Ione says Title 22 report submitted and wellwater supplying Castle Oaks as city manages golf course transition

Ione City Council members heard updates May 20 that the city has assumed interim financial responsibility for Castle Oaks Golf Club while Troon manages daily operations, and that the city has submitted a Title 22 engineering report for the tertiary wastewater plant that supplies recycled water to the course. City consultants and contractors have built a temporary interconnect that is conveying well water to the golf course while the tertiary plant remains offline.

The update matters because the course’s reopening, marketing and any sale depend on reliable irrigation and regulatory approval. Michelle Chester, special counsel to the city, said the Title 22 report has been submitted to state and regional water authorities and that coordination is ongoing with ARSA and CDCR staff and counsel. "The city of Ione through its consultant submitted its Title 22 engineering report related to operation of the Castle Oaks Wastewater Facility," Chester said.

City Manager George Lee told the council the city is covering the golf club’s financial obligations during the transition and is working with Troon to keep operations running. "The city of Ione has taken over the financial responsibility of the Castle Oaks golf club during the interim," Lee said. He said Troon is managing operations and that the city will report additional developments at the next council meeting.

Public commenters urged clearer outreach and faster action. One resident said the city "had a good chance to make some money on that course" during the interim and criticized a lack of public notice about the course reopening and unclear membership and cart-fee information. Lee and staff said Troon has been directed to publicize the reopening but that Troon raised concerns that marketing commitments could bind future buyers.

The council heard technical and operational detail from Justin, who identified himself as the manager for Waterstone Services and the contractor operating the wastewater facilities. He reported the sand filters at the tertiary plant "are operating like new," that an interconnect has moved more than a million gallons in the last week and a half, and that the groundwater well has been supplying about 200,000 gallons per day to the system. "We're basically using the tertiary plant right now as a conveyance system," Justin said. He also reported running a COD test that returned non-detect and an in-house pH reading of 7.6; additional bacteria and VOC samples were sent to a lab and results will be shared with city staff.

Justin described equipment issues that have limited throughput and said a permanent repair to a gate valve has been authorized; once fixed he said flows could be ramped to roughly 450,000 gallons per day. Members of the public and council pressed for clarity on which parts of the course are receiving irrigation and for faster regulatory action because some fairways and tee boxes were visibly dry. One resident warned that delaying repairs and approvals would lengthen recovery time for bermudagrass fairways.

Chester and other staff described multi-party coordination on the Title 22 submission. The State Water Board Division of Drinking Water and the regional board are reviewing the report; regional board staff recommended measuring groundwater and tracking deliveries, and the city is following that guidance. Chester said the regional board, ARSA and CDCR have been contacted and are aware of the submission and ongoing tracer-study results. On questions about Sutter Creek and possible fines, Chester said coordination is ongoing and that, for now, the city is deferring certain enforcement or emergency-declaration steps to ARSA and other regional partners while offering to coordinate letters or support.

Several members of the public asked whether consultant West Yost (sometimes referenced in the record as WestYost) had delayed the Title 22 submittal. Chester and the city manager said the tracer study required coordination, that initial tracer testing revealed repairs that city staff addressed quickly, and that the final tracer study was completed and incorporated into the Title 22 report prior to submission. The city manager said ultimate responsibility for managing consultants rests with the city.

Council members and staff emphasized the work done in the last two weeks to keep water moving to the course. Dan Epperson, a county supervisor who spoke during public comment, briefed the council on county budget and outreach offers and said he could assist with emergency-letter coordination if asked. Multiple council members praised public-works, fire and city staff for rapid efforts to interconnect the well, stabilize pumps and maintain delivery to the golf course while regulatory review proceeds.

No substantive policy change or ordinance was adopted on May 20 regarding Castle Oaks; the council received updates and directed staff to continue coordination with Troon, the Hahn Foundation and potential purchasers, the regional water board, ARSA and CDCR, and to return with updates. Staff said they will report lab VOC/bacteria results and any material changes to operations at the next meeting.

Votes at the meeting were primarily procedural. The council approved the agenda, approved the consent calendar, moved one agenda item (item 6) to the next meeting, authorized release of a request for proposals for city engineering services, and later adjourned by voice vote. The council did not take a formal vote on any sale, lease or final long-term agreement for Castle Oaks during the May 20 session.