[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6521210,"mediaKeyId","5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc","parentId",5109633,"title","State, regional boards give conditional OK for Ione’s tertiary plant to irrigate golf course; use at US Mine would need additional approvals","audioSeconds",451,"startMs",7009000,"endMs",7460000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc&start=7009&end=7460","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc/thumbnail_7009000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6521210/California/State-regional-boards-give-conditional-OK-for-Iones-tertiary-plant-to-irrigate-golf-course-use-at-US-Mine-would-need-additional-approvals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521210-b40b2a8b96f18d7b805d4eb6eeec83be/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203418&Signature=BD1hbBE4Fwtartt6pJo2y2zLRNpW9K4y2ggL8GEtIIsmFJLK231KHPxpuSUIYNh4BmeAKxMmV2svNRjYloDfNkiPAF9QpERyAWUS30eh2DKpzzBH5sEogqqYiy8E8q7dmgFKHiJ~TF0VAPQATsaofOwFC4h51ij3hxOWI3PniK2ggPdG4pzPs3Op2YTnKL5h0jP5P1lpHLzxdC5AGVEFwgSy-ifBQsfX288fKTSMHX9IZpxEg3B-le8IdheAOZefrxgcHfylGueNdXCFiPIwCoGvXHgmQ9UlMSJNNlzimZJg3jlV4p1bf2EdMVXLuYRIAAICH9GMLbGsXGSh~4ca3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-30T18:58:02Z","article","Michelle Chester, who identified herself as working with a consulting/legal team assisting the city, said the State Water Resources Control Board and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board issued conditional approvals allowing Ione to operate its tertiary treatment facility and discharge recycled water to the golf course during the 2025 irrigation season while the Division of Drinking Water continues its Title 22 review. \"We did end up receiving that letter of conditional approval from the division of drinking water on June 5, stating that they conditionally approved of operation of the tertiary facility while continuing their review of Ione's title 22 report,\" Chester said.

Chester and regional‑board staff emphasized that the Title 22 submittal the city filed in May did not identify US Mine as an authorized place of use and that any future plan to send recycled water to US Mine would require a revised Title 22 report, city endorsement and updated waste discharge requirements from the regional board. \"A draft of the WDRs for US Mine was released recently... the draft noted that US Mine could potentially take recycled water in the future from the city of Ione only after all related permitting requirements were met,\" Chester said, stressing that the draft language reflected an acknowledgment of potential future options and not an approval.

Justin, the city’s wastewater treatment manager, updated the council on operations. He said the tertiary system began receiving water from ARSA about 11 days earlier and had delivered nearly 10 million gallons to the golf course in that period, with daily deliveries approaching 1,000,000 gallons. He described a temporary above‑ground interconnect and said the city plans permanent piping and to use pond storage, the well and a future tie into additional trunk lines as part of a longer capital program. Justin also said the well used in the emergency has replenished and now serves as a reliable backup.

Regional staff and Chester said that the regional board has been coordinating with the Division of Drinking Water and that the conditional approvals will allow irrigation through approximately November 2025. The regional board also confirmed that any permit or WDR revisions needed for use at a private mine site would undergo their normal public‑notice and review process.

During public comment ARSA and local stakeholders expressed appreciation for coordination and said the approvals gave the system breathing room to manage storage and make needed repairs. Some residents asked whether the recycled water would be mixed with prison (corrections) discharges or would be solely ARSA water; regional‑board staff indicated operations and source‑mix decisions depend on how ARSA and the facility operate and the operating plan for the season.

Ending: The council was advised that any change to add US Mine as a place of use would require a revised Title 22 application, city endorsement and a formal permitting process at the regional board; staff recommended coordinating outreach through the city manager or designated point of contact to preserve consistent communications with regulators.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting 6/17/25","oneSentenceSummary","State and regional water boards conditionally allowed Ione’s tertiary facility to operate while the Title 22 review continues, permitting recycled-water use at the golf course for the 2025 irrigation season; any future use at US Mine would require a revised Title 22 report, city endorsement and updated regional permits.","taxTitle","Ione, Amador County, California","taxId",79263,"location","California","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6521214,"Ione council adopts sewer rate study under Prop 218, sets first-year residential charge at $60",4356,2540000,6896000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc&start=2540&end=6896","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc/thumbnail_2540000.jpg","/articles/6521214/California/Ione-council-adopts-sewer-rate-study-under-Prop-218-sets-first-year-residential-charge-at-60","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521214-a0ef713487899ce3b36b133a31f95a5e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203418&Signature=LiytDopj2kBT3BjpRGTyPOaVvrsyF4wbw4t-LGEPNeMrKLOYzQjjMLrmn8TxHQKSF1kICn6A00YzzsChW25MiIMmkdE0GNssTR45hnwws69BLzghLRwIwPZhmcvpdEn65l0~VDS~cxZZTLD1AD8X4Ynpq8tBSEeNcuPZc8Q57bzsBZs3AbTtO3uUk-401Zz83KuFYT5g1nKDUM04ow2LBJqMfxQo-De1mXPhd5r78XjDFzf-kV42ubUBy8aF4xB5SX0wFLNIM2c3~i7PaaxltnwdHQi5jgrTeUETj1gyyU-8yDLHJScZs28c3HtncA7mIzY1PkfY74MAY6V4W~4yKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ione City Council on a unanimous voice vote adopted a five‑year sewer rate schedule developed by consultant Willdan Financial Services and set the first‑year monthly equivalent residential unit charge at $60 (an increase of $19.30 from current rates). Consultant Chris Fisher summarized the study during a public hearing and said the city’s existing rates, last changed in 2004, no longer produce sufficient revenue to meet operating costs, capital projects and debt-service coverage.

Fisher told the council the study used a five‑year revenue sufficiency analysis, a cost‑of‑service allocation and a capital improvement project list. He said the city faces nearly $22.9 million in sewer capital needs over the next five years, including treatment-plant, collection-system and rehabilitation projects, and that without rate increases the city’s operating reserves and debt-service coverage would fall below policy targets within a few years. \"The revenues are not enough to meet the expenditures,\" Fisher said during his presentation.

The city mailed 3,431 notices representing 2,441 properties as required by Proposition 218; the clerk reported 58 written protests received before the hearing was opened. Fisher and staff explained the Prop 218 tabulation method: one protest per parcel counts toward the majority‑protest threshold of 1,221 parcels. After public comment and council discussion, a councilmember moved to adopt the rate study and implement an initial monthly ERU charge of $60 for the coming fiscal year; the motion was seconded and carried by unanimous vote of members present.

Residents and several speakers urged more modest or phased increases and raised process concerns. Multiple residents said the projected five‑year increases — which some calculated as about 190% in total — would be unaffordable for people on fixed incomes and argued the city should adopt smaller increases and revisit the schedule sooner. Several speakers also said the mailed notice language and the absence of a separate ballot form made the protest process confusing; staff and the consultant responded that Proposition 218 prescribes a written‑protest procedure for utility rates and does not require a returned ballot (a different process applies to assessments).

Council members said rates had been held down for two decades in part because development and new hookups kept average revenues higher; they also discussed alternatives such as approving smaller increases now and re‑evaluating in two to three years. The council approved the consulting recommendation to adopt the rate study as the maximum schedule for each of the next five years and to set the FY26 (next fiscal year) charge at $60 for an ERU. Staff and the consultant reiterated that the council may implement amounts up to those maximums in later years but is not required to adopt the full increases in future years.

Action: The council adopted the rate study under the Proposition 218 public‑hearing process and set the first‑year ERU monthly charge at $60; vote was recorded as unanimous by the members present.

Ending: Staff said it will tabulate and finalize protests in writing, implement the FY26 rate for next year and return to council as required for future years’ implementation and any further adjustments.","After a public hearing under California’s Proposition 218, the Ione City Council adopted a five‑year sewer rate study and set the first-year equivalent residential unit monthly charge at $60; the decision follows public concern about affordability, protest-process clarity and reserve needs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6521220,"Amador Water Agency plans pipeline to US Mine to dispose of backwash, says move will cut capital costs",1395,210000,1605000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc&start=210&end=1605","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5109633-65ee8ba60bee841345cd0e6f28f90dcc/thumbnail_210000.jpg","/articles/6521220/California/Amador-Water-Agency-plans-pipeline-to-US-Mine-to-dispose-of-backwash-says-move-will-cut-capital-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521220-cb7d85c15f2bb37e87dd470ccb94aec0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203418&Signature=AFmvMiLPfc2JEFfYnxSlaEZol3nz3bCbnfLO-hJBJGeEFf1QyKacQz-RCkxPSeCDGUX-zeqSFyXFJYQXiISPxTchMVnRLXNdK~KdvoLz-czGAIPMQx7NQ68wxVnwW3F00ewRd~lZ436Q4KPUl8ln5qpOqdYdrc3qdtEXc8N-hn2KgnRauFa8zw53BV5toAcKDeW3ts6Knr2P7JrbE5n-WqYRh1U8DYbQ6ivqFJXJ1vg5I-3EA1HMi~uxYpFp-F8UCP~myt~Vu02uVv3N5IzM~qEK0ir4IKEd2Ffh28Qlkai8cIljqMQppmCb2ylG5f3qTvtc91xSTs79xoVaSUfyOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Larry Rose, a representative of Amador Water Agency, told the Ione City Council the agency plans to build a pipeline to deliver filter backwash to US Mine for beneficial reuse, rather than trucking the waste or discharging it to the city sewer system. \"The backwash water is considered wastewater. It's not municipal wastewater. It's not, like, domestic sewage, but it is considered wastewater from a regulatory perspective,\" Rose said.

Rose said the agency currently produces about 75,000 gallons per day of backwash, recycles roughly 90% inside the plant and sends about 7,500 gallons per day to the city's sewer system. Expanding the Ione treatment plant will increase backwash volumes and the agency has concluded it cannot indefinitely rely on the city's constrained sewer capacity. The agency has reached an agreement with US Mine to accept backwash and plans to construct a new pipeline to the mine property.

The agency characterized the arrangement as an avoided capital expense: taking the pipeline-and-connection option reduces the estimated backwash-handling cost from about $11,000,000 at a previous site to approximately $5,400,000 at the mine connection. Rose said the agency has spent about $350,000 on design and forecasted spending roughly $2.5 million on construction in the coming fiscal year. He also described a larger treatment-plant project, at about $19,890,000, and said the board's FY26 budget anticipates spending $9.5 million on that work.

US Mine representatives addressed the council during public comment. Brady Barto, who identified himself as part of ownership and management at US Mine, said the company had agreed to take the backwash after discussions with the water agency but stressed the arrangement was not a guaranteed supply or a profit center. \"We're taking it from there. We're spending the money. We're building the pipes inside, and we are obligated to take the water,\" Barto said, adding the mine could receive no water in some years depending on agency production.

During public comment, residents asked whether the pipeline would require new easements across city property and Howard Park, how the city would be compensated and whether US Mine would receive free water. Rose said parts of the alignment already have easements but other segments need new real-property interests; the agency expects to pay fair market value for any easements it needs to acquire. \"Along the alignment of the pipeline that we're planning to construct, there are parts of it where we already have easements, but there are parts that we don't. And so we need to clean that up and make sure that we have the proper real property interest to put a pipeline that's public that's publicly owned by the water agency in there,\" Rose said.

Some residents voiced concern that the mine could receive an ongoing supply for free. Rose and Barto both disputed that the arrangement primarily benefited US Mine. Rose said the reduced capital cost would lower the agency's revenue needs and therefore be financially superior for ratepayers. Barto said the company did not buy the water for industrial use as part of its operations and that accepting the backwash was not currently a money-making activity for the mine.

Council members and residents also raised questions about capacity and fees. Rose explained that capacity (connection) fees were reviewed and changed in 2021 and that a consultant is recalculating capacity fees as part of a current rate study. He described the agency's long-range financial plan and said the board expects to pursue bonds, apply for a federal low-interest loan and use previously issued bonds to finance roughly $70,000,000 of projects across its service area.

The council took no formal action on the Amador Water Agency presentation. Council members asked to be kept informed about future steps on easements and any city approvals that the agency may request.

Ending: The water agency said it would continue design work and bring property and easement requests to the appropriate bodies as necessary. Residents who pressed for more detail on easements and the distribution of benefits were told the city council would receive specific requests when the agency seeks city action or property interests.","Amador Water Agency told the Ione City Council its plan to send water-treatment backwash to US Mine via a new pipeline would avoid trucking, cut project costs by about $5 million and reduce sewer discharges that limit plant expansion; council and residents asked about easements, local benefit and oversight.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State, regional boards give conditional OK for Ione’s tertiary plant to irrigate golf course; use at US Mine would need additional approvals

Ione council adopts sewer rate study under Prop 218, sets first-year residential charge at $60

Amador Water Agency plans pipeline to US Mine to dispose of backwash, says move will cut capital costs