Amador County – The 600 homes in Amador Pines all reportedly had their power restored by this morning, November 29th, authorities said.

TSPN Friday Amador Live host Susie Underwood lives in Amador Pines, and she said she had heard unofficially through a Pacific Gas & Electric employee that they had 114 lines down in the residential area. As of Saturday, November 27th, she had been without power for six days, and she e-mailed photos of the snowfall and icicles, saying “six days without power and this is what happens.”

She said “it looked like a war zone with so many trees and power poles down.”

Amador Pines Home Owners Association board member, and Snow Plow Committee Chairman Jack Magee said power initially went out November 21st, and he had snow plows running around the clock. He said last Tuesday (November 23rd) that Amador Pines had about 25 power lines down, and about 5 power poles had broken under the weight of the heavy and abundant snow.

Magee said he notified two PG&E trucks at Inspiration Drive about the lines. They dug out a map, handed him a yellow marker, and told him to mark every place in Amador Pines where a tree was down on power lines, or a tree was hanging on power lines. Magee said he marked about 30 places where lines or trees were down.

He said they, and a CDF crew, were surprised to hear the large number, saying they thought he was reporting only one line down.

Magee said about 600 homes in Amador Pines were without power, and many were subsiding on power from gas or diesel generators. Some with propane and not able to get their tanks refilled were heading to hotels to outlast the outage.

Magee’s power came back on Wednesday night (November 24th), after being out for four days. He said the rest of Amador Pines had power restored later in the week, and as of today, November 29th, all power is restored there. The PG&E website this morning showed no outages in Amador County.

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Amador County – A Martinez woman died during a vehicle collision just south of the Amador/Calaveras over Thanksgiving weekend.

At approximately 8:36 pm on Friday, Margaret Livingston, 66, was traveling southbound on Highway 49 in a 2007 Volvo at what was later determined by the California Highway Patrol to be an unsafe rate of speed.

Another driver in a PT Cruiser was traveling northbound at a stated speed of 35-40 miles per hour.

“Due to (Livingston’s) unsafe speed she placed her vehicle in a locked wheel skid in an effort to slow for the approaching right hand turn in the roadway,” according to the CHP report.

Livingston’s vehicle crossed the double yellow line and entered the opposing northbound lane, where the two vehicles collided head on, causing “traumatic fatal injuries” to Livingston.

Both vehicles subsequently collided with the guardrails, blocking both lanes of traffic.

Valley Springs resident Cindy Reading, the driver of the PT Cruiser, suffered major injuries and was taken to Sutter Roseville Hospital.

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Amador County – A Martinez woman died during a vehicle collision just south of the Amador/Calaveras over Thanksgiving weekend.

At approximately 8:36 pm on Friday, Margaret Livingston, 66, was traveling southbound on Highway 49 in a 2007 Volvo at what was later determined by the California Highway Patrol to be an unsafe rate of speed.

Another driver in a PT Cruiser was traveling northbound at a stated speed of 35-40 miles per hour.

“Due to (Livingston’s) unsafe speed she placed her vehicle in a locked wheel skid in an effort to slow for the approaching right hand turn in the roadway,” according to the CHP report.

Livingston’s vehicle crossed the double yellow line and entered the opposing northbound lane, where the two vehicles collided head on, causing “traumatic fatal injuries” to Livingston.

Both vehicles subsequently collided with the guardrails, blocking both lanes of traffic.

Valley Springs resident Cindy Reading, the driver of the PT Cruiser, suffered major injuries and was taken to Sutter Roseville Hospital.

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Amador County – The 600 homes in Amador Pines all reportedly had their power restored by this morning, November 29th, authorities said.

TSPN Friday Amador Live host Susie Underwood lives in Amador Pines, and she said she had heard unofficially through a Pacific Gas & Electric employee that they had 114 lines down in the residential area. As of Saturday, November 27th, she had been without power for six days, and she e-mailed photos of the snowfall and icicles, saying “six days without power and this is what happens.”

She said “it looked like a war zone with so many trees and power poles down.”

Amador Pines Home Owners Association board member, and Snow Plow Committee Chairman Jack Magee said power initially went out November 21st, and he had snow plows running around the clock. He said last Tuesday (November 23rd) that Amador Pines had about 25 power lines down, and about 5 power poles had broken under the weight of the heavy and abundant snow.

Magee said he notified two PG&E trucks at Inspiration Drive about the lines. They dug out a map, handed him a yellow marker, and told him to mark every place in Amador Pines where a tree was down on power lines, or a tree was hanging on power lines. Magee said he marked about 30 places where lines or trees were down.

He said they, and a CDF crew, were surprised to hear the large number, saying they thought he was reporting only one line down.

Magee said about 600 homes in Amador Pines were without power, and many were subsiding on power from gas or diesel generators. Some with propane and not able to get their tanks refilled were heading to hotels to outlast the outage.

Magee’s power came back on Wednesday night (November 24th), after being out for four days. He said the rest of Amador Pines had power restored later in the week, and as of today, November 29th, all power is restored there. The PG&E website this morning showed no outages in Amador County.

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

Amador County – The Sutter Creek Sewer Committee earlier this month received an update on the city sewer plant operation and expansion.

Senior operations specialist Wyatt Troxel gave a status report November 9th on recommended remedies, noting that “several designs and operating conditions” at the “Sutter Creek wastewater treatment plant have led to continued or repeated violation of various discharge” limits. Modifications at the plant, such as using a storage basin as an aeration pond, and changing the “digester” system, led to the violations.

Troxel, of Integrated Resource Management LLC of Claremont, said that in June and July his company evaluated the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, then made some changes, and recommended others.

The aeration process “has been taken off line,” and “turned off, except for minor periods of aeration to maintain fresh water on the surface of the lagoon.” Troxel said it “reduced the electrical demand of the process by about $6,000 per month.” The aerating system “will be used only for emergency storage and treatment of excessive flow, such as during high rain events.”

A procedure to routinely flush a filter has “slightly improved the quality of the water discharging” to a digester system. Troxel said a deteriorated “flood gate” needs to be refurbished. He also recommended a new type of spray system to “increase treatment capacity and performance.”

Troxel said he also installed “a more appropriate sludge pump” to “control the sludge in the digester and eliminate a problem with sludge accumulating on the floor of the clarifier.”

He said “recommendations are being followed to install a polymer feed system to further improve clarifier performance,” and “perforated tubing” around the perimeter to add a chlorine solution. The changes would help prevent unwanted “biological growth” in the digester.

The report said the design of the plant’s “chlorine contact channel” was “inherently problematic” and “requires a variety of improvements, yet to be fully developed.” Troxel said “improvements in chlorine control have been discussed.”

“The remaining effort is to develop written procedures to support the new operating plan,” Troxel said. “Work has already begun to outline” both routine and emergency procedures. The descriptions will be “reviewed and annotated by the operations staff as they are developed.”

The report said the “procedures will create the basis for a Consolidated Facility Management Plan,” including an “overview of the wastewater treatment plant,” which can be updated as “conditions, equipment and facilities are modified.”

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Amador County – On Saturday, Plymouth firefighters will be teaming with a local motorcycle shop and area riders for a Christmas Toy Motorcycle Run on Saturday, complete with a barbecue and a live band.

Members of the Amador Fire Protection District Battalion 20 will be barbecuing hotdogs and hamburgers for the participants of the Toy Run, which will be given to children in local needy families. Hosting and sponsoring the Toy Run is Foothill Motorcycle Company in Plymouth.

Bryan Thornton, president of the AFPD Battalion 20 Firefighters Association, said on December 4th “Foothill Motorcycle will do their toy drive for Plymouth and for us.” Toys gathered at the Foothill Motorcycle Toy Run will go to the Battalion 20’s annual holiday giveaway for Christmas.

Plymouth firefighters will help host the Motorcycle Toy Run, set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, December 4th at the motorcycle shop, located at 18590 Highway 49 in Plymouth. For information, call (209) 245-6763.

AFPD Battalion 20 firefighters will be cooking hotdogs and hamburgers, and accepting donations of toys. Santa Claus will appear at the shop, with his helpers, and a live band will play music.

Battalion 20 also plans a “Santa Parade” 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, December 9th. They plan to parade through town with Santa and volunteers and collect donations of canned food, non-perishables, and toys from residents in Plymouth.

The Santa Parade will feature members of the Amador County Sheriff’s Office, who will be pulling one of their rescue patrol boats. Thornton said they usually bring the boat, so it can be loaded with the gifts and food.

Thornton said AFPD will have all of its fire trucks from Battalion 20 in the parade. Santa Claus and local Girl Scout troops will be volunteering to help distribute candy canes during the parade.

Batallion 20 of AFPD serves fire fighting and emergency response needs in Plymouth and local surrounding areas, and it gives back to the community annually with its toy drives, and gives food to needy families later in the year in time for Christmas.

Thornton said items collected at both the Motorcycle Toy Run and the Santa Parade in Plymouth will be given to needy families in the area. Plymouth City Hall announced the parade and Toy Drive with their water bill, and Thornton asked that anyone who wanted to donate, volunteer, or place a local family onto the list to receive a Christmas dinner, could contact him.

To donate, volunteer or nominate needy families, call Bryan Thornton at (209) 223-0545.

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