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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.a.3) Written Announcementss.0..3) Board Meeting of June 2, 2011 Written Announcements: District Awards /Recognitions a) District Receives the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) 2010 Peak Performance Award The District recently received notification that our facilities have earned the Platinum Peak Performance Award for thirteen years of consecutive 100% National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance. The District's facilities will be recognized during the July 20, 2011 NACWA Summer Conference Awards Ceremony in Chicago, Illinois. The District will be presented the award at that time. Human Resource Related b) Human Resources Committee Board Review Recommendations from the May 11, 2011 Meeting 1. Location of 2012 Negotiation Meetings In the past three negotiations, the District has used off - site facilities when engaging in negotiation sessions with the unions. Staff used the John F. Kennedy University, free of charge, in 2009. The District was able to use the facility due to Board Member McGill's association with the University. Staff is again recommending the use of John F. Kennedy University for upcoming negotiations, free of charge. Staff will seek the Board's concurrence of the use of this facility prior to the start of the negotiations. 2. Kaiser Permanente Rate Renewal Kaiser has proposed a 16.9% rate increase for the upcoming renewal effective July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. Staff engaged in negotiations with Kaiser. Kaiser has proposed a 3% rate reduction, or a 13.9% rate increase over 2010 -2011, but their proposal is conditional upon their ability to present their offer and explanation of the rate increase to the Board. Their presentation to the Board is planned for the June 16, 2011 meeting and will be approximately fifteen (15) minutes in length. Written Announcements June 2, 2011 Page 2 of 5 Staff Out -Of -State Travel c) Staff Travel to Streater, Illinois from June 20 — 22, 2011 to Inspect New Vactor Jetter Equipment Field Operations Superintendent Steve Considine, Maintenance Supervisor Steve Sauter, and Vehicle and Equipment Supervisor Nick Wright will travel to Streater, Illinois from June 20 to June 22, 2011 to inspect a new Vactor Jetter truck. They are best able to evaluate the new Vactor Jetter since Steve Considine prepared the specifications, Steve Sauter is the Hydro Cleaning Supervisor, and Nick has extensive knowledge related to heavy equipment. The new truck was authorized in the FY 2010 -11 Equipment Budget at $300,000 to replace aging equipment. Actual cost of the equipment will be approximately $240,000. The vehicle is nearing completion and should be inspected prior to delivery for quality assurance. Recycled Water d) Bay Area Recycled Water Coalition Amended Agreement In September 2008, the District joined the Bay Area Recycled Water Coalition ( BARWC) to pursue federal Title 16 funding for the Concord Landscape Project, and most recently, Title 16 funding for the Refinery Recycled Water Project in parallel with WRDA funding. BARWC is a group of Bay Area agencies working collectively as a region to pursue Title 16 funding for Bay Area recycled water projects. The District plans to execute an amended agreement with BARWC in June that includes non - substantiative changes to increase membership (there are currently about 14 member agencies) and conform with current BARWC planning activities. The General Manager was authorized by the Board in 2008 to enter into an agreement with the Coalition, and plans to sign the revised agreement this June. The District's annual membership cost is approximately $15,000. e) 2011 Annual Recycled Water Rate Increase In accordance with the District's Recycled Water Ordinance (Title 6), the District recycled water rates will increase 3% on July 1, 2011. This is an automatic annual increase that was built into the ordinance; therefore, no Board action is needed to implement the rate increase. This increase is consistent with the annual increase in water rates by the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD), and the District's rates remain at about 80% of CCWD's rates. Written Announcements June 2, 2011 Page 3 of 5 A comparison of new and existing recycled water rates with CCWD water rates: Staff will be mailing out letters to District recycled water customers in early June announcing the increase and providing the new rates. Reporting f) Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Every five years, the District submits a Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), which is an application for the reissuance of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The ROWD is expected to be submitted on June 1, 2011, four months ahead of the required due date. The District anticipates the RWQCB to reissue the permit at their December 2011 Board meeting, three months ahead of schedule. At this time, the District anticipates being.able to meet the new permit parameters without significant capital spending on the treatment plant. g) United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Report The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); and is one of the ten principal statistical agencies in the Federal government. EIA provides policy- independent data, forecasts, and analyses to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding regarding energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA information products are used by public and private analysts and policymakers to monitor the current status and trends of energy supply and consumption. Potable Water Customers Canal (Raw) Water Customers Existing Recycled $2.91 per 1,000 gallons $1.39 per 1,000 gallons Water Rates ($951 per acre -foot) ($452 per acre -foot) New Recycled $3.00 per 1,000 gallons $1.43 per 1,000 gallons Water Rates ($978 per acre -foot) ($466 per acre -foot) Existing CCWD $3.82 per 1,000 gallons $1.70 per 1,000 gallons Rates ($1,245 per acre -foot) ($554 per acre -foot) Staff will be mailing out letters to District recycled water customers in early June announcing the increase and providing the new rates. Reporting f) Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Every five years, the District submits a Report of Waste Discharge (ROWD) to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), which is an application for the reissuance of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The ROWD is expected to be submitted on June 1, 2011, four months ahead of the required due date. The District anticipates the RWQCB to reissue the permit at their December 2011 Board meeting, three months ahead of schedule. At this time, the District anticipates being.able to meet the new permit parameters without significant capital spending on the treatment plant. g) United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Report The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); and is one of the ten principal statistical agencies in the Federal government. EIA provides policy- independent data, forecasts, and analyses to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding regarding energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA information products are used by public and private analysts and policymakers to monitor the current status and trends of energy supply and consumption. Written Announcements June 2, 2011 Page 4 of 5 Forms EIA -860 and EIA -923 collect data on the status of existing electric generating plants and associated equipment in the United States, and those scheduled for initial commercial operation within five years of filing this report. Forms EIA -860 and EIA -923 are completed for all electric generating plants, which have or will have a nameplate rating of one megawatt (1000 kw) or more, and are operating or plan to be operating within five years of the year of this form. Forms EIA -860 and EIA -923 are annually due on March 31. The District submitted Forms EIA -860 and EI -923 on May 24, 2011, after receiving notification from California Air Resource Board (CARB) about the program. Late reporting will be averted in the future as this requirement has been added to the Plant Operations Department regulatory calendar. General Updates h) Invitation to Join Bay Area Biosolids to Energy Coalition BAB2E BAB2E is embarking on the next phase of their work. They will be conducting a pilot study of new technology and then issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP), which will lead to the construction of a Biosolids to Energy facility for the Bay Area. Agencies participating in the next portion of the study will be asked to commit between ten and twenty percent of their biosolids to the project for the next twenty years. Other agencies participating would be trucking digested sludge to the facility in lieu of taking it to land disposal sites. As such, they are not adding handling and trucking to their current operation and they are providing some diversity should the availability of sites for land disposal become more limited in the future. Our situation is quite different, as we do not currently truck our sludge and thus would be adding another step to our operation in addition to the significantly higher cost of processing by one of the proposed new technologies instead of our existing incinerators. Our estimated cost of participation in the pilot study and RFP process would be approximately $265,000. The cost of the ultimate option that we would be committing to is expected to far exceed our current unit cost for biosolids processing. For this reason, staff is recommending, as we have in the past, that we not participate in BAB2E. If the Board does not concur, or requires additional information, please advise staff. Written Announcements June 2, 2011 Page 5 of 5 i) Primary Effluent Control Valve Actuator Failure On Saturday, May 21, 2011, the Primary Effluent Control Valve, CV22227, failed in a half open position. This valve is used to control the level in the Primary Sedimentation Tanks, therefore adjusting as flow changes throughout the day. A mechanical maintenance crew was called in on Saturday and determined the problem to be a failure of the 54 -year old actuator that controlled how open the valve was. Although the valve was only half -open, all of the flow was processed through the secondary system by allowing the peak flow to back up in the system until the decrease in normal diurnal flow allowed the water to pass through the valve. Backing up the incoming water prevented the need to bypass primary effluent to the holding basins, averting a possible odorous condition. On Sunday, May 22, 2011, an actuator contractor, a contract mechanical team from one of the capital jobs, and members of our maintenance crew were able to remove the actuator and place the valve in a position approximately 3/ open. This allowed all flow to get to the secondary system without backing up the collection system. The maintenance crew anchored the valve in place using a fabricated bracing system. Parts were located and shipped and repairs were made on May 26, 2011. Replacement of the actuator is planned for in a capital project in which bids are opening this June 1, 2011. Replacement of the actuator will proceed as well as replacement of CV22229, a similar valve that diverts primary effluent to the holding basins. A spare actuator or spare parts will also be purchased. j) Field Demonstration Trial of T3 Motion's Electric Stand -up Vehicle Staff conducts a monthly visual inspection of the force main alignment to insure that there are no issues related to the force mains. The District purchased two Segway units to facilitate the inspection. Recent safety issues related to stability have caused the Segway units to be removed from service. Staff is evaluating options to facilitate the easement inspections including the option of returning to walk the alignment. T3 Motion, Inc. has offered the District a free one -week field demonstration trial of their Electric Stand -up Vehicle (ESV). Since the ESV utilizes three wheels, it is inherently more stable than the Segway units previously utilized by District staff. This information is provided for Board information; Board action is not required.