Amador County – The Jackson Sewer Rate Committee earlier this month recommended beginning environmental work on alternatives to a discharge permit for the city wastewater treatment plant.

City Manager Mike Daly said the “Regional Water Quality Control Board is the driving force of all of this work to occur,” and the Jackson Sewer Rate Committee was formed to meet, and try to find cheaper alternatives. They meet when information comes available, and look at rate implications to find ways to fund those improvements.

Daly said the committee was formed from people who have been vocal about the issue, and are willing to come in to work and look for solutions. Members of the Jackson Sewer Rate Committee are Jackson City Council members Marilyn Lewis and Keith Sweet, and city residents Judy Jebian, Terry Watson, Joe Assereto, Thornton Consolo and Jack Georgette.

The committee has been meeting on Wednesday afternoons as needed, Daly said. They are looking for a solution for Jackson’s roughly 2,000 wastewater system customers.

The committee recommended that the city begin environmental work with alternatives, and the city council earlier this month agreed to look at some of the ideas.

One new idea is to build a dam, north of French Bar Road, between French Bar Road and Jackson Creek, to create a storage reservoir on vacant land. Daly said that was an alternative suggested by the public at a meeting, and it is something that would be looked into.

Another alternative that is still part of the mix is a regional project with Sutter Creek, Ione, and the Amador Water Agency. The AWA has money for a regional water reclamation study, and Daly said the key for the city’s participation in that study is getting some permit extensions from the Regional Board to relieve timing issues, associated with the discharge permit requirements coming due next year, for the city wastewater plant.

Daly said a regional project could take much more time, but it also could increase things that can be done by providing more options for Jackson. He said a “regional partnership might open up some additional grant opportunities not available to the city just going it alone.”

On July 12, 2010, the City Council looked at a study made by the company ECO:LOGIC, which has since been bought by Stantec.

The complete packet is available on the city’s website, usually the Friday before a meeting. Jackson City Council meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.