked if Pond Number 7 was fixed, and if its disputed “lateral” leakage was really fixed. He said “based on hydrology alone, (he) would recommend” that the council not pass the FEIR. He said: “I don’t think it’s ever been fixed.” Consultant Bob Godwin of Lee & Ro said the city must file a “Report of Waste Discharge” with the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The board may find inadequacies or inconclusive information and request more. Godwin said his knowledge of how the Ione treatment system was operated (before he signed on with Ione) is based on past files. He believed the problems – the “very obvious lateral leakage” in Pond 7 – were addressed when it was rebuilt. City Manager Kim Kerr said they were not giving an “engineer’s stamp” on the project. Ulm asked if Pond 7 was a problem, and whether it was ever tested or failed since the repairs. Godwin said he could only tell about his experience when he has been at the pond. He said the repair was done by a levee designer, a geotechnical engineering company. Godwin said the plant would seek permits for 1.6 million gallons a day treatment capacity, at a “tertiary level.” It would also seek disposal abilities of 800,000 gallons a day. The first phase would have 800,000 gallons a day treatment capacity, with 1 percolation pond. Godwin said Ponds numbered 1 through 4 would be closed, and plans included partially filling 2 other ponds, on the state board’s recommendation. He said the state was concerned about the ponds’ close proximity to the actual Sutter Creek, and wanted to increase the distance between them. Kerr said the plant would have fully enclosed treatment facilities, unlike the current open pond treatment system. Godwin said the percolation pond will be the backup pond, used when reclaimed water users will take less water, typically in the winter. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.