Amador County – Ione City Council discussed wastewater in depth Tuesday before tabling the issue until a Feb. 15 workshop.

Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said city critics keep talking about what the city should not do, but don’t submit ideas. She said the only thing in writing was a letter to the newspaper that said: “Oh my god, you guys are idiots if you don’t do the PERC project.”

Jim Scully, a neighbor of city storage ponds whose wells are affected by seepage, said the city’s “experts have screwed this up royally several times in the past.” He said he preferred the PERC spray field approach. Councilman Lloyd Oneto said the “ponds will always leach into Scully’s wells,” and he also preferred the PERC “green” project, a spray field disposal.

Several members of the public said a sewer rate increase would not survive a Proposition 218 protest. Oneto said they have money to start the project but not to finish it, because of the Prop 218 protest. He said if they depend on the State Revolving Fund, rates will go up. He said “two of the three functions of the plant are inoperable.” He said they should talk to the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s “permit lady” to see if the Robertson-Bryan Incorporated’s plans will work, before they sink money into it.

City Attorney James Maynard said if the city cannot get through the Proposition 218 process, “nobody’s going to give you any money because you can’t repay it.” He said the city cannot go to the Regional Board and say it can’t pass a Prop 218, then do nothing. The Regional Board would start fining the city.

Maynard said the city must follow its Cease & Desist Order requirements, including a Report of Waste Discharge by May 30. Maynard said: “You either trust your professional staff or you get new professional staff.”

RBI engineer Art O’Brien’s estimates included $115,000 for a Report of Waste Discharge; $164,000 for a State Revolving Fund application; $200,000 for Environmental Revisions and Documents; and $60,000 for Prop 218 analysis and completion. Construction final design documents were $300,000; and construction was $5 million, with another $300,000 for a “certification report.”

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