At the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors meeting Thursday, the board discussed the recently released Small Community Wastewater Strategy, which AWA has been active in helping to develop for the last three years.  The strategy was born out of Nevada County Supervisor Nate Beason bringing their wastewater issues to the attention of the Regional Council of Rural Counties. Of issue were the problems that the county was experiencing in attempting to comply with federally mandated regulations related to wastewater systems. Together, with Amador Water Agency and representatives from Plumas and Lake counties, the various agencies met about a dozen times with the State Water Board to develop the Small Community Wastewater Strategy.

The State Water Resources Control Board is ultimately responsible for the document, which outlines the actions the board plans to undertake to help address small and/or disadvantaged community wastewater problems, which can include lack of funds to upgrade water systems, and lack of expertise in applying for grants to make those improvements.  The state defines small communities as those with financial hardship and either a population of 10,000 persons or less for wastewater enforcement purposes, or a population of 20,000 or less for financial assistance purposes. Financially, the strategy outlines methods for obtaining grants and increasing coordination with other water agencies. 

AWA staff recommended that the state consider providing grants to small communities based on an affordability index, where the household sewer rate is calculated as a percentage of the median household income.  Other financial strategies include mini-loans and offering extended term finance agreements and/or lower interest rates to those communities most in financial need. For technical assistance, the State Water Boards has agreed to provide what limited assistance is possible, including referring communities to existing non-profit technical assistance organizations. And in the area of regulation and enforcement, the state has pledged to assist small communities in ensuring that they are compliant and are effectively planning for their long-term needs. AWA staff has drafted a letter of support to the state, which the AWA board voted to send at Thursday’s meeting.  The Small Community Wastewater Strategy will be reviewed at the State Water Board’s next meeting on July 1, 2008.