Amador County – The Amador Water Agency is looking at whether to raise wastewater fees and staff expects to recommend doing so, after state fee hikes. The AWA board meets Thursday and will receive a staff report on wastewater fee hikes by the state and corresponding impacts on the smaller customer systems under the AWA umbrella. Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo in a report to the board said “staff is currently working on a financial review of the wastewater systems and likely will be recommending a rate increase based on increased operational costs.” He said the recent state Regional Water Quality Control Board rate hike “is one of the items that are included in the financial review and a factor in proposing rate increases.” Wastewater system fees for Lake Camanche and Improvement District Number 1 were raised in July 2006, Mancebo said, and current annual state fees represent about 2 percent of Camanche’s operating budget and about 4 percent of WWID Number 1’s budget. The report asks for no action by the board but tells that the Regional Water Quality Control Board last year increased annual fees. Mancebo said it “can have a significant impact” on AWA customers, especially those with fewer customer bases, such as View Point Estates, with 5 connections; Surrey Junction, which has 8 customers; and Eagles Nest, with 14. Mancebo said the “one-size-fits-all” state annual fees do not consider the “very small systems.” Staff has asked the state board to consider consolidating the smaller wastewater systems under one permit for AWA, “instead of one permit and one annual fee for each.” Mancebo said to day the regional board “has not been able to execute the consolidation” but it is “sympathetic to the agency’s concerns.” To minimize fees, AWA consolidated 7 systems and plans to do more pending revised reports of waste discharge from other systems. Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).