Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors approved annexation of East Bay Municipal Utility District property to its Camanche Water Improvement District Number 1 last week, while acknowledging that one of the wells there has been turned off due to foreign material getting into the well.

General Manager Gene Mancebo said Well Number 14 is off-line for testing, and they “cannot speculate on what’s going into the well,” but “it could be a localized problem.”

Engineering Manager Erik Christeson in a staff report said the East Bay Municipal is waiting for finalization of the annexation to turn on the water. Director Gary Thomas said the water that they are now looking at in Camanche Well 14 is “scary,” and they “now have lemonade for water.”

Mancebo said they are working on water and wastewater solutions with the East Bay Municipal Utility District on the annexation, which would be used as the home of the “Camanche Hunt Club.” The report said “staff has determined there is sufficient capacity to serve this request, and the board initiated annexation proceedings on Sept. 7.”

East Bay Municipal had paid “all necessary fees associated with the annexation request.”

Mancebo said Mike Wallace of East Bay Municipal told him he was interested in “looking at long-term needs there,” and Mancebo is following up with Wallace on that offer.

Director Terence Moore said “Well Number 14 is too good a well to walk away from,” despite problems there. Well 14 is off-line, and Well Number 9 at Camanche is supplying the bulk of the water.

Christeson said Number 14 produces water at a rate of 500 gallons a minute, while “Well 9 is the workhorse,” and supplies water at 1,700 gallons a minute.

The requested annexation included 83.53 acres of property for the Camanche Hunt Club, and sought water service to the property for four equivalent dwelling units. East Bay Municipal already had paid district participation fees of $48,700, and a connection fee of $375.

The public hearing included no public comment, and the board approved the annexation 5-0. Per an accompanying resolution, the annexation became effective immediately upon approval.

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Amador County - Many Amador County residents are concerned about the rapid spread of Sudden Oak Death in California, but according to officials, no local reports of the pathogen have been made.

But this doesn’t mean there is no reason for concern.

According to Sean Kriletich, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Program Representative, “It is still a concern because occasionally we’ll get firewood that is coming in from the coast that could be potentially carrying remnants of the disease.” Kriletich spoke with TSPN earlier this year.

Also known as Phytophthora Ramorum, the previously unknown and recently introduced non-native pathogen has killed hundreds of thousands of tan and oak trees in 14 coastal California counties.

A number of dying trees have been reported upcountry, but Kriletich said these deaths are due to other factors. He said these deaths were “likely due to the long-term and persistent drought conditions in our region” or other, less serious pathogens.

“If we do have it here this is truly worrisome and we need to act as soon as possible,” he said.

Earlier this month, researchers at UC Berkeley created a map that tracks the Sudden Oak Death pathogen in order to assist scientists who study the disease. The map allows residents to see whether they are within a 50,000-yard range of an infected oak tree so they can take preventative measures, such as spraying chemical compounds to boost the immunity of the oak trees.

Scientists say most infected oak trees can live up to 11 years unless beetles attack them, cutting the life span down to three years.

To view the UC Berkeley map and track the pathogen’s progress, go to www.dailycal.org.

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Amador County - An upcoming Teen Driver Night will look to make parents and teens aware of the many trials and tribulations involved with teen driving and encourage parent involvement.

Sponsored by Amador Teen Driver, the event will feature presentations from Amador County Health Officer Dr. Bob Hartmann, 4th year Medical Student Dan Stein, CHP Officer Craig Harmon, Anne Lintz of State Farm Insurance, Tina Wurzburger and a representative of the Amador County Narcotics Office. It will include a raffle grand prize of one behind the wheel session at Gold Country Driving School as the grand prize. Two winners will be drawn at the event.

“Our goal is to help parents and teens understand the many issues surrounding the pressures on the teen driver as well as offer safety ideas and tips,” said Anne Lintz. “It is clear that the more parents involve themselves in the activities of their teen drivers, the fewer accidents occur.”

National teen driving statistics show motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15-20 year-olds. 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.16-year-olds are also three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers. In total, 2,739 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2008, down 13.7 percent from 3,174 in 2007 and down 20.2 percent from 3,431 in 1998. In 2006 when the latest data was available, crashes involving 15-17-year-olds cost more than $34 billion nationwide in medical treatment, property damage and other costs, according to an American Automobile Association (AAA) analysis.

The Teen Driver Night is open to both current and future drivers. Extra credit will be provided in many classes for attendance. It takes place Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 7-8:30 pm in the multipurpose room at Argonaugt High School. For more information, please contact Anne Lintz at 223-1631.

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Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last week looked at council committee assignments, creating one new position and deciding to leave two other committees in place.

Mayor Patricia Fordyce on Thursday led a review and cleanup of the council committee list, making the addition of a “Lodge Hill liaison.” City Clerk Gloria Stoddard said Fordyce appointed Kathleen Johnson, office assistant and code enforcement clerk, to be the Lodge Hill liaison.

The council discussed eliminating the “administration and finance committee,” and also the “community development committee,” both made up of Councilman Jon Colburn and Councilwoman Pat Shackleton. After discussion, the council and Fordyce decided to keep the two committees in place.

Stoddard said City Manager Dixon Flynn requested that the council and mayor leave the two committees in place, so that Flynn has a contact and sounding board on the council if he needs it to check on ideas in daily business.

Stoddard said he can ask them, “do you think that will fly here in Plymouth? – because they live here and he doesn’t,” and they have a better feel for how ideas may be received.

In council reports, Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin reported that as a board member of the Amador Regional Transit System, he recently conducted interviews toward filling the manager position. One of the finalists had taken another job offer, and another turned out to not be qualified for the job.

Baldwin said the ARTS board reopened the job search for new applicants, which closed last Friday, and they will “try to find a candidate that is more suitable for the manager position.”

Baldwin said the Amador County Transportation Commission will have a vacancy to be appointed by the Mayors Select Committee in January, when he steps down, after two years on its administrative board, this last year as president. He said there could be two vacancies, including his, among city seats.

Sutter Creek Councilman Pat Crosby, also an ACTC board member, is not seeking reelection in November.

Colburn reported attended a recent Central Sierra Conservation District meeting, and reported that Mariposa County is joining the group. He said the group is also considering creating a “joint powers authority,” and each member entity is being contacted about that.

Colburn said Mariposa County’s former chief administrative officer is now the head of the state Fish & Game Department, making for a good relationship for the district and for the possible new JPA.

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Amador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors today will discuss (Tuesday, Oct. 19) the proposed Wild and Scenic River Designation for the Mokelumne River.

According to the Foothill Conservancy, “The designation would keep the river as it is today and stop new dams and diversions, including the proposed expansion of Pardee Reservoir.” It would also “protect the private property of riverside landowners from the threat of condemnation for new dam construction and reservoir expansion” as well as “ensure the river continues to be accessible to the public for fishing, swimming, water play, picnics, whitewater boating, teaching kids about nature and local history, and as a recreation destination for visitors to our county who spend money in local businesses.”

A number of local residents with concerns about the future of the river were expected to attend the meeting, which began at 9 am this morning.

Foothill Conservancy says that “Without the Wild and Scenic designation, the future of our river will be left up to big water agencies in the East Bay and the Valley and the federal energy bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. who make the final decisions on dams.”

TSPN will report on the outcome of this discussion in a later broadcast.

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