Amador Water Agency

AWA wishes you more treats than tricks... Have a safe and fun Halloween!

SAFE & HEALTHY DRINKING WATER IN SCHOOLS In anticipation of the re-opening of Amador County school sites, AWA staff has been assisting ACUSD personnel with best practices for flushing water lines that may have been left stagnant during the quarantine. AWA Water Distribution Supervisor Kreg Miller recently demonstrated how to test the water after flushing in a virtual meeting with staff from Amador County Unified School District, and Amador County Public Health and Environmental Health Depts. AWA stands ready to assist maintenance staff to provide safe, healthy water at schools and public buildings as they prepare to receive students for in-person learning.

A New Fire-Resistant Storage Tank for Pine Acres! AWA recently replaced two old redwood water storage tanks at Pine Acres with a new welded steel tank. Redwood tanks are vulnerable to wildfire. This FEMA-funded hazard mitigation project replaces these vulnerable redwood tanks with steel tanks composed of fire resistant material.

It’s Fall Enjoy the Outdoors at Lake Tabeau and the Moke River Two great places to take the family for a fall hike also are important sources of drinking water for Amador County. The Mokelumne River can be explored from Electra Road on the Amador County side and from the Big Bar Launch on the Calaveras County side of the river. Enjoy wildlife watching, walking, and fishing at the Moke River, source of public water for most of Amador County.... Lake Tabeau (on Tabeau Road east of Jackson), is managed by PG&E and stores water for the Amador Water System and PG&E’s Electra Power Plant. Parking, picnic area, fishing and trails around the lake are all open to the public. Mokelumne River water from PG&E’s high country Tiger Creek facility flows through a pipeline to Lake Tabeau and then to AWA’s Tanner Water Treatment Plant in Sutter Hill.

Prepare your landscape irrigation for winter ... Shorter days, cooler temperatures and plants going into dormancy mean a decreased need for water in the garden. If you have automatic landscape watering set up, you can reduce your watering frequency or switch to manual operation. To avoid damage from freezing, shut off, drain and insulate your system before cold temperatures arrive. Anything above ground and not covered by the control box is susceptible to freezing damage. Watch the weather and the long-term forecasts to know when the time is right to shut down your irrigation system. Most years, you’ll want to turn it off by Halloween.

The AWA office will be closed Monday, October 12 in observance of Columbus Day. Regular Customer Service hours will resume on Tuesday, October 13th (the AWA Customer Service office remains closed to the public due to COVID-19 protections). In case of a service emergency, call 209-223-3018 and the answering service will deliver your information to the on-call field staff. If you would like to make a payment, you may make payments by phone (209-223-3018, option 2), online (AmadorWater.org) or by leaving a check in the drop box located outside the Agency office.

NO BACKFLOW Cross Connections Can Create Health Hazards A cross connection is a point in a plumbing system where your treated drinking water is, or could be, connected to a non-potable water source. Non-potable sources include wells, irrigation systems, livestock troughs, swimming pools, and solar heating and fire sprinkling systems. HOW DOES BACKFLOW OCCUR? By back-siphonage and back-pressure both common in rural areas. Back-siphonage occurs when the public water supp...ly pressure drops and pulls water back from the customer’s premises (for example, when a fire hydrant is turned on). Back-pressure is created when there is a sudden increase in pressure in the customer’s system. This could be from a pump or other means of increasing pressure. ANNUAL TESTING REQUIREMENT: State law requires annual testing to assure that the devices are operating as designed. AWA Customer Service can provide you with a list of certified testers. AWA staff will perform annual testing if the homeowner is delinquent in the testing schedule. The fee for AWA testing is usually higher than a licensed backflow assembly tester’s. NEED HELP? Call AWA customer service, 209-223-3018, for more information.

Fun Water Fact: The amount of salt in salt water varies. In a gallon of average ocean water, there is about 1 cup of salt. But it does vary. The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, for instance. Most of the salt in the ocean is the same kind of salt we put on our food: sodium chloride. The saltiest water in the world is found in Antarctica in a small lake named Don Juan Pond. Source: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/10-things-water/

Water less during shorter days

Are AWA offices still closed to customers? Yes. For safety, our offices remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Protecting AWA staff from a COVID-19 outbreak is critical to providing essential water and wastewater service to the community. But we’re still here to help! First, check out AmadorWater.org. Chances are you can get what you need done there. You also can email [email protected] or call us at 209-223-3018. We’re here in person 8 a.m.4:30 p.m., MondayFriday.

We are ready for power outages AWA is prepared for loss of power in any of our service areas, no matter what the cause. It’s our job to ensure that water continues to be delivered to your tap, and wastewater systems can operate. AWA has made major investments to acquire additional back-up generators and increase the resiliency of our critical infrastructure. Here’s how you can help during a power outage: To help AWA maintain service to all its customers, please restrict yo...ur water use to critical health and safety needs Keep an emergency supply of drinking water available watch for information on this Facebook page, and stay tuned to local KVGC Radio (1340 AM & 96.5 FM) for public safety and PG&E updates Ensure your contact information with AWA is up to date by contacting customer service at [email protected] or by phone at 209-223-3018. See more

CELEBRATE Labor Day! AWA joins you in the annual celebration of the labor movement in America and the many achievements of working people throughout the history of the United States. So that our employees can enjoy the holiday with friends and family, AWA Customer Service will be closed Monday, September 7th. Regular Customer Service hours will resume on Tuesday, September 8th (the AWA Customer Service office remains closed to the public due to COVID-19 protections). In case of a service emergency, call 209-223-3018 and the answering service will deliver your information to the on-call field staff. If you would like to make a payment, you may make payments by phone (209-223-3018, option 2), online (AmadorWater.org) or by leaving a check in the drop box located outside the Agency office.

Ever wondered why the Kennedy Tailing Wheels in Jackson were built? The iconic symbols of Amador County gold production were environmental pioneers during the hard rock mining era of the early 20th century. These massive structures were built in 1914 to protect the water quality in Jackson Creek and below. The wheels lifted mine tailings from the Kennedy Mine stamp mill over two hills to a containment area constructed to prevent the tailings from reaching streams and creeks and polluting the valley floor. No longer could the mines dump their wastes into the rivers and streams, polluting the water and causing serious flood dangers to the farmers in the valleys below. (Photo courtesy Kennedy Mine Foundation.)

Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority Marks 20th Year Celebrating two decades of protecting water quality, water supply, and the health of the Mokelumne River Watershed ...Continue reading