By Jim Reece -

With a 5-0 vote Monday in a special meeting, the Plymouth City Council passed another milestone in its trek toward a new water supply. City Manager Dixon Flynn said it was a huge project for the city of Plymouth and “I don’t envy the people sitting on the city council. This isn’t easy.” Flynn gave an overview of the project, which in its vote Monday, the city council sent out to bid. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversaw Plymouth’s attempt to build a water reservoir on its sewer spray property. And when the numbers came out, the USDA urged the city to scrap the reservoir and instead encouraged the city to entertain a water pipeline. That year, the pipeline was estimated to cost 9 million dollars. Now it is estimated at 12 million, of which 9 million would be the rough cost of construction. Flynn said that could possibly drop and save money for the city and partners, the Amador Water Agency. In July of 2008, Flynn said the city passed Amendment 2, what should have allowed the AWA to go out and seek bids on the pipeline. But another hindrance, 2 easements, stalled the project and were cleared up. AWA was looking for an August or early September return of bids. But after another meeting, the USDA and AWA said Plymouth “needed to have a firm financial plan in place.” With Monday’s vote, the city council authorized staff to notice a water a sewer rate hike public hearing, which allowed AWA to go out to seek bids and kept the USDA happy in financing loans that lie ahead for Plymouth, if, after bids come in, the pipeline remains feasible, Flynn said. Since the OK of the red tape, Flynn said that due to the holidays, the council would meet at a regular meeting November 13th, then adjourn that meeting to November 17th, the set date for the public hearing on rates. In the mean time, Flynn will discuss funding offers from housing and commercial developers, toward mitigation fees for the pipeline. Flynn said they expected bids back by October 23rd and a construction start date of Dec. 31, with water to flow in the new pipeline by January 2010, or, “the project could be done by early fall of next year.”