Amador County - Thousands of residents throughout the Mother Lode were still without power almost a day after a winter storm wreaked havoc across Northern California. In Calaveras and Amador counties, approximately 25,000 combined were affected by outages. According to Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), the majority of outages in Amador County were restored as of Tuesday morning. Some residents Upcountry were still reporting minor power breaks Tuesday morning, mostly due to snow and fallen tree limbs. In Calaveras County, an outage in Mokelumne Hill held up to 500 residents in the dark as of 5 pm Tuesday afternoon, and another outage in West Point was affecting up to 50 people. According to the National Weather Service, the unusually heavy storm front occurred when a dry air mass from Canada combined with moisture from the Pacific Ocean. The system was so cold it brought snow to lower elevations. Snow was reported as far west as Rancho Murieta. More than two feet of snow fell in the Pioneer area. The storm was good news for ski resorts. Kirkwood Mountain Resort reported 28 to 40 inches of snowfall. The arrival of Sunday's storm has delivered over three feet of snow,” said Julie Koster, Kirkwood’s Director of Sales and Marketing. Caltrans is reminding residents that chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on most open roadways in the higher elevations. Due to the icy and snow covered roadways, residents are asked to limit their travels to essential travel only. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Sutter Creek is still looking for resolution of a wastewater capacity agreement with the Amador Water Agency, but a meeting on the subject was canceled Monday by bad weather. Local critic Mimi Arata pointed out last week that Sutter Creek City Council must still approve an agreement with AWA for the agency’s share in a capacity increase project in Sutter Creek system. The system is operated by Amador Regional Sanitation Authority, and the council at its late November meeting tabled an agreement contract, pending AWA approval of changes. AWA Interim General Manger Gene Mancebo said Monday that staff from AWA and city staff were scheduled to meet Monday to “hammer out language” on the capacity agreement. He said the meeting was canceled due to bad weather. City Attorney Dennis Crabb rewrote the agreement and submitted it to AWA and staff for review. Crabb in a report said “AWA made minor comments, all but one of which has been incorporated into the second draft.” Crabb said “the agreement provides that AWA will pay $750,000 to the city, representing one half of the cost of the plant upgrade in return for additional reserved capacity up to a maximum of 173,000 gallons per day,” after payment is made to the city. The contract also delineates “excess” capacity that the city can sell to the AWA, and a reimbursement plan for the AWA, in the event it does not use its capacity. The draft of the agreement allows the city council to set the “rate at which the capacity will be sold.” Crabb in his report said the agreement has 3 “exhibits,” including “a project description, the final accounting of project costs, and the best practices the parties commit to in order to reduce unwanted demand.” Crabb said the “only change not made was a provision which allows the city to differentially bill problem users in Martell.” The City Council tabled the issue after hearing from District 4 AWA Director Debbie Dunn, who said she had not seen the amended contract and the AWA board had not voted on it. Also canceled Monday was Sutter Creek City Council’s meeting that included consideration of “Decision Documents” for the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. The regular meeting was rescheduled to next Wednesday, December 16th. The council will receive staff presentations on Gold Rush “Decision Documents,” with consultant Bob Delp speaking about the Final Environmental Impact Report and Technical Memorandum. The council could consider a resolution certifying the FEIR, “adopting a mitigation monitoring plan. They could also consider a resolution approving the Gold Rush “Specific Plan,” General Plan Amendments and a phased “Large Lot Tentative Subdivision Map.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to continue their debate today on the Arroyo Ditch and related agreements with the City of Plymouth. Specifically, supervisors will reconsider a motion made last month holding in abeyance the contract for conveyance of the Arroyo Ditch originally entered into on November 12, 2009 between Plymouth and Amador County. The 18-mile canal, which carries water from the Consumnes River into and past Plymouth, has been dry for years beyond city limits. District 5 Supervisor Brian Oneto pushed to add the issue to last meeting’s agenda after several property owners living in the Plymouth area alleged that a lack of water in the Arroyo Ditch is in violation of the controlling agreement between Plymouth and Amador County. Oneto asked to insert a clause that would earmark some water for sale to downstream users. He noted there is “nothing in (the agreement) stating Plymouth would deliver water further down the ditch.” Plymouth Attorney Steven Rudolph said Plymouth approved of the amendment as is without any further changes. Plymouth officials previously stated that the quitclaim contract gives the city flexibility to negotiate with the Shenandoah Management Company for further improvement and maintenance of the old canal. Board Chairman Ted Novelli’s signature on the contract was held in abeyance at that meeting until the city can further negotiate with the Shenandoah Management Company. Plymouth is expected to report on what was discussed during a special meeting held on November 30. Also on the Board’s agenda will be a discussion and possible action relative to authorizing an increase of $240,864 for an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grant, which includes a decrease in contingencies of $120,432 and an increase in revenue in the amount of $120,432 in order to “move forward the application process for the subject grant.” Finally, the Board will discuss the proposed transfer of the Rosedale water treatment equipment purchased by the County with Community Development Block Grant Revenue funds to the Volcano Community Services District. The Board of Supervisors meeting is open to the public and takes place at 9 am on Tuesday, December 8 in the County Administrative Building, 810 Court Street in Jackson. For more information, contact the Board of Supervisors office at (209) 223-6470. The next Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 22. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency on Monday urged its Upcountry customers in the Amador Water System to conserve water, due to a power outage that deactivated a transfer pump that feeds the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. AWA notified TSPN of power outages affecting the plant and the pump station, and urging conservation in water usage for the 4,000 AWS customers in the Upcountry. AWA Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said a power had deactivated pumps that deliver water to the treatment plant, and the agency was unsure when power would be restored, so the agency was urging conservation. He said power went out at the Buckhorn treatment plant before that, but it was not a problem because the plant was operating on emergency generators. He said power at the plant may have gone out late Sunday night, and the pump station’s power went out sometime before 9 a.m. Monday. The pump sends water from the Tiger Creek area to the Buckhorn plant, which disseminates it to customers. Mancebo said various storage tanks in the Amador Water System have water, but they “do not know when power will be restored at this time, so (AWA is) asking for conservation. Affected areas are in the Pine Grove and Mace Meadow areas, and all AWS customers. Mancebo said the agency was trying to get updates from Pacific Gas & Electric. He said about 4,000 customers are affected, and anyone in the Upcountry area that is on the AWS should conserve water. He said “we have water in our tanks but we just have to use it sparingly,” and “it just depends on how people can conserve water” to see how long they can make the water last. At about noon Monday, Mancebo said PB&E reported that it had a 60,000-volt, high-voltage line down, and were “working on a couple of options,” one being a short-term fix of rerouting power on the grid to bypass the down line, which could quickly bring power back at the Buckhorn feeding pump. If that did not work, the “long-term” fix would be to repair the downed line. Mancebo said the switching may not work if the problems of downed trees and lines were too widespread. As of noon Monday, AWA was still asking for water conservation by its AWS Upcountry customers. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A powerhouse winter storm dropped snowfall across Amador County on Monday, forcing road closures and causing blackouts. Caltrans crews were out early clearing roadways with snow plows. At close to noon, Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner said he was short-handed due to deputies stranded at home due to impassable roads in the upcountry. He said Highway 88 was closed east of Dalton Road, and Ridge Road was open, but icy in spots. He said there were power lines and trees down all over the place, and public works and sheriff’s personnel were all over the county assisting with clean-up. He recommended that people should not go out on the roads. Wegner said spin-outs and vehicles leaving the road were reported all over the county. Power was out throughout Jackson, including at the sheriff’s office, and he had called in an injured officer to assist with dispatch duties. As of Monday afternoon, PG & E reported 4 major power outages in Amador County. Three outages in Jackson affected 50 to 499 customers with restoration expected by late Monday afternoon. In Ione, 1 outage affecting 1 to 49 customers also caused periodic outages. In nearby Mokelumne Hill, 2 major outages reportedly left between 500 and 5000 customers without power. Power outages were also reported on Irishtow Road, Homestead Road, and near Volcano. At about 11:45 a.m., a downed and arcing power line was reported. The National Weather Service predicted a cold storm front from Canada would bring one to two inches of snow to the down country area, but snowfall has been more than expected and at lower elevations. The hills overlooking the San Francisco bay area received a rare dusting, while residents in Stoctkon and Modesto woke up to snowfall. Caltrans is reminding residents that chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on most open roadways in the higher elevations. Due to the icy and snow covered roadways, residents are asked to limit their travels to essential travel only. Kirkwood Mountain Resort reported 28 to 40 inches of snowfall. The arrival of Sunday's storm has delivered over three feet of snow,” said Julie Koster, Kirkwood’s Director of Sales and Marketing. There is a 30 percent chance of snow showers before 10 pm on Monday with widespread frost after 4 a.m. TSPN will continue to follow this unusual weather pattern and bring you the latest details. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A powerhouse winter storm dropped snowfall across Amador County on Monday, forcing road closures and causing blackouts. Caltrans crews were out early clearing roadways with snow plows. At close to noon, Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner said he was short-handed due to deputies stranded at home due to impassable roads in the upcountry. He said Highway 88 was closed east of Dalton Road, and Ridge Road was open, but icy in spots. He said there were power lines and trees down all over the place, and public works and sheriff’s personnel were all over the county assisting with clean-up. He recommended that people should not go out on the roads. Wegner said spin-outs and vehicles leaving the road were reported all over the county. Power was out throughout Jackson, including at the sheriff’s office, and he had called in an injured officer to assist with dispatch duties. As of Monday afternoon, PG & E reported 4 major power outages in Amador County. Three outages in Jackson affected 50 to 499 customers with restoration expected by late Monday afternoon. In Ione, 1 outage affecting 1 to 49 customers also caused periodic outages. In nearby Mokelumne Hill, 2 major outages reportedly left between 500 and 5000 customers without power. Power outages were also reported on Irishtow Road, Homestead Road, and near Volcano. At about 11:45 a.m., a downed and arcing power line was reported. The National Weather Service predicted a cold storm front from Canada would bring one to two inches of snow to the down country area, but snowfall has been more than expected and at lower elevations. The hills overlooking the San Francisco bay area received a rare dusting, while residents in Stoctkon and Modesto woke up to snowfall. Caltrans is reminding residents that chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on most open roadways in the higher elevations. Due to the icy and snow covered roadways, residents are asked to limit their travels to essential travel only. Kirkwood Mountain Resort reported 28 to 40 inches of snowfall. The arrival of Sunday's storm has delivered over three feet of snow,” said Julie Koster, Kirkwood’s Director of Sales and Marketing. There is a 30 percent chance of snow showers before 10 pm on Monday with widespread frost after 4 a.m. TSPN will continue to follow this unusual weather pattern and bring you the latest details. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency on Monday urged its Upcountry customers in the Amador Water System to conserve water, due to a power outage that deactivated a transfer pump that feeds the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. AWA notified TSPN of power outages affecting the plant and the pump station, and urging conservation in water usage for the 4,000 AWS customers in the Upcountry. AWA Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said a power had deactivated pumps that deliver water to the treatment plant, and the agency was unsure when power would be restored, so the agency was urging conservation. He said power went out at the Buckhorn treatment plant before that, but it was not a problem because the plant was operating on emergency generators. He said power at the plant may have gone out late Sunday night, and the pump station’s power went out sometime before 9 a.m. Monday. The pump sends water from the Tiger Creek area to the Buckhorn plant, which disseminates it to customers. Mancebo said various storage tanks in the Amador Water System have water, but they “do not know when power will be restored at this time, so (AWA is) asking for conservation. Affected areas are in the Pine Grove and Mace Meadow areas, and all AWS customers. Mancebo said the agency was trying to get updates from Pacific Gas & Electric. He said about 4,000 customers are affected, and anyone in the Upcountry area that is on the AWS should conserve water. He said “we have water in our tanks but we just have to use it sparingly,” and “it just depends on how people can conserve water” to see how long they can make the water last. At about noon Monday, Mancebo said PB&E reported that it had a 60,000-volt, high-voltage line down, and were “working on a couple of options,” one being a short-term fix of rerouting power on the grid to bypass the down line, which could quickly bring power back at the Buckhorn feeding pump. If that did not work, the “long-term” fix would be to repair the downed line. Mancebo said the switching may not work if the problems of downed trees and lines were too widespread. As of noon Monday, AWA was still asking for water conservation by its AWS Upcountry customers. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to continue their debate today on the Arroyo Ditch and related agreements with the City of Plymouth. Specifically, supervisors will reconsider a motion made last month holding in abeyance the contract for conveyance of the Arroyo Ditch originally entered into on November 12, 2009 between Plymouth and Amador County. The 18-mile canal, which carries water from the Consumnes River into and past Plymouth, has been dry for years beyond city limits. District 5 Supervisor Brian Oneto pushed to add the issue to last meeting’s agenda after several property owners living in the Plymouth area alleged that a lack of water in the Arroyo Ditch is in violation of the controlling agreement between Plymouth and Amador County. Oneto asked to insert a clause that would earmark some water for sale to downstream users. He noted there is “nothing in (the agreement) stating Plymouth would deliver water further down the ditch.” Plymouth Attorney Steven Rudolph said Plymouth approved of the amendment as is without any further changes. Plymouth officials previously stated that the quitclaim contract gives the city flexibility to negotiate with the Shenandoah Management Company for further improvement and maintenance of the old canal. Board Chairman Ted Novelli’s signature on the contract was held in abeyance at that meeting until the city can further negotiate with the Shenandoah Management Company. Plymouth is expected to report on what was discussed during a special meeting held on November 30. Also on the Board’s agenda will be a discussion and possible action relative to authorizing an increase of $240,864 for an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grant, which includes a decrease in contingencies of $120,432 and an increase in revenue in the amount of $120,432 in order to “move forward the application process for the subject grant.” Finally, the Board will discuss the proposed transfer of the Rosedale water treatment equipment purchased by the County with Community Development Block Grant Revenue funds to the Volcano Community Services District. The Board of Supervisors meeting is open to the public and takes place at 9 am on Tuesday, December 8 in the County Administrative Building, 810 Court Street in Jackson. For more information, contact the Board of Supervisors office at (209) 223-6470. The next Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 22. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Sutter Creek is still looking for resolution of a wastewater capacity agreement with the Amador Water Agency, but a meeting on the subject was canceled Monday by bad weather. Local critic Mimi Arata pointed out last week that Sutter Creek City Council must still approve an agreement with AWA for the agency’s share in a capacity increase project in Sutter Creek system. The system is operated by Amador Regional Sanitation Authority, and the council at its late November meeting tabled an agreement contract, pending AWA approval of changes. AWA Interim General Manger Gene Mancebo said Monday that staff from AWA and city staff were scheduled to meet Monday to “hammer out language” on the capacity agreement. He said the meeting was canceled due to bad weather. City Attorney Dennis Crabb rewrote the agreement and submitted it to AWA and staff for review. Crabb in a report said “AWA made minor comments, all but one of which has been incorporated into the second draft.” Crabb said “the agreement provides that AWA will pay $750,000 to the city, representing one half of the cost of the plant upgrade in return for additional reserved capacity up to a maximum of 173,000 gallons per day,” after payment is made to the city. The contract also delineates “excess” capacity that the city can sell to the AWA, and a reimbursement plan for the AWA, in the event it does not use its capacity. The draft of the agreement allows the city council to set the “rate at which the capacity will be sold.” Crabb in his report said the agreement has 3 “exhibits,” including “a project description, the final accounting of project costs, and the best practices the parties commit to in order to reduce unwanted demand.” Crabb said the “only change not made was a provision which allows the city to differentially bill problem users in Martell.” The City Council tabled the issue after hearing from District 4 AWA Director Debbie Dunn, who said she had not seen the amended contract and the AWA board had not voted on it. Also canceled Monday was Sutter Creek City Council’s meeting that included consideration of “Decision Documents” for the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. The regular meeting was rescheduled to next Wednesday, December 16th. The council will receive staff presentations on Gold Rush “Decision Documents,” with consultant Bob Delp speaking about the Final Environmental Impact Report and Technical Memorandum. The council could consider a resolution certifying the FEIR, “adopting a mitigation monitoring plan. They could also consider a resolution approving the Gold Rush “Specific Plan,” General Plan Amendments and a phased “Large Lot Tentative Subdivision Map.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Regional Transit System board of directors on Monday approved acquisition of 2 free trolleys from the city of River Bank, which will become part an express bus route between Jackson and Sutter Creek. ARTS Executive Director James A. Means found 2 trolleys, worth $250,000 each, which River Bank donated this week to ARTS, as part of a federal asset transfer program. Means said the Federal Transit Administration’s asset transfer procedures were approved by the California Department of Transportation “authorizing the transfer of 2 trolley-style buses at no cost to Amador Regional Transit System.” The trolleys operate on both Compressed Natural Gas and on diesel fuel, and were originally purchased by River Bank for $506,000. Means said all that was required of the ARTS board of directors was to approve him picking up the trolleys, which he planned to help drive to Amador County on Tuesday. ARTS board members asked about the trolleys, including Vice Chair, Plymouth Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin, who asked about the mileage. Means said odometer readings were “low for a transit bus” at 60,000 miles. Councilman David Plank of Ione asked if it would be good for ARTS and ACTC to develop its own Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) capabilities. Means said it might be, and ACTC does not have a CNG fueling station, but he had already arranged with the nearest such facility to have the vehicles refueled there. That is in Rancho Cordova, 32 miles away, he said. Means said CNG fuel is $1 per gallon cheaper than diesel. Based on the mileage of the route the trolleys will run, it will last a couple of days between CNG refills. He said the trolleys will require “air brake endorsements” for drivers, noting that he already has that endorsement, but will not drive the trolley routes. The board voted 6-0 to authorize Means to pick up the trolleys, and also to approve implementation of a new express, non-stop bus route between Jackson and Sutter Creek. Means said the new trolleys, with the board’s approval, with be the express shuttle, which “will run on a more frequent” 60-minute round trip “schedule to make local businesses more accessible to the general public.” He said it would be designed as a fixed route with no “deviations,” to “maintain efficiency and ensure on-time performance.” The “deviations” meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for off-route pick-ups of riders. Means also proposed having 4 deviated fixed routes (down from 8 routes) to serve the Jackson-Sutter Creek areas, and meet federal requirements. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.