Amador County – Amador County Supervisors on Tuesday approved installation of a sewer holding tank for an on-site disposal system at Fiddletown Schoolhouse.

Michelle Opalenik of Amador County Environmental Health told Supervisors the holding tank would be cheaper than running a line to a community leach field. The leach field line would cost about $16,000, with more than $15,000 of that going as a connection fee to the Fiddletown Community Service District. She noted that the tank would need annual inspections by Environmental Health.

Supervisor Brian Oneto asked for that cost. Environmental Health Director Michael Israel said it would take about two-and-a-half hours of staff time per year, and 25 minutes of drive time for specific visits. The department estimated annual inspection costs at $211 a year. Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said inspections by staff would be part of a driving loop, and not a two-way trip, unless for emergencies.

A 1,000-gallon tank was proposed by the Fiddletown Preservation Society’s engineer, designed for a maximum 12 events per year and 25 people per event maximum. Opalenik said the numbers came from the applicant, and it was important to use numbers because there is a finite capacity to the tank. She said she would recommend at least a 1,250-gallon tank, and the larger it was, the fewer times it would need service. She said: “We would just encourage them to have as much emergency storage as they can.”

Opalenik in her report said Alice Kaiser, president of Fiddletown Preservation Society, called the projections generous, and “use of the Schoolhouse, at least initially, will be much less than this.” Kaiser told supervisors they plan to host funeral receptions, birthday parties and small music concerts. She said: “We’d like to make it available to the public.”

Oneto motioned to have the capacity bumped up to 24 events per year and 25 people average per event. He thought it would be more viable with larger capacity to have more people and more events. Oneto said he would pay the tank fees of $576 out of his discretionary funds, if the annual inspection fees were waived. Opalenik said Environmental Health would not oppose that, and the board approved the motion, 5-0.

Oneto in his motion asked Fiddletown Preservation Society to work with Environmental Health to come up with an adequate size for the tank. Kaiser said her group would be able to pay for the tank.

Supervisor Richard Forster said the Land Use Committee considered the applicant’s numbers on the tank and preferred not to waive the fees, but he knows it is a small group. He said he appreciated Oneto paying the fees with his discretionary funds, which keeps the department’s budget whole.

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