Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors has set a public workshop Thursday afternoon to look at financial plans for the Central Amador Water Project and Camanche Water District 7.

The board last week looked toward the workshop after discussing staff work as a “drop dead” date neared for a $5.1 million USDA grant for a proposed “Gravity Supply Line,” in the CAWP water project. The date was July 22 to have the financial plan in place, which includes rate increases, if needed.

Engineering Manager Erik Christesen said with efforts well under way on the project, it was likely USDA would extend that time period on the GSL grant, as it had similarly done for a $2 million grant for the Plymouth pipeline.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said Tuesday the financial plans for CAWP and Camanche will be discussed by the board, the public and staff at the workshop, and public hearings would follow as determined necessary. Mancebo said the CAWP service area plan includes a “worst case scenario” for costs of the GSL, other estimates, and the cost of not building the GSL pipeline and instead upgrading CAWP’s pump stations.

The pump station upgrade would cost an estimated $4.7 million and need a 9 percent rate increase the first year, 5 percent the second, and 4 percent the third. The worst case estimated a GSL at $13.9 million with a three years of rate increases of 9, 5 and 3 percent. A best scenario used a GSL estimated cost of $11.9 million, with rate increases of 6, 3, and 3 percent.

The workshop is 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 at the AWA office on Ridge Road.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.