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