Amador County – The Amador Water Agency discussed its spending at Lake Camanche Village water and sewer systems last month, as it received two grants for the system totaling nearly $700,000.
Amador Supervisors gave AWA a $150,000 “Water Development Fund” grant for Camanche water system, and the state gave AWA another grant for $530,000 to replace water service connections, and place liners in five wooden storage tanks.
In early August, Bill Condrashoff read a letter from Camanche board secretary Vera Ferguson, who asked where the debts suddenly came from at Camanche, with sewer $850,000 in debt, and the water system $1 million in debt, in 2010.
Condrashoff said “they can’t get the water agency to show them where the money is going.” He said “with $1.6 million spent, can you blame them for being confused?” He said Supervisors should know that AWA “has been turned down by two banks for a $500,000 loan,” as recently as May. Supervisor Richard Forster said: “You don’t always get the grants and loans you apply for.”
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said Camanche’s debts “suddenly appeared” when the former AWA board of directors memorialized “internal transfer” loans to show the debt to various systems, with added interest. AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said in one action, debts that accumulated over several years appeared.
Condrashoff, then former AWA Board President, led the drive in 2010 for AWA to memorialize loans from the Central Amador Water Project service area to several systems, including Camanche, La Mel Heights and Martell. The loans also charged estimated interest on the funds.
Mancebo said internal loans came about due to fixes needed on Camanche water and sewer systems. They replaced 100 of 730 service connections that are failing, due to either defective brittle plastic material that breaks, or due to faulty installation, when work crews buried the lines with rocks that were in the soil, which rub holes in the lines. A recent $530,000 state grant will replace 200 of the service connectors, and place liners on five tanks, but it will still leave about 450 more connectors to replace.
Mancebo said the agency spent $800,000 on Camanche wastewater system improvements, and $800,000 on the water system, and depleted Camanche reserves. Field Services Manager Chris McKeage said “we were really under the gun from the state.” He said many of the costs went to new roofs on water tanks, new hatches and work on pumps and remote alarm systems. They installed two new pumps, he said.
Supervisor Richard Forster said “you had a whole lot of high-cost improvements to do.” He said system operating expenses have dropped since then from $400,000 to $250,000, which was commendable, but late in coming.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
