Amador County – The Amador Joint Water Committee discussed upcoming law that deals with septic tanks on an individual level and plan to have the item on an upcoming agenda. State Assembly Bill 885, signed by Governor Gray Davis in 2000, begat the law, which the state Regional Water Quality Control Board will implement by July 2010. Amador Water Agency General Manager Jim Abercrombie said it will govern “Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems,” or individual septic systems. State regulations would be accompanied by fees. A Draft Environmental Impact Report, released in November 2008, lists project objectives “Based on the requirements of AB 885 and the intent of the state legislature in drafting the legislation.” Those include adopting Onsite Wastewater Treatment System “regulations and a statewide conditional waiver” and helping “to ensure that public health and beneficial uses of the state’s waters are protected from (septic) effluent discharges.” The objective notes that regulations and the waiver “consider economic costs, practical considerations for implementation, and technological capabilities.”

The DEIR was subject of statewide public workshops, which concluded yesterday with a meeting in Eureka. Amador Joint Water Committee member John Plasse said the legislation originated in Santa Barbara County. The DEIR notes that the California Environmental Quality Act requires that the EIR identify areas of controversy known to the lead agency, including issues raised by agencies and the public. The DEIR said: “In general, areas of potential controversy known to the State Water Board include” the “the need for consistent statewide regulations.” Other issues included monitoring and “questions about the need for and applicability of domestic well monitoring,” and the “increased cost to develop property, and the increased cost for local agencies of enforcing the regulations.” Joint Committee member Terence Moore and the committee agreed that AB 885 should be on an upcoming joint water committee agenda. A public hearing on the DEIR is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, February 9th at the Byron Sher Auditorium, in the California EPA Building, 1001 “I” Street in Sacramento. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).