Statement by City Manager, George Lee:
There have been recent statements by a councilmember accusing the City of Ione of allowing a private company to take raw water from Amador Water Agency (AWA) at the expense of the City.
I can assure all residents that this is patently false. The water line in question runs toward the company's property, but is cut off so that it doesn't feed into company operations. The water line does, however, feed a critical City fire hydrant in front of the property. Without water to the hydrant, residents and businesses would be in danger.
Allegations that fluctuations in water pressure and usage are a result of water being delivered to the company via this water line are simply not true. These fluctuations are due to old and leaking pipes - an issue that the City has been working hard to fix. For example, the City recently secured a grant from AWA to replace old irrigation lines at Howard Park.
Further, the allegation that the City is making deals with AWA without following proper procedure is equally false. As stated by Councilmember Jack Mitchell, "Apparently, some on the Council have chosen to misinform and misdirect the public...to believe it is a done deal, or a backroom deal, which is not the case. Those members chose not to attend the open house tour or speak with AWA. Additionally, they didn’t listen when AWA attended our City Council meeting and explained all of this. In short, what is being looked at are ways to increase capacity for AWA, allowing for potential increases in demand, without passing on millions in infrastructure to the taxpayer."
One of my priorities as City Manager is to protect the reputation of the City of Ione and provide clear, factual information to residents. Our Fire Department Chief, Ken Mackey, who is very familiar with the situation and who has previously presented this information to the Council, will appear again at the next Council meeting to clarify all of the facts. And for the peace of mind of all residents, I am sharing below a photo of the water line in question - cut off and collecting dirt, not delivering water to a private company at the expense of taxpayers as alleged.