The AWA has become a key player in county growth issues and is now in the middle of a pipeline project to Plymouth which will allow them to serve the water needs of current and future Plymouth residents. Water and waste water issues in the Lake Camanche area were inherited from Amador County by the water agency. They are now preparing to drill a new well in the area that could lift the building moratorium in that has been imposed by the Department of Health Services. A new water treatment plant at the current Tanner reservoir off of Ridge Rd is being explored by agency staff as well. Continuing to expand water treatment will further allow the agency to serve current and future needs. In this plan the main impact would be on raw water users on the Ione and Amador Canals as the agency has already began discussions about metering flat rate users. Current and future needs are a concern of both agency staff and the board. How to pay for these infrastructure improvements without unduly burdening existing ratepayers for the benefit of new development was also a focus of the meeting. Currently, the Agency’s water code states that new will serve agreements, or promises for water service, can be paid for at three different landmarks in the building process. They can be collected from the developer at the time of lot sale, at the time of the issuance of building permits, or at the final inspection and approval of any structure.

The water code also allows for the agency to collect the fees for will serves at the time of the issuance of the agreement to provide water service. Manager of Planning and Engineering Gene Mancebo stated that the agency needs to evaluate their current policy and make a decision about which option the water code staff should be following. Mancebo added that he is close to issuing about 1,000 new will serves and would like a policy in place before he does. Director Heinz Hamann emphasized that in order to put infrastructure in place that allows for new development, for example water pipes and meters, a financial investment is necessary. Hamann emphasized that having developers pay up front for their connection fees would allow the agency to build cash flow that would not burden current rate payers. General Manager Abercrombie then emphasized that this plan would also allow the agency to pay cash up front for infrastructure needs and therefore incur less fees and interests on financing for the projects that developments would demand. Staff will be presenting the water code for a formal discussion at a meeting in the near future. At that meeting both developers and current ratepayers will be asked to weigh in on the issue.

The meeting yesterday then took a focus on what future governmental regulations could look like. This is a heavily related business and in the future the agency is projecting they will need a greater focus on reclamation of backwash water from water treatment and waste water treated to Title 22 tertiary standards. This would allow the water to be recycled for uses in many applications. The agency is currently working on two such projects, both in the Ione area. Proposals include providing recycled water to both Unimin, a sand processing facility, and Preston, they youth facility, are in the discussion phases. These types of projects are important for both conservation and environmental concerns as they allow for industrial water uses to not draw on drinking water while at the same time removing unwanted processed water from the waste water facilities freeing up more capacity.

Looking forward, the agency has begun initial discussion about expanding water holding facilities at the lower Bear River Reservoir, as well as working on partnerships with other Mokelumne River water users. East Bay Municipal Utility District, Calaveras and San Joaquin county water providers are looking at joint projects with the Amador Water Agency that would provide benefits to all involved. Another change for the future that will be discussed soon is whether ratepayers should be charged a service fee in addition to water usage or charge only by the volume they use. According to Water Board President Terry Moore there are conservation advantages to customers on a volume usage only billing. --The Agency Board and staff also discussed how to promote wastewater reuses in Jackson, Sutter Creek and Ione. The Amador Regional Sanitation Authority, ARSA, is currently on board with this issue and the water agency will continue to work with ARSA looking for regional waste water solutions.