Sutter Creek – Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan and Jackson Supervisor John Plasse and others urged the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors last week to consider lowering proposed participation fees for the county’s future jail in Martell, in light of a pressing need for a larger jail. Plasse said AWA calculations show that “water and wastewater costs for the jail would be equal to or greater than the cost of the land.” The 8.2-acre property, owned by Sierra Pacific Industries, is near the new Amador Health Services building. Staff recommended issuing “letters to the county regarding participation fees, conditional will-serve and will-serve for water and wastewater services for the proposed jail site in the Amador Central Office Park,” and was prepared to offer capacity guarantees for up to 5 years, as the county raises funds for construction. Engineering & Planning Manager Gene Mancebo in a report said the Tanner water treatment plant serves water and the Martell wastewater system provides wastewater service to the Amador Central park, which “received a final map and will-serve commitment” from AWA. That commitment has a remainder of 3 Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDUs) per parcel for water and wastewater. Mancebo said the jail will need an estimated 55 EDUs of water (about 22,000 gallons a day) and 97 EDUs capacity for wastewater (about 19,400 gallons a day). The county has applied for additional capacity through a conditional will-serve. Mancebo said staff believes a new Tanner peak demand study indicates the plant has the capacity to serve the new jail. The county could pay to assure water service capacity in 5 years, he said, and staff escalated current participation fees out five years as a “guaranteed not-to-exceed fee for the next 5 years.” That fee would be $12,323 per EDU” per year. For the estimated 55 EDUs needed, the jail would cost $678,000 a year in fees. The Martell wastewater system contracts with Sutter Creek, which has fully allocated all sewer capacity and look to build a new sewer plant. Mancebo said the new jail’s escalated fees for 97 EDUs in wastewater capacity – at $13,593 per EDU – would be $1.3 million annually. Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley supported the new jail but urged AWA “to mitigate rates so that current ratepayers don’t pick up the cost.” AWA directors noted that only about a third of Amador County residents are also AWA ratepayers, while the cost of supplying water and wastewater services to the jail is a county-wide obligation. Agency staff will negotiate with county representatives a will serve letter for board consideration September 10th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.