Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors approved an emergency repair of a failed pump on the Central Amador Water Project system Thursday, with approval to spend up to $20,000. The board declared an emergency that would not allow a bid process on the work, and staff began to look at the failure of the pump at Silver Lake Pines, which carries water to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. Operations Manager Chris McKeage said water was coming out all over the concrete at one of 2 main pumps at the location. Director Don Cooper said the pump station no longer had a “backup” in place, but water still flowed because the backup pump was being used. The board discussed whether the public had been notified of the issue. Cooper said he would prefer to wait until they “get that pump out of the can” to see how long it will take to replace. He said that “if it definitely looks like it is going to be out of service for 2 or 3 weeks, then we can go to level 1 notification.” General Manager Gene Mancebo said if it was winter, he would not send a notice, but the level of concern and demand in summer might merit a conservation notice. He said if demand increases, they could urge a major conservation effort. McKeage estimated the costs could be $10,000 to $20,000, and President Bill Condrashoff asked if the CAWP finances were adequate to cover such a cost. Mancebo said CAWP has $25,000 in operating cash and $30,000 in reserves, so it could drop the level down pretty low. The board voted 4-0 to declare the emergency and 4-0 to approve the repairs, not to exceed $20,000. McKeage said he would come back with a report on repair costs “after the fact.” Cooper said there was “no component of notifying the public” in his motion to approve the repair work. Vice President Debbie Dunn agreed with Cooper that they should see how long the repairs would take before deciding to notify customers or the media. Director Gary Thomas said he would rather have notifications made, because a pump was down and they have “100-degree weather coming up.” The pump (number 2) that failed went out on Wednesday (June 23rd). Cooper said the pumps were working, but without the backup pump in place. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.-
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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors approved an emergency repair of a failed pump on the Central Amador Water Project system Thursday, with approval to spend up to $20,000. The board declared an emergency that would not allow a bid process on the work, and staff began to look at the failure of the pump at Silver Lake Pines, which carries water to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. Operations Manager Chris McKeage said water was coming out all over the concrete at one of 2 main pumps at the location. Director Don Cooper said the pump station no longer had a “backup” in place, but water still flowed because the backup pump was being used. The board discussed whether the public had been notified of the issue. Cooper said he would prefer to wait until they “get that pump out of the can” to see how long it will take to replace. He said that “if it definitely looks like it is going to be out of service for 2 or 3 weeks, then we can go to level 1 notification.” General Manager Gene Mancebo said if it was winter, he would not send a notice, but the level of concern and demand in summer might merit a conservation notice. He said if demand increases, they could urge a major conservation effort. McKeage estimated the costs could be $10,000 to $20,000, and President Bill Condrashoff asked if the CAWP finances were adequate to cover such a cost. Mancebo said CAWP has $25,000 in operating cash and $30,000 in reserves, so it could drop the level down pretty low. The board voted 4-0 to declare the emergency and 4-0 to approve the repairs, not to exceed $20,000. McKeage said he would come back with a report on repair costs “after the fact.” Cooper said there was “no component of notifying the public” in his motion to approve the repair work. Vice President Debbie Dunn agreed with Cooper that they should see how long the repairs would take before deciding to notify customers or the media. Director Gary Thomas said he would rather have notifications made, because a pump was down and they have “100-degree weather coming up.” The pump (number 2) that failed went out on Wednesday (June 23rd). Cooper said the pumps were working, but without the backup pump in place. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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