No fatal flaw was found Tuesday in an official projection that water service to a Gold Rush Ranch subdivision would not overtax the supply system of Amador Water Agency.

Gold Rush Ranch attorney Eric Robinson was among the audience, and water customer Dave Wardall told agency directors he feared litigation against AWA if directors failed to back an analysis favorable to the project's developers.

Close scrutiny by directors of figures used by staff members in preparing a document called a water supply assessment turned up several arguable flaws in the document, which projects local water use out to the year 2030, including use at a Gold Rush Ranch subdivision.

A sticking point is the agency's inability to pipe water at more than 30 cubic feet per second. The existing water-service assessment says the addition of Gold Rush Ranch customers would not require any capacity greater than that. Board Vice President Bill Condrashoff said that when taken together, arguable flaws undermine the reliability of the assessment.

"The 16 cubic feet per second starting point is low - even the 900 gallons a day peak use (per household) could be questioned," Condrashoff said. "All the little things add up. They all go in the same direction. Are we picking numbers to make this (Gold Rush Ranch) work? Is that what's happening?"

Gene Mancebo, engineering and planning manager, had an answer for each of Condrashoff's queries. Many revolved around what emerged as another sticking point - especially for audience members. That was the fact that, as Mancebo acknowledged, the water-service assessment did not take into account the totality of residential development that most in Amador County expect to occur before 2030.

"I don't see how you've calculated in cities' expansion and growth," said Jackson resident Judy Jebian. "For example, Jackson has many developments proposed."

Condrashoff had raised a similar criticism, to which Mancebo answered, "We only consider those projects with entitlements, or that are likely to be considered, not other growth not even conceived of now," Mancebo said.

That is what state Department of Water Resources guidelines require in a water-services assessment document, he said. Mancebo referred to the assessment as a "project-centered" analysis.

The water agency deals in a second, entirely separate fashion with maximum anticipated growth for the county, Mancebo said. He said under state law, anticipatory projections of growth can figure only in what is called an Urban Water Management Plan, a type of document the agency also must produce regularly.

A majority of directors ultimately concluded that the water-services assessment was reliable in projecting that the agency's 30 cfs piping capacity would not be exceeded by a combination of existing demand and developments that, as is Gold Rush Ranch, are firmly contemplated.

"I'm not seeing any fatal flaw," said Director Gary Thomas.

A vote to take no further action on the Gold Rush water-services assessment passed 3-1, supported by directors Thomas, Terry Moore and Don Cooper. Condrashoff dissented and Director Debbie Dunn abstained.

Directors passed Dunn's motion for a board workshop to improve the agency's process of producing water-service assessments.