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Monday, 21 December 2009 23:25

Caution Recommended on Upcountry Lake Ice

slide5-caution_reccomended_on_upcountry_lake_ice.pngAmador County - El Dorado Irrigation District is cautioning winter-time visitors to take care if they venture onto the ice at Echo, Silver, and Caples lakes. The district’s winter drawdown schedule at the lakes is in effect, which means that water levels under the ice will fluctuate. This can cause potentially dangerous conditions. “What may look and feel like a solid surface often is not,” said EID director of operations Tom McKinney. “People who choose to walk, skate, and ski on the ice or to cut holes for fishing should be aware that they are taking a risk. The safest thing to do is avoid recreation on these frozen lakes.” The three lakes, along with Lake Aloha in Desolation Wilderness Area, are part of the high-Sierra water supply system that provides drinking water for EID customers and also for energy production at the district’s 21-megawatt powerhouse. All four of the lakes are popular recreation destinations throughout the year. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide6-arts_offers_bus_rides_to_kirkwood_mountain_resort.pngAmador County - And remember, Amador Regional Transit System offers bus rides to the Kirkwood Mountain Resort, departing at 6:45 a.m. from the ARTS terminal on Airport Road in Martell. Additional pickup points will be: the nearly completed Sutter Creek Transit Center on Valley View Dr. at 6:50 a.m.; Busi Parking Lot at Mel and Faye's at 7 a.m.; Pine Cone Drug Store in Pine Grove at 7:15 a.m.; and, IGA Grocery Store in Buckhorn at 7:30 a.m. Arrival at Kirkwood is scheduled for 8:35 a.m. The returning bus will leave Kirkwood at 4 p.m. Round-trip bus fare is $10. Reservations are highly recommended and may be made through the Amador County Recreation Agency at 223-6373. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide4-plymouth_still_looking_for_agreement_on_arroyo_ditch_water.pngAmador County – Plymouth City Manager Dixon Flynn said Wednesday that there are no obstacles remaining with Amador County regarding Plymouth’s search for an agreement on the sale of water from its Arroyo Ditch. The Amador County Board of Supervisors last week approved a deal with the Plymouth City Council that opens the door for a deal, but Flynn said they have yet to reach an agreement with the Shenandoah Water Company. The Plymouth City Council last week in closed session discussed and approved an extension of an exclusive negotiating agreement with Shenandoah Water. The council gave closed-session instruction to the its negotiating team, made up of Flynn, Councilwoman Patricia Shackleton, Councilman Jon Colburn, Finance Director Jeff Gardner and Consulting Engineer Richard Prima. Flynn said “if there is no agreement in the near future,” the city “will probably start talking to other parties.” He said the company owes the city some money, and they need to pay the city. He said there was “no obstacle with the county.” Supervisors approved Chairman Ted Novelli’s signature of an amendment to their original agreement with Plymouth on the Arroyo Ditch. Supervisors then placed the decision in abeyance, and lifted it again, with stipulations. Flynn said “any agreement will come back to the people” of Plymouth “for public comment,” not a public hearing, but a public meeting. “Before going to the city,” they will take any agreement “to the county for their input.” Flynn said that was part of the supervisors’ “agreement to have this more forward.” Flynn said: “We’re not going to make any deal where someone else loses here. We’re going to look after the assets of the people for their benefit.” The council has been accused by some people of selling the city’s water rights, including former councilman Gary Colburn, a recent past city council candidate. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide3-ione_approves_wastewater_master_plan_feir.pngAmador County – The Ione City Council took a “huge step” in the city’s 3 years of work on a wastewater master plan by approving the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report. The council held a public hearing with one member of the public speaking, that being Jim Scully, a long-time critic of the city’s treatment plant storage ponds, who lives next door to the plant’s “Pond Number 7.” The council heard reports from staff before voting 3-1 with Councilman Jim Ulm against the project, saying he thought it “should be more broad.” Councilwoman Andrea Bonham was absent. Scully asked if Pond Number 7 was fixed, and if its disputed “lateral” leakage was really fixed. He said “based on hydrology alone, (he) would recommend” that the council not pass the FEIR. He said: “I don’t think it’s ever been fixed.” Consultant Bob Godwin of Lee & Ro said the city must file a “Report of Waste Discharge” with the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The board may find inadequacies or inconclusive information and request more. Godwin said his knowledge of how the Ione treatment system was operated (before he signed on with Ione) is based on past files. He believed the problems – the “very obvious lateral leakage” in Pond 7 – were addressed when it was rebuilt. City Manager Kim Kerr said they were not giving an “engineer’s stamp” on the project. Ulm asked if Pond 7 was a problem, and whether it was ever tested or failed since the repairs. Godwin said he could only tell about his experience when he has been at the pond. He said the repair was done by a levee designer, a geotechnical engineering company. Godwin said the plant would seek permits for 1.6 million gallons a day treatment capacity, at a “tertiary level.” It would also seek disposal abilities of 800,000 gallons a day. The first phase would have 800,000 gallons a day treatment capacity, with 1 percolation pond. Godwin said Ponds numbered 1 through 4 would be closed, and plans included partially filling 2 other ponds, on the state board’s recommendation. He said the state was concerned about the ponds’ close proximity to the actual Sutter Creek, and wanted to increase the distance between them. Kerr said the plant would have fully enclosed treatment facilities, unlike the current open pond treatment system. Godwin said the percolation pond will be the backup pond, used when reclaimed water users will take less water, typically in the winter. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide2-jackson_water_tests_reveal_potentially_unhealthy_lead_levels.png Amador County - The Jackson Water Department announced this week that recent water tests revealed results higher than the State approved limit for lead, posing a potential health concern for residents. During a “lead and copper test” conducted in August, three of the twenty sample results taken at as many locations throughout the city were higher than the approved limit of 15 parts per billion. A release from the department said “additional corrosive control measures were implemented after the August testing and all test results taken at the same twenty locations in November improved to levels below the action levels that required this notice.” The Jackson Water Department’s water quality is regulated by the California Department of Public Health, which requires the department to inform the public and conduct an “education campaign to inform its customers about the potential hazards of high levels of lead.” A department release assured that “lead seldom occurs in the raw water supply, but can be released from plumbing pipes and fixtures by the corrosiveness of the water.” The department said “there aren’t any known lead water mains or service lines that connect the water to the water meters, so generally this is more of an issue in older homes that may have used lead solder to connect pipes or in some older faucets.” Jackson’s water comes from the Mokelumne River. The City purchases treated water from the Amador Water Agency (AWA). August testing showed that 17 of the twenty homes where tests were conducted had lead detection levels of less than 3 parts per billion. The three levels above the limit were 29.0 ppb, 22.9 ppb and 16.1 ppb. The department said Jackson will be required to conduct more frequent testing to ensure lead levels continue to remain low. They will be working closely with the AWA to reduce water system corrosiveness. Copies of recent correspondence between the AWA and Public Health can be viewed on the City of Jackson website or are available at City Hall. For more information, please contact the City of Jackson at 223-1646. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Wednesday, 16 December 2009 23:27

Man Dies in a Crash off Highway 88

slide1-man_dies_in_a_crash_off_highway_88.pngAmador County – An 81-year-old resident of Jackson died Tuesday morning as the result of a vehicle accident on Highway 88. The driver was in a 1977 Chevy driving east on Highway 88 when they drifted off the south roadway curb just to the west of Dalton Road. The vehicle struck a metal remote telephone control box which had a concrete base and the driver died as a result. According to the CHP Report of Collision, it is currently unknown whether it was an accident or a prior medical condition which caused the fatality. The CHP did no release the driver’s name pending a complete investigation. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide5-2nd_annual_for_kids_by_kids_guitar_hero_tournament.pngAmador County - The second annual “For Kids by Kids” Guitar Hero Tournament was held Saturday, December 12th at the Jackson Civic Center. The event organizers were Michael Merzlak and Anthony Estrada. The tournament was the sixth event put on by the young promoters. After a practice round, twelve finalists battled it out to find the top three guitar rockers: Elijah Wilson, Matt Molles, and Noble Arnold. All three competitors played on the game’s expert level to determine the finals. First Place went to Wilson with over 120,000 points. Second place went to Molles, and third place went to Arnold. Merzlak and Estrada would like to thank Jackson City Manager Mike Daly for his continued support. Other event sponsors include Kam Merzlak, Kellee Davenport, Eleanor Caputo, Kate Harmon, CVS Pharmacy, Safeway, Hometown Radio, Carol Harper, Amador Ledger Dispatch, JB’s Awards and TSPN TV. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide6-environmental_health_makes_available_free_radon_test_kits.pngAmador County - The Amador County Department of Environmental Health announced Wednesday it is offering residents a limited number of free radon test kits during the month of January 2010, which is also National Radon Action Month. Fifty free test kits to test homes or buildings for radon will be available on a first come, first served basis. The Health Department is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is conducting a nationwide campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of radon exposure and to encourage them to take action to protect their homes and families. Because of the wide spread occurrence of granite in Amador County there is a higher probability of having elevated radon levels compared to other locations. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that is dispersed in outdoor air but can reach harmful levels when trapped in buildings. Scientists have long been concerned about the health risk of radon, but there is now overwhelming proof that exposure to elevated levels of radon causes lung cancer in humans. EPA estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. “Because you can’t see or smell radon, people tend to downplay the health effects and ignore the possibility that there might be a silent killer in their homes,” said Amador County Public Health Officer Dr. Bob Hartmann. Testing homes for elevated levels of radon is simple and inexpensive. Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost similar to that of many common home repairs such as painting and roof repair. In addition to the free test kits available through the Amador County Environmental Health Department, during January radon test kits can be purchased through the California Department of Public Health Indoor Radon Program for $5.00. To obtain a free radon test kit, contact Amador County Environmental Health Department at (209) 223-6439. For more information on radon, ordering the $5.00 test kit, mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction, call the California Department of Public Health Indoor Radon Program at 916-449-5674 or visit EPA’s National Radon Action Month Web site at www.epa.gov/radon/nram. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Wednesday, 16 December 2009 23:27

Man Dies in a Crash off Highway 88

slide1-man_dies_in_a_crash_off_highway_88.pngAmador County – An 81-year-old resident of Jackson died Tuesday morning as the result of a vehicle accident on Highway 88. The driver was in a 1977 Chevy driving east on Highway 88 when they drifted off the south roadway curb just to the west of Dalton Road. The vehicle struck a metal remote telephone control box which had a concrete base and the driver died as a result. According to the CHP Report of Collision, it is currently unknown whether it was an accident or a prior medical condition which caused the fatality. The CHP did no release the driver’s name pending a complete investigation. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

slide2-jackson_water_tests_reveal_potentially_unhealthy_lead_levels.png Amador County - The Jackson Water Department announced this week that recent water tests revealed results higher than the State approved limit for lead, posing a potential health concern for residents. During a “lead and copper test” conducted in August, three of the twenty sample results taken at as many locations throughout the city were higher than the approved limit of 15 parts per billion. A release from the department said “additional corrosive control measures were implemented after the August testing and all test results taken at the same twenty locations in November improved to levels below the action levels that required this notice.” The Jackson Water Department’s water quality is regulated by the California Department of Public Health, which requires the department to inform the public and conduct an “education campaign to inform its customers about the potential hazards of high levels of lead.” A department release assured that “lead seldom occurs in the raw water supply, but can be released from plumbing pipes and fixtures by the corrosiveness of the water.” The department said “there aren’t any known lead water mains or service lines that connect the water to the water meters, so generally this is more of an issue in older homes that may have used lead solder to connect pipes or in some older faucets.” Jackson’s water comes from the Mokelumne River. The City purchases treated water from the Amador Water Agency (AWA). August testing showed that 17 of the twenty homes where tests were conducted had lead detection levels of less than 3 parts per billion. The three levels above the limit were 29.0 ppb, 22.9 ppb and 16.1 ppb. The department said Jackson will be required to conduct more frequent testing to ensure lead levels continue to remain low. They will be working closely with the AWA to reduce water system corrosiveness. Copies of recent correspondence between the AWA and Public Health can be viewed on the City of Jackson website or are available at City Hall. For more information, please contact the City of Jackson at 223-1646. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.