Williams officials asking state water board for $17M loan

Williams officials will caravan Tuesday, hats in hand, to Sacramento to make a plea to the California Water Resources Control Board for a $17 million loan to build the wastewater treatment plant.

All five members of the City Council, the city administrator, financial consultant and plant engineer hope to quell any lingering concerns the state has about the city's financial troubles.

The wastewater project was derailed by the state after a Colusa County grand jury investigation uncovered negligent financial controls, city officials said.

In 1999, federal and state wastewater treatment regulations were designed to promote cleaner water. Williams has been out of compliance since December 2005, and has been subjected to severe penalties.

Jack DelConte, a board spokesman, said at the time that Williams had hundreds of violations and was fined a minimum of $3,000 for each violation, adding up to more than $2.1 million.