minutes
Regular Meeting
Governing Board of Sweetwater Authority
June 27, 2007
The Governing Board of Sweetwater Authority held a regular meeting on
Wednesday, June 27, 2007, at the Sweetwater Authority Administrative Office, 505
Garrett Avenue, Chula Vista, California. Chair Beauchamp called the meeting to
order at 3:30 p.m.
• ROLL CALL
Directors Present: Beauchamp, Doud, Morrison, Pocklington, Thomas, and Welsh
Directors Absent: Alkire
Others Present: General Manager/Treasurer Bostad, Operations Manager Rogers,
Legal Counsel Cowett*, Treasurer Delegatee Farrow, and Board Secretary
Schoonderwoerd. Staff members: Rick Alexander, Cynthia Berndt, Janet Gonzalez,
Mark Hatcher, Sue King, Bill Olson, George Silva, Jim Smyth, Don Thomson, and
Tom Woodrum
Also present: Attorneys Don Detisch and Tanya Shome*, Law Offices of Don
Detisch, and Lynn Wurbs
• PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Chair Beauchamp conducted the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
• OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT (Government Code Section (54954.3)
There were no members of the public present.
• CHAIR’S PRESENTATION
There was none.
ACTION CALENDAR ITEMS
1. ITEMS TO BE ADDED, WITHDRAWN, OR REORDERED IN THE AGENDA
Due to the delay in arrival of Attorneys Detisch and Shome for the scheduled
Closed Session, Chair Beauchamp moved Item 4, Approval of Minutes, to Item 2, on
the agenda and reordered the Closed Session to Item 4.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Doud, that the
Governing Board approve the minutes of the June 13, 2007 regular meeting. The
motion carried.
B. Director Thomas made a motion, seconded by Director Pocklington, that the
Governing Board approve the minutes of the June 14, 2007 adjourned meeting. The
motion carried.
3. REPORT ON WATER QUALITY RELATIVE TO PUBLIC HEALTH GOALS AND MAXIMUM
CONTAMINANT LEVEL GOALS
Mark Hatcher, Laboratory Supervisor
General Manager Bostad introduced Mr. Hatcher to present an overview of
Sweetwater Authority’s “2007 Report on Water Quality Relative to Public Health
Goals and Maximum Contaminant Level Goals.” He explained that Public Health
Goals (PHG) are California, non-enforceable, health-based standards that are set
at a concentration level at which no known or anticipated adverse health effects
will occur. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maximum Contaminant
Level Goals (MCLGs) are the federal equivalent of the California-based PHGs. The
PHG Report is due July 1, 2007. The Report must include a review of the Consumer
Confidence Report data for the years 2004-2006; any contaminants detected above
their PHG or MCLG level; and the health risk category and numerical health risk
associated with each of these contaminants. Best Available Technologies (BATs)
must be described and cost estimates and recommendations for further action must
be provided.
NOTE: Attorneys Detisch and Shome and Counsel Cowett arrived at 3:34 p.m.
Mr. Hatcher noted that Board approval is required for this Report and a
Public Hearing must be held to accept and address public comment. The summary of
detections for the 2004-06 time period includes heavy metals such as arsenic and
beryllium, which occur naturally in the environment, as well as lead and copper,
which result from corrosion of internal household plumbing lines and fixtures.
Also detected were naturally occurring radiological contaminants such as uranium
and radium-228, as well as gross alpha and gross beta radiation. Chlorite is a
disinfection by-product formed whenever chlorine dioxide is added to drinking
water for disinfection purposes, and coliform bacteria are used as a surrogate
indicator for the potential presence of pathogenic organisms within the
distribution system. Mr. Hatcher reported one detection for total coliform in
2005 and two detections in 2006. He noted that the repeat sample sets for these
positive detections were all negative, which indicates that the contamination
was introduced externally, either during sampling and/or analysis, and was not
in the drinking water in the Authority’s distribution system pipes. He added
that close to 2,000 coliform samples are taken each year, and to have only one
or two detections is very good.
The categories of health risk that must be included in the Report are
carcinogenicity, which has been associated with long-term exposure at very high
concentration levels of arsenic, uranium, gross alpha and gross beta radiation;
chronic toxicity, which is associated with long-term exposure at very high
concentration levels of chlorite, beryllium, and lead; and acute toxicity, which
has been associated with short-term exposure at very high concentration levels
of copper. Mr. Hatcher noted that these health effects occur at much higher
concentration levels than are in the Authority’s drinking water. Numerical
health risk data must also be included and includes theoretical calculations
extrapolated from animal studies with an additional margin of safety. The actual
risk may be lower, or even zero, compared to the theoretically calculated
numerical health risk numbers. Best Available Technologies (BATs) are treatment
techniques that could potentially be used to reduce the level of the detected
contaminants to below their PHG or MCLG levels. Sweetwater Authority already has
a number of BATs in place, and these include coagulation/filtration at the
Perdue Treatment Plant, reverse osmosis at the Reynolds Desalination Facility,
chemical reduction of chlorite at the Perdue Treatment Plant, and optimized
corrosion control at all facilities. The cost to install additional BATs is
costly at $209 per acre-foot for Ion exchange at the National City Wells and
$900 per acre-foot for reverse osmosis.
In conclusion, Mr. Hatcher reported that the Authority’s water meets all
state and federal drinking water standards and is safe to drink. It would be
difficult to quantify the potential benefits of installing BATs, because it is
impossible to measure the levels for many of the contaminants detected at their
PHG or MCLG levels and, therefore, impossible to determine the effectiveness of
these treatment techniques. For this reason, no action is recommended at this
time by the Authority. Rather, capital should be invested where it will do the
most good, such as on infrastructure improvements and watershed protection. Mr.
Hatcher then answered various questions from the Board. Director Pocklington
expressed his appreciation to Mr. Hatcher for his thorough report.
Director Pocklington made a motion, seconded by Director Thomas, that the
Governing Board hold a Public Hearing for the purpose of accepting and
responding to public comment on the “2007 Report on Water Quality Relative to
Public Health Goals and Maximum Contaminant Level Goals” on July 25, 2007, at
3:30 p.m. The motion carried.
4. CLOSED SESSION
At 3:46 p.m., in compliance with Government Code Section 54956.9(a), the
Board recessed to convene in Closed Session to confer with Legal Counsel
regarding existing litigation on California Department of Transportation v.
Sweetwater Authority, Case No. GIC 838118-1 (C/W: GIC 838119-1 and GIC
838120-1). All persons left the room with the exception of the Governing Board,
Management Team, Legal Counsel, Board Secretary, and staff: Rick Alexander,
Debra Farrow, Bill Olson, George Silva, Jim Smyth, Don Thomson, and Tom Woodrum.
There were no minutes taken, and the session was not tape-recorded.
At 4:09 p.m., Chair Beauchamp declared the meeting to be in open session.
There was no reportable action.
5. APPROVAL OF DEMANDS AND WARRANTS
Director Doud made a motion, seconded by Director Morrison, that the
Governing Board approve Warrants 110361 through 110515 including all voided
checks. The motion carried.
6. FINANCE AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE (Meeting of June 18, 2007)
A. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Doud, that the
Governing Board approve the membership renewal in the Western Coalition of Arid
States (WESTCAS) and the payment of dues in the amount of $1,030, for the period
of July 1 through December 31, 2007, at which time WESTCAS will transition to
membership invoicing on a calendar year versus a fiscal year basis. The motion
carried.
B. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Pocklington, that the
Governing Board approve a contribution in the amount of $10,000 to fund the SARA
2007 holiday party with the stipulation that all employees, not just SARA
members, could attend free of charge. The motion carried.
C. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Doud, that the
Governing Board:
1. Approve a contract amendment in the amount of $306,868 to AMEC Earth &
Environmental, Inc., for the brine discharge monitoring evaluation;
2. Award a contract in the amount of $975,000 to CH2M HILL for final design and
environmental services;
3. Award contracts in the amounts of $74,090 and $50,000 to Timberline
Engineering and Enterprise Automation, respectively, for SCADA related design
work;
4. Award a sole-source contract in the amount of $15,000 to Coombs-Hopkins for
pilot work evaluating the treatment process to remove iron and manganese from
the groundwater;
5. Award a contract in the amount of $20,000 to Ken Keagy Real Estate for the
property appraisals for the future groundwater wells; and
6. Allocate funding in the amount of $128,218 from the Grant Funding Reserve,
and $42,740 from the Capital Contingency, subsequent to July 1, 2007, to cover
the deficit.
The motion carried.
7. ACWA ELECTION: CALL FOR CANDIDATE NOMINATIONS FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE
PRESIDENT – Deadline to submit nominations: September 4, 2007
None of the Directors expressed an interest in nomination as candidates for
these positions on the ACWA Board. No action was taken by the Board.
8. REPORT OF THE SOUTH BAY IRRIGATION DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE AND THE CITY OF
NATIONAL CITY REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY
Director Pocklington reported on several items of note to be considered by
the CWA Board at its meeting on June 28th. CWA will announce its “20-Gallon
Challenge” for volunteer water conservation, with Mayor Jerry Sanders present.
The Board will consider adoption of a position of support on AB 1420 (Laird), if
amended, with the bottom line concern being that local water agencies could lose
control of how costs/rates are determined. Another bill to be considered for
support, if amended, is AB 1435 (Salas), which requires a conservation rate
structure for metered services based on the amount of water used for other than
agriculture purposes. The author expressed willingness to work with affected
water agencies to resolve any issues the bill might raise, including retail
water agencies’ ability to set rates locally. Two outside water conservation
program agreements will be considered. MWD delegates will report on MWD’s $1.84
billion FY 2007-08 budget, which was passed earlier this month, as well as
updates on the state and MWD Water Supply Condition and the Delta pumping
shutdown. Approval of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Bureau of Land
Management and the Coachella Valley Water District to perform desert vegetation
restoration mitigation associated with the Coachella Canal Lining Project will
be considered.
A Public Hearing will be held to adopt CWA rates and charges for FY 2007-08
and calendar year 2008. Also to be considered is the adoption on a multi-year
recommended budget for FY 2007-08 and 2008-09. A funding recommendation totaling
$3.7 million for the Local Investigations and Studies Assistance Program – First
Funding Cycle, out of which Sweetwater Authority and Otay Water District are
scheduled for $1.5 million to study the San Diego Formation and possible future
desalination plants will be considered. The Board will consider agreements to
reimburse member agencies for additional treated water costs resulting from
modified operation of the First San Diego Aqueduct. A resolution will be
considered supporting the Carlsbad Desalination Project. Staff also recommends
authorizing letters of support for the project to be sent to the Governor, the
Coastal Commission, and other legislators, as well as appearing before
regulatory agencies in support of the project.
9. APPROVAL OF DIRECTORS’ ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
A. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Doud, that the
Governing Board approve per diem for Chair Beauchamp’s attendance at the June
18, 2007 planning meeting for the next Joint Board Meeting. The motion carried.
B. Director Doud made a motion, seconded by Director Morrison, that the
Governing Board approve per diem for all Directors to attend the Joint Board
Meeting for Helix Water District, Lakeside Water District, Otay Water District,
Padre Dam Municipal Water District, and Sweetwater Authority to be held on
Friday, July 20, 2007, 10:00 a.m., at the Richard A. Reynolds Desalination
Facility. The motion carried.
10. REPORTS BY DIRECTORS ON EVENTS ATTENDED
Director Thomas reported on the Council of Water Utilities meeting on June
19th. She stated that Steve Macaulay, Executive Director of the California Urban
Water Agencies, provided a PowerPoint presentation and a survey of the issues
related to the Delta and other Sacramento-driven projects.
Director Morrison reported on the National City Chamber of Commerce meeting
on June 20th which featured the St. Florian awards for firefighters of the year.
Director Beauchamp reported that he attended the reception at the recent
WESTCAS Summer Conference held on June 20-22. He noted that there was a larger
representation than at past conferences, and that Larry Libeu announced he is
stepping down as President. Director Pocklington added that it was stressed that
the best time to reach your elected officials is when they are home rather than
when they are in Washington and too involved in various committees. Director
Morrison agreed that they are more accessible at home, especially when long-term
projects are to be discussed. Director Pocklington added that Director Thomas
helped with a critique program and gave feedback for making some changes in the
future. Director Thomas stated that she attended three of their special
committee meetings - one on outreach, one on the legislative update, and the
third on issues dealing directly with water. One suggestion was to call them
workshops instead of committee meetings, so that the coalition members would be
more involved. Another suggestion dealt with extending the outreach for the arid
wastewater and water states, and of particular interest was the outreach to
desalination. Another outreach extension was storm water review and the
comparison between various state requirements. She believes this is a very
important outreach program. Director Pocklington added that Peter Carlson, the
WESTCAS lobbyist, stressed that funding is limited and competition is keen.
Director Welsh particularly enjoyed the talk by Robert Gottlieb. His
presentation was on infrastructure, and he shared memories of his service on the
MWD Board. She also observed that California takes for granted all the
protections it has in place compared to other states.
Director Thomas reported on her attendance at the Bonita Business and
Professional Association meeting on June 25th, and stated that Bonitafest will
take place September 29th. She added that the life members were honored at the
meeting and some history on their contributions was given. She announced an
invitation to the USS Bonita Cruise kick-off fundraiser to be held on August 4th
at the Bonita Golf Club.
11. BUDGET REPORT – DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FARROW
Report as of May 31, 2007. Director of Finance Farrow reported that Water
Revenue is $221,000, or 0.7 percent, over budget. Ms. Farrow stated that next
fiscal year she plans to expand the budget graphs and the reporting. Operating
Expenses are $251,000, or 1.0 percent, over budget, which means the net effect
is $30,000 on target for the budget. She added that next month’s report will
contain a more detailed analysis with results of the fiscal year accounting and
how we compare to budget. Ms. Farrow noted that MWD has completed the
reconciliation for 2005-06 and has projected out that Sweetwater Authority is
still eligible for the full $250 per –acre-foot credit on water purchase.
Director Pocklington requested that the MWD purchase be reported in more detail
in the future.
12. MANAGEMENT REPORT
A. Report of Operations Manager Rogers: Mr. Rogers displayed an article
published in the June 2007 American Society of Civil Engineers magazine titled
“Stemming the Flow of the Sweetwater Dam” and pointed out that this article gave
Sweetwater Authority some national press. He also gave some historical
background on James D. Schuyler, Engineer of the Sweetwater Dam project, and the
formation of Panama in the early 1900s.
B. Report of General Manager Bostad: Mr. Bostad asked Communications
Coordinator Sue King to present the Board with copies of the newly printed
2007-08 Sweetwater Authority Water Quality Report and Calendar. Ms. King stated
that close to 70,000 will be mailed out this week to the Authority’s service
area. Extra copies will be available for community events and for the lobby. She
also credited the many efforts of staff in Water Quality, Customer Service,
Administrative Services, and Administrative Assistant Janet Gonzalez for
proofreading in preparing the report/calendar. The approximate cost for
production and distribution of the report/calendar was $55,000, and the Board
concurred that the quality of the finished product was well worth the cost. The
Board expressed its appreciation for the amount of effort put into a very
impressive product. Mr. Bostad also pointed out the monthly report of activities
for May 2007 and the Investment Portfolio provided in the agenda packet.
13. DIRECTORS’ COMMENTS
Director Doud reported that while he was visiting his son in Apple Valley, he
received the Consumer Confidence Report from the Apple Valley Ranchos Water
Company. He noted some of its more interesting similarities with Sweetwater.
Director Pocklington commented that it is exciting and a pleasure to be a
Director on this Board and to work with the rest of the Board and staff.
Director Thomas concurred with Director Pocklington’s comments and attributed
much of the success to the teamwork. She stated the community benefits in the
long run.
Chair Beauchamp encouraged the Board to participate on an individual basis in
the Friends of the Water Conservation Garden organization. He also stated that
today’s scheduled videotaping was postponed to a later meeting when all
directors were in attendance. He commented on how enjoyable the employee picnic
was last Saturday and that there was a great turnout. He participated as a judge
in the dessert-making contest and was very impressed with the entries. Mr.
Bostad added that Leslie Filippi and the SARA Committee’s efforts are to be
commended for the success of the event.
14. ADJOURNMENT
With no further business before the Board, Chair Beauchamp adjourned the
meeting at 5:03 p.m.
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