Amador County – Ione City Council held a workshop and special meeting Wednesday and discussed developments on the city’s wastewater front, which included another proposed contract status change.

Mayor Ron Smylie said Winzler & Kelly representatives told the city they “decided to put their proposal on hold” until the city” decides its next move, with firm guidance by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Smylie said “Winzler & Kelly will hold back until we as a community see more information” and look at whether the Seepage Discharge Compliance Plan will work on certain issues. Winzler & Kelly is a consultant for State Revolving Fund applications, which the city found was the cheapest way to fund a sewer project.

Smylie said during a Wastewater Committee meeting Tuesday, a lot of the issues were discussed, and on recommendation of a member of the public, they put the process into phases. He said the Report of Waste Discharge “needs to be done by a licensed engineer.”

Jim Scully asked about closed session, and whether the Council was expecting an extension to its Cease & Desist Order time line. City Attorney James Maynard said they discussed “litigation strategy,” and the Regional Board’s “prosecution team is recommending that the deadlines not be extended.”

Last week Robertson-Bryan Incorporated, engineers of the Compliance Plan withdrew a proposed contract amendment, and will end further work on the project, though they spoke with the Regional Board and did follow-up on the plan.

City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said Dr. Steve Deverel of HydroFocus and RBI’s Art O’Brien met with Regional Board enforcement staff last Friday (Feb. 10), and “was satisfied that it was sound science.” The board sought samples from the bottom of the pond, which were already taken, and a letter will be sent to the Board. Maynard said sampling will be done in conjunction with the Report of Waste Discharge.

A man asked if the sample would cause the Board to come up with more for the city to do. Vice Mayor Daniel Epperson said it was an unknown. Butzlaff said “it would change the nature of the solution, but not in a major way,” and 90 percent of it would be the same. He said “whatever the outcome of the testing, we still need to go forward.”

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