Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week learned that the California Department of Water Resources has awarded a $550,000 grant for repairs in the Lake Camanche Village water service area.

 AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the “Board of Directors received some good financial news” for Camanche Village water customers Aug. 25 when they learned California Water Resources has awarded a grant request to replace 200 service connection lines and 5 water storage tank liners in the Camanche system.

The Agency applied for the $550,000 Proposition 84 “implementation grant” through the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, Mancebo said. “The grant funds are expected by the spring of 2012 and work on the service connections could begin shortly thereafter.”

The funds will be separate from a $150,000 Water Development Fund grant which the Amador County Board of Supervisors approved, contingent on a rate increase at the Camanche water system. The system will still need more than 400 service connection lines replaced, and a list of other work.

Mancebo in an Aug. 9 Supervisors’ meeting said the $150,000 county grant would be put in a “restricted reserved account.” They would first use the grant to rehabilitate Well Number 14, which could cost between $30,000 and $100,000 or more, depending on issues they find once the work has begun.

Mancebo said the funds could also be used as leverage for tank replacement grants. The Supervisors’ Administrative Committee will help AWA prioritize a list of repairs for the county grant, which the full board will approve as part of the grant award requirements. Supervisor Richard Forster said fire hydrant improvement is “paramount to me,” and was generally agreed on as the Number 2 project, behind getting Well 14 back to its maximum output level.

Also last week, Mancebo said the AWA Board adopted its final update of its Urban Water Management Plan, “a water supply planning document required by the state every five years.” Mancebo said it was “one of the requirements for receiving some state grants, including the Prop 84 grant for Camanche.

The final document included public comment submitted up until the Aug. 25 Board meeting and it is available at the AWA’s website, and can also be seen at the Water Agency office on Ridge Road.

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