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Monday, 25 January 2010 01:19

AWA To Study Hydropower On Ione Pipeline

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors approved a study of its raw water pipeline to Ione January 14th to see if it was a feasible power source. The board approved a study of building a hydroelectric plant at the Ione Reservoir. The study would determine how much electricity could be generated, find funding sources, and see how long it would take for income generated by a small hydropower plant to pay off the cost of construction. AWA directors made their decision based on a report by staff engineer John Griffin. The pipeline is about 38,800 feet in length and drops 1,149 feet in elevation, from the Tanner Reservoir to the AWA’s property at the Ione Reservoir. Interim Engineering and Planning Manager Erik Christeson said: “Theoretically, a hydropower plant … has the potential to generate a significant amount of electricity that could provide steady income to the agency.” He said “a feasibility study will tell us whether or not a project like this would be cost-effective under real-world conditions.” Griffin said over the years, staff has “peripherally explored” generating power with water flowing in the Ione pipeline, but “the anticipated initial capital expenditure has always been cost-prohibitive.” He said staff met recently with Energy Service Company to discuss possible planning, design, construction and funding. Energy Service Company has offered to fund a feasibility study, in exchange for a “sole source contract.” Griffin said AWA attorney Stephen Kronick “has confirmed that the agency is permitted to enter into sole source contracts.” Griffin said staff also had discussion with “an engineering firm that has performed similar hydropower projects on existing pipelines for neighboring water agencies.” Griffin said “soliciting proposals for a feasibility level study” is anticipated to cost less that $20,000” and gives the agency “full access to the report.” He said the AWA engineering committee members, President Bill Condrashoff and Director Terence Moore “recommended staff move forward with preparation of a Request for Proposals for the feasibility-level study from an independent consultant.” He said they expressed a “desire to obtain as much information as possible for the project.” The board approved the recommendation. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 25 January 2010 01:21

Pioneer Man Gets 24 Years for Child Molestation

Amador County – Pioneer resident Ted Lewis Girdner was sentenced this week to 24 years and 2 months in federal prison for molesting an 8-year-old girl. U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks handed down the sentence Tuesday in Reno, including an order that Girdner be on lifetime supervision once released. Official records list Girdner’s residence as Jackson. Girdner was initially arrested in July of 2009 after the Helena Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Montana notified the Amador County Sheriff’s Department that a man in this jurisdiction was exchanging child pornography via the Internet. On July 21, a federal search warrant was obtained and physical evidence supporting this charge was discovered at Girdner’s residence. Girdner subsequently admitted to molesting the child in Reno and transmitting the images via the Internet. Girdner plead guilty on October 15, 2009 to production of child pornography. He admitted to coercing the girl to undress and engage in sexually explicit conduct. Girdner has no prior criminal convictions. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 25 January 2010 01:10

OES Says Sandbags Are Available to Fight Off Rising Waters

Amador County - Lynne Olsen of the Office of Emergency Services said she has had requests from individuals for sandbags in order to eliminate flooding on their property. She said there is no coordinated effort by the county to provide sandbags. A box of bags and two piles of sand are available at the Amador County Airport, located at 12380 Airport Road in Jackson. Olsen said individuals may call the Office of Emergency Services at 223-6384 if they have any questions about sandbagging. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 25 January 2010 01:12

Sutter Creek to Take Bids on Sewer Maintenance

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council agreed to take bids for septic system maintenance, after a woman representing a local company said she would like to bid on the work. Amy White said her company, Aloha Septic of Sutter Creek, has a vacuum truck and should be allowed to bid on the city contract, which the city council had on its consent agenda for approval. City Manager Rob Duke said the agreement “memorializes the city’s relationship with Sweet Pea Septic,” to be the city’s on-call company for “emergency spill work in the city.” Duke said Sweet Pea helped the city prepare an emergency sewer spill plan, when one was required some years ago. The company has a vacuum truck service and with an office on Sutter Hill, it was the leading company because of the requirement of a quick response time for emergency calls. Duke said contracting with out-of-town companies was not feasible, but he did not realize a septic company was based in the city. White said her company should be allowed to place a bid on the work. The city council agreed, and Duke pulled the agreement from the agenda and told the council he will take it out for bids. The agreement with Sweet Pea noted that the city’s sewer system requires a “management plan to have repair and maintenance capabilities for the system 24 hours per day, 7 days per week,” and it is “not economically feasible for the city to have shifts available on that basis,” hence the contracting for the emergency septic services. The contract listed Sweet Pea rates for “pump out, cleanup, and sewage disposal services,” a minimum of 1 hour billed per call on weekdays at $140 an hour during business hours. At night and on weekends, the company would bill a minimum of 2 hours per call at $180 per hour. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 25 January 2010 01:14

Jackson Makes Temp Repair to Eroding Hillside

Amador County – Repairmen could be seen scaling the hillside above Jackson’s main thoroughfare on Thursday in order to replace a large sheet of tarpaulin used to prevent mudslides. Heavy winds and rainfall brought by the latest storm system managed to dislodge a portion of the prevention system on the steep hillside behind the public restrooms located at the Highway 49/88/Main Street intersection. Mike Laney noticed the tarp had blown loose while driving to work in the morning. “Because the dirt on top of the rocks can get oversaturated, I contacted the city and suggested they get someone out to replace the tarp,” he said. He notified Larry White, Jackson’s Senior Building Inspector, who in turn notified members of his department to make the repairs. Laney is the Senior Engineer for Holdrege & Kull, a technical engineering and consulting firm which joined the city in finding solutions to the hillside erosion after a major rock slide on March 4, 2009. During the initial slide, tons of rock came down and caused minor damage to the backside of the restroom facility. Since then, future slides have been prevented through a combination of tarps, tires and rope. Jackson City Manager Mike Daly said the tarp is only a temporary fix in place to minimize saturation to the hillside. Current estimates for a permanent solution to the problem run from $100,000 to $150,000. Daly said that, at least for now, funding a more permanent fix is off the table. “It has been a problem for a long time and we have various recommendations for stabilizing it further, but for now our money is being used to keep the city operating right,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.