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Where is Wastewater ID#1?

AWA's Wastewater ID#1 system includes Fairway Pines, Tiger Creek Estates, Gayla Manor, Wildwood Estates, Surrey Junction, Jackson Pines, Pine Grove, Viewpoint Estates, & Eagles Nest.

About Prop 218

Proposition 218 allows ratepayers to protest water rate increases. If a majority of ratepayers protest an increase, the rates cannot be raised. Ratepayers do have the ultimate say in whether their rates will go up or not.
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Success Stories

Read about local ratepayers who have successfully protested rate increases.
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AWA Board Approves Loan to Wastewater ID#1

Unknown to Amador Water System (AWS) ratepayers, the AWA Board loaned AWS funds to pay for operational deficits in the Wastewater ID#1 system. This is not a new loan, but replaces a loan that was supposed to be repaid in 2006. RPA member Bill Condrashoff warned the board that AWA does not know its restricted account balance, which could be negative. He also warned that because AWA does not know the AWS restricted reserve balance, the funds may be coming from another source, such as the AWS operational reserves. On June 28, 2012, the Board unanimously approved the loan from the AWS restricted reserve account.

AWS reserves, and reserves from the Martell Wastewater system, have been loaned to other systems, while ratepayers in the AWS and Martell systems were paying increased fees. No accounting for those loans was made until 2010, and the balances in the reserve accounts are not known. Although ratepayers have expressed concerns about accurately accounting for funds, the Directors are continuing the practices that have resulted in AWA’s current financial uncertainty.

 

AWA Board Suspends Wastewater Increase, Avoids Prop 218

On June 28, 2012, the AWA Board voted to suspend, rather than eliminate, a 9% rate increase to Wastewater ID#1 customers. Suspending the rate increase allows the Board to simply increase the rate by up to 9% at any time without following the Proposition 218 process. If the board had chosen to eliminate the rate increase, AWA would be required to follow Prop 218 for future rate increases, giving ID#1 customers the right to protest.

As part of our broader goal of making AWA accountable for the money they receive from ratepayers, RPA asked that the increase be eliminated (rather than suspended). Rates to ID#1 customers were increased by 28% over the last three years, even though costs have been reduced. Ratepayers in other systems not scheduled for rate increases are also paying substantially more in their bills than it actually costs to run their systems.

AWA Wastewater System Map