Amador County – Amador Water Agency staff last week said it did not expect to be fined for two spills in the last few weeks, including 15,000 gallons of raw sewage estimated to have leaked in Martell.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the Office of Emergency Services was informed right away, and other state agencies were notified of both incidents. He said that if regulating agencies felt there was some health risks, they would have ordered action to sanitize the areas.

AWA was required to notify people in the vicinity of the sewage leak in Martell, discovered December 1st, but no sanitizing occurred. He said if rain occurs, the wastewater either becomes very diluted or it is carried a far distance. The agencies believe the water did not escape the swell ditch in which it leaked.

Both leaks were found after the storms before Thanksgiving. The sewer leak was near Wal-Mart, and a raw water spill occurred on Mace Meadow Golf Course, possibly two weeks before its discovery, November 29th.

Mancebo did not know if there would be fines, but the agency submitted reports and took immediate action when the spills were found. He said the state takes into consideration how well you try to avoid leaks before they give fines, and the “AWA has had a pretty good track record of trying to maintain its systems.”

The Mace Meadow spill prompted staff to purchase a used filter to cleanse the backwash from the Buckhorn water treatment plant. Operations Manager Chris McKeage reported the plan to the AWA board of directors December 9th, saying that staff was driving to pick up the 15-year-old filter as the meeting was under way.

McKeage said with the filter, they would be able to put the raw backwash water back into the creek from which it is taken. He said it would “reduce by about 90 percent the raw water we send to the golf course,” where it is stored in the winter, and sprayed in the summer for irrigation.

McKeage said: “This is a half-a-million-dollar project we’re going to try to do in-house for $60,000. We’re trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat.” He said the process would need state approval, and they were trying to get it operational by February, and permanently operational by summer. The agency can have no run-off in winter at the golf course storage ponds.

Mancebo said filtering the backwash likely would lead to a need to alter the discharge permit at the golf course, as the sludge would be more concentrated.

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

Amador County – Three regional groups with concerns about the future of the Mokelumne River have filed their opening brief in a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit challenging the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EBMUD) 2040 water plan.

The Foothill Conservancy, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Friends of the River originally filed suit in November 2009 following EBMUD’s adoption of the plan, which includes an option to expand the Pardee Reservoir and flood portions of the Mokelumne River in order to provide more water to customers in the East Bay.

In a release, the Foothill Conservancy said the brief, filed in November, “details five causes of action describing how EBMUD violated the state’s leading environmental law.” These include an alleged “failure to adequately evaluate the damage the dam would cause to the Mokelumne’s fish populations” and a failure to properly analyze water supplies in EBMUD’s “own backyard” in the East Bay. The Foothill Conservancy said there was also a “failure to analyze the impacts of eliminating a portion of the Mokelumne from eligibility and protection of its ‘outstandingly remarkable values’ as a National Wild and Scenic River.”

A number of organizations and government bodies have united in opposition to the mammoth power company’s proposal, including the Amador County Board of Supervisors, the Amador Water Agency, Sierra Club California and 3rd District Congressman Dan Lungren.

These bodies have cited concerns over potential damage to the river’s ecosystem, the destruction of historic sites like the Middle Bar Bridge and irreversible damage to a river considered important to Native Americans.

“We’re especially concerned about protecting the Mokelumne River from EBMUD’s proposed Pardee Dam expansion, which would destroy nearly two miles of beautiful, free-flowing river,” said Chris Wright, Foothill Conservancy executive director. “The river is important to local residents as a place to fish and teach our kids about nature, to the native Miwuk people for its sacred cultural sites, to the state’s people for its historic and public trust resources, and to visitors as one of the best places in the state to whitewater kayak.”

The Foothill Conservancy anticipates the case will be heard by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley in February 2011.

“We believe we have a very strong case,” said Wright, “And we’re glad to see it heading toward objective legal analysis by a judge instead of a vote by an absentee East Bay board whose majority clearly doesn’t care what happens to the Mokelumne, our community, or downstream resources.”

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

Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council discussed sewer needs December 6th and set staff working on wastewater planning, as they discussed the future of the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority and its partners around the county.

City Manager Sean Rabe told the council: “Me trying to play wastewater planner is not a good idea.” Rabe was directed to explore wastewater planning services and he will “bring back a kind of outline for what I’m looking for” in some kind of consultant.

Rabe said he met in Ione recently to discuss ARSA, with staff from Ione, Mule Creek and the Amador Water Agency, and potential changes ahead.

He said “everybody is open to looking at potential avenues of what ARSA is, and how it interacts with Sutter Creek, Ione and other members,” and partners.

Planning Commissioner Robin Peters asked why the city would not use city staff wastewater engineers, Grant Reynolds and Gene Weatherby. Rabe said: “We don’t need an engineer, we need an infrastructure planner, to get someone herding all the cats at one time.” He thought they might want a “third party” to see the issue from a different perspective.

In public comment, Mimi Arata said she shudders at the thought of hiring another “upper-echelon” consultant. She also asked about $2 million the city spent on wastewater plant upgrades that did not work, as reported by the Grand Jury.

Mayor Gary Wooten said they were talking about whether to repair Henderson Reservoir, and wastewater partnerships in the region. He said the city wastewater treatment plant previously was not compliant, but the city’s new consultant reported that it was now compliant. That issue was handled earlier in the meeting, when the council approved a consent item with an updated comment on the Grand Jury report, which in part said the plant was now compliant, though more work needs to be done.

Murphy said 12 months after resolution of a lawsuit against Gold Rush by Ken Berry, the city must tell Gold Rush what it wants for a wastewater system, as the developers must pay for it. Murphy said “we’re responsible for telling them what we need, and Gold Rush is responsible for designing and building it.”

Commissioner Mike Kirkley said the information they give Gold Rush would be a “technical report,” and it would be billable to Gold Rush.” Kirkley suggested they revisit the ARSA Master Plan to “see if this plan still makes sense in this bigger picture.”

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

Amador County – Upcoming winter storms and record snowfall in the Upcountry may delay the ability to clear snow from public roadways.

The Amador County Transportation and Public Works Department is reminding the public to be mindful of its Snow Removal Policy.

“We understand that our residents rely on our roadway system and are committed to maintaining that system to the highest standard possible,” said department representative Jim McHargue in a statement. “However, please be mindful that depending on the intensity of the storm, there could be a considerable delay before our limited resources can reach all affected County maintained roads.

McHargue said there are a number of factors to consider when clearing roadways. He said private roadways roads are not included in the County maintained system. Clearing major thoroughfares is the department’s first priority, followed by side roads, with dead-end or cul-de-sac roads last.

He warned that, “county plows may leave a berm of snow at driveway encroachments onto county roads,” but “the removal of the berm is the responsibility of the owner.”

McHargue said residents should “be prepared” by “stocking up on daily necessities at first report of snow and reschedule appointments if possible.” He also cautioned residents not to let children play in the street or on snow berms, as “drivers may not be able to stop in time to avoid an accident.”

In addition, vehicles and garbage cans should not be parked or placed along roadway edges. Vehicles blocking snow removal operations may be towed away at the owner’s expense. Residents should not shovel or blow snow from their driveway or mail box into the roadway, as it creates a hazard for other drivers.

For more information on the County’s Snow Removal Policy or any other questions regarding County roads, please call (209) 223-6429.

Story by Alex Lane