Amador County – Ione staff will report Today on wastewater plant issues as the city nears an April hearing date on its Draft Cease & Desist Order.

The Central Valley California Regional Water Quality Control Board in April will consider the draft order, and a seepage report submitted by the city Feb. 14, with information for consideration at the hearing. City Manager Kim Kerr in a report for today’s meeting said the full seepage report is available for review at City Hall.

City attorney Kristen Castanos wrote the city’s comment on the Draft Cease and Desist Order in a letter to the Regional Board Assistant Executive Officer Kenneth Landau. Castanos said it included a difference of opinion on seepage report findings. She said the “city believes that the Draft Cease and Desist Order “oversimplifies the issue of the potential need for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.” She asked that the Draft Order be “revised to reflect the current uncertainty associated with the need for a NPDES permit,” because the draft “assumes that the discharge requires” a permit.

Castanos said “there are outstanding technical and legal questions regarding the need for a NPDES permit and the city requests that the Draft Cease and Desist Order acknowledge these outstanding questions.”

Due to the technical and legal questions about the permit, Castanos said the “city requests a slight extension of the deadline to submit a Seepage Discharge Compliance Plan,” as it would not affect the schedule in the order.

The city in Castanos’ letter also requested “modifications to the connection ban.” She said the changes “are critical to facilitating the city’s progress toward implementation of the wastewater improvements.” She said the city has OK’d “hundreds of additional connections and developers continue to move forward with construction in accordance with those prior approvals.” She said “the city is willing to restrict connections to 100 new connections over the next three years. This level has been identified because it will not cause the city to exceed its treatment and disposal capacity” and it “will not measurably change groundwater conditions.”

Kerr said staff is working with Regional Board staff to propose revisions to the Draft Order that could allow for an “uncontested Cease and Desist Order.” She said: “Staff will provide the final language for the order when it is completed.”

Kerr in the letter said “staff will present information at the March 15 meeting regarding the plan to finalize the Report of Waste Discharge for the Wastewater Treatment Project,” and the “additional information needed to accomplish addressing the Draft Cease and Desist Order.”

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