HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.a.3) (Handout)�0•3>
Board Meeting of July 21, 2011
Additional Written Announcement:
General Updates
d) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Fees
Likely to Double Under FY 2011 —12 State Budget
The California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) has received a number
of inquiries from its members regarding the impact of the State budget on the
annual fees for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ( NPDES)
permits and Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR). The State Water
Resources Control Board (SWRCB) staff is still working through the numbers,
and has not yet proposed a specific fee schedule.
Revenue projections released last week indicate that an additional 44% in fee
revenue is needed to support the NPDES permittees' share of the core
regulatory program and the newly shifted — previously General Funded — basin
planning and total maximum daily load programs, for a total of just over $25
million. An increase of 24% is projected for WDR holders, which translates to
just over $22 million for that program. However, the forecast revenue increases
needed for FY 2011 -12 do not directly correspond to anticipated fee schedule
rate increases. If the SWRCB simply increased all fees across all fee payers to
raise the needed revenues, each NPDES permit holder would be assessed
approximately 55% more in fees than were paid last year. However, the SWRCB
is considering several alternative fee schedules, which have differing impacts on
dischargers depending on where the base fee is set, what the fee cap will be,
and other factors.
The proposed fee schedules will be released the second week of August, with a
fee stakeholder briefing scheduled for August 11, 2011 in Sacramento, CA.
Additional updates will be provided at the August CASA Conference.
e) Potential Federal Bureau of Reclamation Title XVI Grant
Funding
District staff recently learned that approximately $2 million in appropriated but
unallocated money may be available from the Bureau of Reclamation and must
be allocated by September 30, 2011, the end of the Federal fiscal year. These
funds are limited to use for Title XVI Feasibility studies and environmental
documentation. They can either be spent for retroactive reimbursement of
feasibility studies already completed or for new studies. These monies will be
distributed based on the recommendations of the Bay Area Recycled Water
Coalition (BARWC) to members of the Coalition who have projects ready to go
and who have the ability to match the grant funds with a contribution of their own.
Additional Written Announcements
July 21, 2011
Page 2 of 2
District staff has tentatively nominated two projects to the Coalition for grant
funding. Our nominations have received support from the Coalition as compared
to other submitted projects competing for these funds. The first grant would be
for retroactive funding for the Concord Landscape Irrigation project Title XVI
Feasibility Study, which we recently completed. If awarded, a grant for up to
$97,000 would reimburse the District for funds already spent on the Concord
Study.
The second project which staff recommends the Board consider submitting for a
grant is completion of the Title XVI Feasibility Study for the Martinez Refinery
Project. Staff has estimated the cost of such a study at $360,000 and the grant,
if received, would be for approximately half of that or up to $180,000. While we
have not yet been successful in identifying financial partners for the
implementation phase of this project, forming a partnership with the Bureau of
Reclamation to conduct the Feasibility Study and environmental review would be
a very positive first step in building legitimacy for this project as a project of
regionwide and statewide significance.
In order to obtain the grants, the Board must adopt a resolution supporting the
grant applications and agreeing to fund the local match. Due to the time
constraints associated with the Bureau process and the fact that there is only one
Board meeting in August, these resolutions must come back to the Board on
August 4, 2011. The General Manager has contacted the Chair of the Recycled
Water Committee and he has indicated that, due to the short time frame before
the next Board meeting, it would be acceptable to bring this matter directly to the
full Board without first convening a Board Recycled Water Committee.