General Manager Jim Abercrombie said currently the well is operational and a majority of the distribution system replacement complete. Gene Mancebo, the Agency’s Manager of Engineering and Planning notes, “The Water Agency was able to team up with Volcano Communications for placement of the facilities in a joint trench- saving Agency customers $31,000.”  He added that the Agency has also almost completed the construction of a new, larger water storage tank. They plan to have the storage tank completed by November of 2007.  The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors have remained devoted to the projects and have found them so important that they voted $25,000 be spent from the Agency’s general fund account to help finance the projects.

 While the Agency has spearheaded the project in La Mel Heights it would not have been possible without the help of some important contributions: grant monies from the Rural Utility Services (RUS) totaling $356,000; the Amador County Board of Supervisors who secured a new water supply with the contribution of $50,000; and of course the customers through moderate rate increases. Abercrombie states, “This project is a great example of partnering with the community and other funding sources to build a project that directly benefits our customers.”