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Monday, 30 March 2009 |
 Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors last Thursday voted unanimously to oppose the East Bay Municipal Utility District in its proposal to expand Pardee Lake dam. General Manager Abercrombie said that East Bay MUD preferred the Pardee Lake expansion, to its other water supply solutions in the 2040 plan. Abercrombie said Amador County is growing and the projected needs of for water total 20,000 acre feet, but Chairman Terence Moore said that need could be 30,000 acre feet, when studies are done. Moore pointed out that East Bay MUD’s plan includes 370,000 acre-feet of water, which they want to store, but do not have the rights to store. He cited the 1959 agreement between East Bay MUD and Amador and Calaveras counties, which prevents East Bay MUD from making any project on the Mokelumne River without approval from both counties. Pete Bell, president of the Foothill Conservancy, said his attorney was still reviewing the agreement but thinks AWA has “the authority to stop them from acquiring new water rights, but you don’t have the authority to stop them from raising the dam.” Bell said raising a dam in the Valley “was too politically unpopular, so they came to the Upcountry, and found out last week that they are facing opposition here too.” Bell said the engineering is sufficient, the project lack in legal rights, and “financial cost effectiveness.” Bell said raising Pardee dam raises fish passage issues and reopens the East Bay agency’s federal license and accompanying settlement agreement to downstream parties. AWA Vice Chairman Bill Condrashoff said he did “not think this is about water rights” or the Conjunctive Use Project. He thought it was “about flooding parts of the Mokelumne River.” He said if they don’t get in their comments about the plan now, it might be too late, when the comment period closes April 8. The East Bay MUD 2040 plan hosts another public meeting 6:30 p.m. today at the San Andreas Town Hall, 24 Church Hill Road. To comment, e-mail
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Story by Jim Reece
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