Tom

Monday, 29 March 2010 01:47

EBMUD Granted Change of Venue in 2040 Plan Lawsuit

Amador County - The East Bay Municipal Utility District has succeeded in a change of venue to transfer a lawsuit brought in part by the Foothill Conservancy down to Sacramento. In a hearing on March 12, Amador County Superior Judge Susan Harlan agreed to the change of venue based on a technical statute that focuses on where an agency is situated, according to a release from the Foothill Conservancy. The Foothill Conservancy filed a lawsuit last year that alleges CEQA violations occurred when the mammoth water utility district approved its 2040 Water Supply Management Plan, which includes a proposed expansion of the Pardee Reservoir on the Mokelumne River. The Conservancy is joined in the suit by Friends of the River and California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. According to Chris Wright of the Foothill Conservancy, “EBMUD claims they’re ‘situated’ only in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and says they’re not a part of our community.” EBMUD is headquartered in Oakland and provides water and sewage treatment for customers throughout the East Bay. The company has a long history of local water agreements under which it is allowed to add to its supply from local water sources like the Mokelumne River. “They have a huge presence in our county: They own thousands of acres of land and reservoirs and two massive dams with powerhouses. They employ local residents. They sponsor recreation activities and provide recreational facilities. They lease land and facilities to local businesses and run two mobile home parks. They cosponsor local events. They’re part of a joint powers authority with Amador County and the Amador Water Agency. They can overrule county ordinances on their land. They even belong to the Amador County Chamber of Commerce. They can only serve their ratepayers by using resources from our county. It’s ridiculous for them to claim they’re not situated here. But that’s what they did,” said Wright. The Foothill Conservancy and other opponents of the 2040 plan were unsuccessful in an attempt to stop its approval last October. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Local

Monday, 29 March 2010 01:44

AWA Discusses GSL Capacity Before Approval

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week approved the Gravity Supply Line project, saying in a 3-2 vote that it was ready for the next step. President Bill Condrashoff asked for an explanation of a “discrepancy” between the “preliminary engineering report,” and a later analysis. Director Terence Moore said “the fact that it was called a preliminary report indicates it will change,” and doesn’t contain what will be in the final report. Condrashoff said: “Is it really a 5 cubic feet per second (cfs) designed project or a 9 cfs designed project?” Interim Moore said Engineering Manager Erik Christeson’s preliminary report clearly stated that some of the data was not finished. Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said the environmental document was written for 5 cfs, and all documents since January are based on 5 cfs. Work begun in 2008 looked at the “swath first,” and did not really have to look at the size. Christeson said the “fatal flaw” analysis “was not affected by the size of the pipe.” Director Don Cooper said “it is clear this is a 5 cfs project.” Vice President Debbie Dunn asked why they would not build the pipeline to match capacity at the Buckhorn water treatment plant. Moore said they would probably never meet that plant’s maximum 5 million gallons a day flow unless they get more water rights. Dunn asked what size of pipes could be used to make certain flow amounts. Mancebo said there are “just way too many variables” to give just one answer. Those include the type of pipe, elevation, and ending pressure necessary, if you need to fill a tank. He said even in the updated plan, they are using 2 different sizes of pipes. He said “chances are, you end up with a pipe size that is not commercially made.” Other impacts on water flow could be friction, and the number of valves and fittings used, which can change in the length of pipe sections. Dunn said “to be able to make a decision today,” she figured the engineering department could give her that information. Mancebo said they are “asking the board to approve a project based on this alignment and distance, base on 5 cfs, and changes can be made if needed. Director Don Cooper told Dunn not to try to engineer the project. He said: “I think it’s important that you trust your engineering staff.” He said pipe sizes were identified in the negative declaration, and “I’m not going to become an engineer” on the project, “and I am an engineer.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Water

Monday, 29 March 2010 01:41

AWA GSL Could Get USDA Record $5.1M Grant

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency heard support and criticism last week before approving its Gravity Supply Line project, an estimated $13.4 million project. Interim Engineering Manger Erik Christeson said the pipeline could win the largest grant ever authorized by USDA of $5.1 million. Interim General Manger Gene Mancebo said the agency looked at “growth inducing and cumulative effects,” using the current county General Plan. They found 13,500 new connections in the Central Amador Water Project area, a demand “well beyond what the new system could deliver.” Steven J. Lewis of Alpine Drive said “we’re talking about doubling the Upcountry population,” and AWA wanted a “negative declaration.” He said Gayla Manor would have 500 more homes with that water. Lewis said: “This is empire building, and frankly (pardon me) it sucks.” Mike Miller of Rabb Park Water District said: “I don’t see how we can pass it up. We have a good loan in place.” Rich Farrington, a CAWP customer, said there was no evidence of a need for a full Environmental Impact Report, as urged by Martell resident Ken Berry. Farrington said biologists found no “special status species” on the pipeline route. They found “suitable habitat,” and “recommended mitigation.” Farrington said Fish & Game agreed with AWA’s timing for inspections. He said AWA has taken a cautious approach. Steve Cannon and others said enhanced water supply with help with house fires, but not large scale wildfires. He said the Power Fire was a recent example, and “if the weather hadn’t changed, there would be no Pioneer today, and no discussion.” Foothill Conservancy attorney Thomas Infusino said “a numbers-free engineering memo” was “too little, too late” to be able vote on the GSL. He urged a full EIR, and said “the GSL is a good concept, but as a local agency, the AWA needs to learn how to do the right thing in the right way.” Ciro Toma said the current pump pipeline was built “in an emergency during 2 years of severe droughts,” with wells going dry in all the small water districts. He said AWA should worry about liability with the existing system, should there be a pipeline and sensor failures with massive spillage. He urged discussion toward emergency or other storage at Mace Meadow Golf Course, and urged approval. Vice President Debbie Dunn asked if Toma would help gather fees for new developments to pay for the GSL. Toma said “that’s what your participation fees are. That’s really law: Any new project has to pay its fair share.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Water

Monday, 29 March 2010 01:34

Local Census Operations in Full Swing

Amador County – The U.S. Census Bureau is in the process of sending out questionnaires to every household in the United States as part of a constitutional mandate to count the country’s population every ten years. In Amador County, all residents with physical addresses are in the process of receiving the forms by mail. Barbara Ferry, Senior Partner Specialist with the Census Bureau, told TSPN that residents who do not receive their mail at a physical address will eventually need to be hand-counted in an upcoming second wave of census operations. In early February, the Board of Supervisors approved the donation of space at the County Administration Building to assist the bureau with local operations. The space will also be used to assist residents in filling out their census forms, if needed. “As we prepare our workers to go out into the field and knock on doors to gather census information, we also need to train them, so your County has been very gracious in offering us some space so we can train people locally,” said Ferry. Those operations were underway last Tuesday, where new census workers were being fingerprinted as part of the hiring process. TSPN was bluntly denied an interview or access to take pictures, but we were able to snap one shot of the event. As part of a multi-million dollar ad campaign, the Census is ensuring citizens that all the information shared is completely confidential. The census form has been revised this year to just ten simple questions seeking information on the number of residents in each household and other basic information. In a recent interview, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke noted that even the provisions of the Patriot Act do not override census privacy protections. He also said that for every one percent increase in the number of people who return their census forms, taxpayers will save about $85 million. Ferry said participation in the census is important for two basic reasons: power and money. “It’s power through the apportionment that happens because of the population area that the Census Bureau defines in order to know where our congressional districts come from as well as all our state legislative districts,” said Ferry. As for the money, she said every year the federal government divides $470 billion among local communities, and that is based in large part upon the census results. “To put it in basic terms, filling out your form and sending it back is like writing a check for $1,700 per person per year, right back to your community.” The census began mailing out questionnaires in mid-March. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Local

Monday, 29 March 2010 01:29

Amador County News TSPN TV with Alan Sprenkel 3-29-10

Published in Video

Friday, 26 March 2010 02:01

Novelli Urges AWA to Pass GSL, Vows to Help Find Funding

Amador County – District 3 Supervisor and former water director Ted Novelli urged the Amador Water Agency board to approve the Gravity Supply Line project Thursday at Mace Meadow Golf Course conference room. Novelli, among nearly 50 people in attendance, said “this GSL is very important. For people Upcountry, it is very, very important.” He disagreed with those who downplayed the need for water to fight fires. He said the current board has put in 150 hours on the GSL, and past boards have also put in hundreds of hours, and counting staff time, more than a million dollars. Novelli said AWA staff has done a good job and he would work with them to try to find funding. Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said the agency learned last week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture needed a decision by the AWA by March 28th on whether the agency wanted to pursue a $5.1 million grant for the Gravity Supply Line, which would carry raw water from Tiger Creek Reservoir to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. The board approved it 3-2. Director Debbie Dunn, who voted against it, said she was worried that 3,500 people in the Central Amador Water Project system would have to “shoulder a debt service of $13 million over the next 40 years.” Director Gary Thomas said it was really an estimated $8 million project, because of the $5 million grant. He urged the board to decide Thursday, then when bids come in on construction, they can decide if they want to pursue the project or scrap it. Thomas voted with Directors Don Cooper and Terence Moore to approve the GSL project and its negative declaration. Director Bill Condrashoff, who voted against it, said it appeared that speakers Thursday, Foothill Conservancy’s Thomas Infusino, and Martell resident Ken Berry, were not backing down from threats of litigation. He asked AWA attorney Steve Kronick if the agency should try to save money on litigation by first discussing issues they raised, before approving the project. Kronick said: “I don’t know what Ken Berry will do.” And Kronick was confident that when he speaks with the Foothill conservancy to clear up issues, “there will be no litigation.” He said he did not want to speculate on litigation. Supervisor Novelli said: “We’ve had lawsuits on everything the water agency has ever done.” He said in the end, the “people Upcountry are going to have to live with this system, and call you or call me when it’s down.” Kronick said if they wait, they “could jeopardize the $5 million grant from the Rural Utility Service.” Engineering Manager Erik Christeson said AWA’s $5.1 million is the largest grant ever authorized by USDA. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Friday, 26 March 2010 02:02

AWA OKs GSL Project, Negative Declaration

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors voted 3-2 Thursday to approve the Gravity Supply Line project and its Mitigated Negative Declaration. The new leadership of the board, President Bill Condrashoff and Vice President Debbie Dunn voted against both decisions, and Dunn later was accused by Director Terence Moore of prolonging the decisions and throwing up obstacles through the nearly 6-hour meeting Thursday afternoon at Mace Meadow Country Club. Moore, District 5, and Directors Gary Thomas (District 2) and Don Cooper (District 3) voted yes on both actions, with approval of the environmental document first. Cooper made a motion on the second action to approve the Gravity Supply Line project, including a list of 8 preparation items, and another action, to “put the GSL out to bid as soon as possible.” The board discussed the estimated $13.4 million project’s cost to members of the Central Amador Water Project, and representatives of 3 member entities, with AWA, spoke in support of the GSL. Jeffrey Brown of Mace Meadow CSD said he sent 540 letters out to his membership and he “received zero negative comments” on the GSL. A representative of Rabb Park CSD said “we support this project in its entirety.” He said people know it will increase their costs, and they are “looking forward to a more reliable water source.” The Pine Grove CSD also spoke in support. Dunn and Condrashoff worried about a “preliminary engineering report” for the GSL, which listed the project as seeking 9.28 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water flow for the pipeline. That amount was submitted in an application to the USDA for a grant and a loan. The amount this year was changed to 5 cubic feet per second. Condrashoff said several times that he was confused about why the first plan at 9.28 cfs could cost $13.4 million, and a smaller pipeline with a flow of 5 cfs could cost just 12 dollars and 50 cents less than the bigger pipe. Condrashoff was also confused about what size of project they were seeking to approve. Director Moore said it was obvious to him that it was seeking a project for 5 cfs. Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said he could not understand why the costs were so similar, and Interim Engineering Manager Erik Christeson said the preliminary estimate was made without a lot of data being known, but it was now known by USDA that the project is 5 cfs. Mancebo said he was asking the board to approve a project based on this alignment and distance based on 5 cfs, and if changes needed to be made later, they could be made. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Friday, 26 March 2010 01:59

River Pines Man Arrested on Violence, Sexual Battery Charges

Amador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Department yesterday released the details of a domestic assault and battery case in the River Pines area between a man and his estranged girlfriend. On March 21, at approximately 12:08 p.m., Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to multiple reports of a possible domestic dispute at a residence in River Pines. Upon arrival to the scene deputies contacted the resident along with Eric James Holt, 31, of River Pines. During the course of the investigation it was determined that Holt had come to the residence of his estranged girlfriend in an effort to reconcile the relationship. The victim would not allow Holt into her residence to discuss the relationship. In response and unbeknownst to the victim, Holt obtained a large knife from his vehicle and pried his way through a locked rear door. Holt then confronted the victim, brandished the knife, and threatened to cut her throat. The victim attempted to flee the residence but was restrained by Holt. The victim reported that Holt then sexually battered her. Holt was arrested by Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies and booked into the Amador County Jail charged with a sexual battery, false imprisonment, brandishing a deadly weapon, burglary, criminal threats, and domestic violence. Holt’s bail was set at $200,000. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Friday, 26 March 2010 01:57

Amador Supes Request Reduction in AB900 Matching Funds

Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to request reductions in the amount of matching funds they must provide if they are to accept AB900 funds to build a new county jail. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation granted a conditional award last November in the amount of $22.7 million that requires a 25 percent match by the County. If all goes as envisioned, the new state-of-the-art facility would be constructed on the former 201-acre site of the Wicklow Way development project, which the county purchased for $1.8 million last October after the housing project faltered. In a memorandum, General Services Association Director Jon Hopkins said the County’s $1.8 million land purchase “increased the unfunded portion to an estimated range of $15.9 to $16.2 million.” Hopkins reminded the board that there are a number of potential complications that could prevent or delay the County’s apportionment, including sale of State bonds, the State’s credit rating, specific requirements as to where and for what the money is used and a commitment to fully build should the funds be accepted. He said “full commitment from the State occurs when they sell the bonds, not anytime sooner.” Speaking directly to the board, Hopkins said monies would come in on a quarterly basis depending on the amount spent, so the amount received would change with every four to six month period. Chairman Brian Oneto questioned how they could proceed with a project if they have no ability to provide matching funds. “I don’t see any way to make this palatable with the economic times we are in,” he said. Sheriff Martin Ryan made a strong show of support for the proposed facility, saying it will enhance security and prevent overcrowding. He said the current jail facility is far beyond capacity and understaffed. “Right now we’re trying to make a decision based on fuzzy math because we’re not sure what the (State) is going to do,” he said. The Supervisors questioned what additional costs for staff and other infrastructure may be incurred during the transition between the old and new facility. Ryan said additional staff would eventually be needed, but technological advances at the new jail would cut long term costs down. He said “we must show determination because there is a real need for a jail facility in this county.” Hopkins suggested the board “do nothing, take this back to staff and then see where it goes.” The board unanimously approved a motion to direct staff, specifically Ryan and Hopkins, to meet with the Corrections Standard Authority board to request a reduction in the County’s in kind match requirement. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Thursday, 25 March 2010 06:05