Amador County – The Jackson City Council on Monday approved seeking Requests For Qualifications for environmental work on three possible solutions to the city’s wastewater non-compliance issue.

A city Sewer Rate Committee met eight times, more than 16 hours total looking at various solutions, many brought forth by the public, said City Manager Mike Daly, as he endorsed the committee’s recommendation.

Daly recommended the “committee focus its efforts on the rate impact evaluation relative to the implementation of the land disposal option,” that is, spraying irrigation water on land. He also recommended the council initiate the state and federal environmental process “which should include the No Project, and a reservoir proposal from Ken Berry as alternative options.”

That process would look at the options under state law and determine the most viable option. The council approved the recommendations, which included “authorizing staff to begin preparation of the California Environmental Quality Act review of the projects by issuing a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) to select the firm best suited to complete the Environmental Impact Report.”

Daly said he would likely have the RFQ out by week’s end, and he hoped the council could choose a firm at its March 28 meeting. He recommended an RFQ to get a potential third-party analysis of work already done by city wastewater consultant, Stantec, formerly the company ECO:LOGIC.

Regional Board regulator Kenneth D. Landau attended the meeting and also sent a letter early Monday to the city. Councilman Keith Sweet said the letter “was pretty ominous in terms of penalties the city would incur” for not meeting national discharge requirements in its effluent released into Jackson Creek.

Landau said: “It was intended to be ominous,” and said fines could be $10 a gallon, or $10,000 a day, or even connection bans. He said connection bans are on the Regional Board’s next agenda concerning wastewater system seepage issues in Ione’s municipal system.

Sweet asked for clarification on penalties and when they were due, and Landau said that was complicated by enforcement law, but there were mandatory minimum penalties that could occur. He said an “enforcement project” would be needed.

Landau said the state allows for a “mandatory minimum penalty” to pay for the compliance project, because levying a big fine on a small city would not help the city pay for a high-priced project.

Sweet asked if an EIR would be required, and Landau said “as the lead agency, you would have to make that decision.” Landau did not think a “negative declaration” would suffice because the project will have impacts, but he said “that does not mean you need a 20-pound EIR document.”

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