Amador County – Amador Water Agency staff took its board of directors through the intricacies of running a wastewater agency with small systems built around septic tanks and community leach fields. But the inevitable bad news Thursday morning was that the staff may have to eventually recommend wastewater rate hikes. Operations Manager Chris McKeage said the agency was entering the fourth – and most expensive – stage of state and federal regulations that have been under implementation since 2006. Other stages have been undertaken, said Engineering Manger Gene Mancebo, but the detail of the fourth stage leaves the agency wondering whether it will have the staff to handle the extra work “in-house” or if it will have to contract the work. Board Member Bill Condrashoff asked if the new areas of work, such as wok to limit Fat, Oil and Grease in the systems, would have the effect of increasing wastewater capacity. McKeage said if the system were cleaned aggressively, it could increase capacity a little bit. Board Chairman Terence Moore said “capacity is pretty much fixed on the design of the leach field. We’re probably not looking at increasing capacity here.” McKeage said the Sanitary Sewer Management Plan will include developing an overflow and emergency response program, establishing or confirming legal authority, developing an operations and maintenance program and developing a Fats, Oils & Grease program, all by next February, while other portions must be fulfilled by next August. The management plan to be implemented by AWA includes an operations and maintenance plan, design and performance standards, a monitoring and measurement plan, a system evaluation and capacity assurance plan and an audit program. Moore said after the program was introduced in 2006, he said he and the board at the time made no secret of telling ratepayers that eventually, “we are going to raise the wastewater fees and we are not going to increase the service one iota, because of state wastewater regulations.” The state and federal requirements are aimed at reducing and eliminating Sanitary Sewer Overflows. Story by Jim Reece.
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Amador County – Amador Water Agency staff took its board of directors through the intricacies of running a wastewater agency with small systems built around septic tanks and community leach fields. But the inevitable bad news Thursday morning was that the staff may have to eventually recommend wastewater rate hikes. Operations Manager Chris McKeage said the agency was entering the fourth – and most expensive – stage of state and federal regulations that have been under implementation since 2006. Other stages have been undertaken, said Engineering Manger Gene Mancebo, but the detail of the fourth stage leaves the agency wondering whether it will have the staff to handle the extra work “in-house” or if it will have to contract the work. Board Member Bill Condrashoff asked if the new areas of work, such as wok to limit Fat, Oil and Grease in the systems, would have the effect of increasing wastewater capacity. McKeage said if the system were cleaned aggressively, it could increase capacity a little bit. Board Chairman Terence Moore said “capacity is pretty much fixed on the design of the leach field. We’re probably not looking at increasing capacity here.” McKeage said the Sanitary Sewer Management Plan will include developing an overflow and emergency response program, establishing or confirming legal authority, developing an operations and maintenance program and developing a Fats, Oils & Grease program, all by next February, while other portions must be fulfilled by next August. The management plan to be implemented by AWA includes an operations and maintenance plan, design and performance standards, a monitoring and measurement plan, a system evaluation and capacity assurance plan and an audit program. Moore said after the program was introduced in 2006, he said he and the board at the time made no secret of telling ratepayers that eventually, “we are going to raise the wastewater fees and we are not going to increase the service one iota, because of state wastewater regulations.” The state and federal requirements are aimed at reducing and eliminating Sanitary Sewer Overflows. Story by Jim Reece.
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