This year the County Ag Dept will be spraying approximately 3 – 4 ft along each side of our roads to prevent encroachment by weeds.
If anyone prefers that their property frontage not be sprayed or prefer to do it themselves, please contact Brenda in the Public Works office #754-6402
Regards,
Jeane Kennedy
Road Committee
Many of you will have received this in the mail, but here’s a digital copy of the latest news from the folks at RMK Mine:
What’s for sale in the Diamond XX?
Want to keep track of the ever-changing Diamond XX real estate market? I’ve added a link in the Information section (over on the right) to PMZ’s listing of acreages in Copperopolis, which is mostly Diamond XX properties. Enjoy browsing & dreaming!
JP
Remember the storm of 2006? Diamond XX suffered over $1,000,000 in damage and parts of our community were trapped by roads that had washed out. Our area was declared a disaster area and FEMA agreed to help finance the repair of our roads.
Five years later, Public Works has finally received two checks from FEMA totaling $338,426 as reimbursement for the road repairs that were done in Diamond XX after the 2006 storms.
Jeanne Kennedy
I was just informed that one of our neighbors had an attempted break-in while they were away. Fortunately the would-be burglar(s) set off the alarm before gaining entry, but they left a coat hanger jammed in a patio door. The Calaveras Sherrif’s office is on the case, but we should all be watchful and don’t hesitate to call in suspicious activity.
JP
Basically the water board is working on “de-designating” the groundwater under the RMK site from its current MUNI designation, as evidence supports that it has always been salty. RMK and the water board seem to be in agreement on this course of action. This de-designation means it will be easier for RMK to wrap up the closing of the mine. The voluntary surveys about the wells in the DiamondXX are for supporting the assertion that our area has salty groundwater in places. As the surrounding area is called “Salt Springs,” this would seem to be self-evident, but apparently the surveys would add support to this.
An issue that we each have to consider is what might happen with the data that the water board collects. While they gave us assurances it would only be used for the above purpose, It doesn’t take too much imagination to see how a report of poor wells in our area could become a problem, even if you have a great well on your property, as many of us do.
So let your conscience, your common sense, and your natural rural skepticism be your guide as you decide if you want to turn in the survey. The RMK guy at the meeting said they are NOT requesting that we fill out the surveys, so don’t feel any obligation on their part.
The water board people said residents and property owners could also write or email information apart from the survey. Here is their info:
– Sue McConnell, P.E., smcconnell@waterboards.ca.gov, 916 464-4798 (Senior Engineer)
– Patrick Pulupa ppulupa@waterboards.ca.gov, 916-341-5189 (Staff Counsel)
– Gene Davis, gmdavis@waterboards.ca.gov, 916-464-4687 (Geologist)
Thanks to the water board and RMK for having the meeting and clarifying things, and thanks especially to Sue for bringing zucchini bread!
By the way, please submit any comments to this article. I have to review comments before they appear on the site, as we have had spam problems in the past, so it may take a day or so for your comment to show up.
Jim
Reminder about the Water Control meeting
A meeting concerning Diamond XX residents has been scheduled by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
It will be held at the Copperopolis Fire Department Saturday, August 20, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Please let your neighbors know about this meeting so that everyone’s questions & concerns can be addressed.
Hi all,
The following was submitted by Adam Whitman as a comment to the previous article, but I thought I would post it as a separate item to ensure everyone got a chance to read it.
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I received this email from Sue McConnell:
Hi Jim,I read your recent article about the meeting on August 20th and wanted to provide a few clarifications. The meeting is scheduled from 10 to noon. Water Board staff will be there to discuss the groundwater issues in the area and answer any questions the public might have about our proposed project. Please see the attached notice for additional information.Thanks,SueSue McConnell, P.E.Senior Engineer
Central Valley Water Board
11020 SunCenter Drive, Suite 200
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-6114
smcconnell@waterboards.ca.gov
(916) 464-4798
Download the attachment here:
A meeting concerning Diamond XX residents has been scheduled by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
It will be held at the Copperopolis Fire Department Saturday, August 20, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Please let your neighbors know about this meeting so that everyone’s questions & concerns can be addressed.