Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors heard a report Thursday that staff is trying to impress various federal agencies to get projects funded. Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo said environmental paperwork for 2 lead projects “were in the final revision of the draft,” then both would be available to the public. General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the agency is “trying to lock in some opportunities with the Rural Utility Service” department, which is to decide by July 23rd. One project RUS likes, he said, is a Gravity Supply Line to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. Another is the expansion of the system at Camanche Lake. Mancebo said “we weren’t successful with the Public Department of Health Services” for funding. But Abercrombie said they are “starting to see what we will be successful with.” Abercrombie said RUS is moving away from grants and toward use of loans, but it will disperse grants until the stimulus funding is all obligated, likely by July 23rd. Mancebo said the Camanche upgrades are really 3 parts, including a new connection pipeline, and building a newer, bigger storage tank. The state has indicated it will try to fund projects with a $1 Million dollar limit, and so the Camanche project could be portioned. Included in that is replacing the existing 100,000 gallon storage tank. The aim was to “bid it as a 1 million gallon tank,” Mancebo said, then it could also be sent for bids as a 750,000 gallon tank and a 50,000 gallon tank, to reduce project costs. Board member Bill Condrashoff asked if 500,00 gallons would be adequate. Mancebo said “we have a 100,000 gallon storage tank, so anything bigger than that is an improvement.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.