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Home My WebLink About06.a.4) (Handout) Additional Written AnnouncementsW/. a - V) Board Meeting of March 15, 2012 Additional Written Announcements: Staffing Updates d) Update on Retirements of Information Systems Specialist Ralph Bates and Field Operations Superintendent Steve Considine As reported in the Written Announcements that were included in your March 15th Board packet, Information Systems Specialist Ralph Bates will retire on March 16th and Field Operations Superintendent Steve Considine will retire on March 30th. Both Mr. Bates and Mr. Considine have been key employees responsible for the Computerized Sewer Maintenance Management System ( CSMMS) in the Collection System Operations (CSO) Department. Both Mr. Considine and Mr. Bates possess unique knowledge about the CSMMS and its role in maintaining sewers and reducing sewer overflows. Staff plans to engage them on an as- needed hourly basis after their retirements to support the CSMMS and other functions in CSO. Mr. Bates will be utilized approximately one to two days per week and Mr. Considine will be utilized approximately up to one day per week. They will both work in this capacity for approximately four months. District Events e) Collection System Operations Facility Open House Scheduled for Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Collection System Operations Department will host an Open House of the new Walnut Creek Facility on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Board members, employees, retirees, and their families are invited. As part of the Open House event, there will be a car show for employees and retirees to display their restored or souped -up vehicles. More information about the open house and car show will be provided later to the Board. Board Action Items f) District Hazard Mitigation Plan Approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency The District recently received confirmation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that its Hazard Mitigation Plan has been approved. The District participated in a multi - jurisdictional planning process that allowed many local public entities to submit a single plan with agency- specific chapters. Since the Board adopted the Hazard Mitigation Plan on August 4, 2011, the District may now apply for hazard mitigation grants. Additional Written Announcements March 15, 2012 Page 2 of 3 The plan is in effect for 5 years and requires annual status reports. Staff served on the Steering Committee and will be serving on the multi - jurisdictional Plan Maintenance Committee responsible for coordinating submission of these annual reports. The approval notice letter is attached for your information. g) Lien on El Sobrante Property of Gregory and JeanMarie Reginato On June 16, 2011, the Board directed staff to place a lien on the El Sobrante property of Gregory and JeanMarie Reginato unless delinquent charges totaling $2,190.56 were paid in full by September 16, 2011. The delinquent charges included capacity fees and penalties owed for a residence in Walnut Creek that was connected to the sanitary sewer by the Reginatos without payment of fees. The charges were not paid and staff filed a Certificate of Unpaid Charges with the Contra Costa County Recorder's office on September 23, 2011. On Friday, March 9, 2012, Mrs. Reginato paid the full amount of the delinquent charges. Staff will file a release of the lien with the County Recorder's Office. General Updates h) March 14, 2012 Regional Water Quality Control Board Meeting on Waste Discharge Requirements The San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) rescinded the District's Bollinger Canyon Leachline Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR). This action was a formality since the District completed a project to abandon this leachline in 1998. The delay in processing this rescission was due primarily to staff reassignments and reductions within the RWQCB workgroups responsible for managing the WDR. In a related matter, the RWQCB issued a Cleanup and Abatement Order (CAO) to the District and Tracor Aerospace in 1991 for a solvent release from the leachline. This CAO is separate from the WDR that was rescinded. The District and a company that bought Tracor, BAE Systems, are working with the RWQCB to close this CAO. We believe RWQCB staff will now work on the closure request for the CAO. Staff will keep the Board informed of progress with this CAO closure request. i) Vallejo National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Petitioned For Review The Public Water Agencies (PWA) has filed a petition to appeal the Vallejo National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. In the appeal, the PWA contends that the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) issued a permit authorizing unabated ammonium discharges into the Bay -Delta receiving water that is occupied by the Delta smelt and long -fin smelt. The PWA contends that there is "unrebutted evidence demonstrating that ammonium Additional Written Announcements March 15, 2012 Page 3 of 3 concentrations in receiving waters used to assimilate the Vallejo wastes already exceed aquatic life impact thresholds." PWA requests that the California State Water Resources Control Board immediately impose ammonium effluent limits and that there was no reason that the RWQCB should not have at least applied the District's permitting approach to Vallejo. The approach in the new District permit is scientific studies on the Delta and engineering planning for upgrades. The petition is available if you would like a copy. j) March 8, 2012 Natural Gas Outage Notification from Pacific, Gas & Electric On Thursday afternoon, March 8, 2012, the treatment plant was notified that Pacific, Gas & Electric (PG &E) had a leak on its distribution system and would be shutting down the line that feeds the treatment plant. Normally, the plant would switch the furnaces and auxiliary boilers to landfill gas. However, landfill gas had been unavailable since late February due to problems with the gas compressor at Acme Landfill. For the first time in many years, if ever, the treatment plant was without both of its main fuel sources. Keeping oxygen feeds to the microbes so that the work of eating the waste as food can continue is critical to maintaining permit compliance. Immediately, the boilers were switched to operate on diesel, the backup fuel, so that enough steam was available to keep the blowers that provide oxygen to the microbes operating. In addition, the electric blower was started and put in bypass so it would be ready for use in case steam pressure was lost. Both the cogeneration system and incinerators were shut down, and the plant imported 100 percent electrical power. Sludge was stored in the blending tank. The steam turbines provided aeration air until about 3:00 a.m. on Friday, March 9th, when plugging of the filters on the fuel system caused fuel delivery issues for the boilers. At that time, the electric blower was used to provide air to the microbes, and some influent flow was bypassed to the holding ponds. The fuel issues were resolved by 11:00 a.m., and at 12:30 p.m., natural gas service was restored by PG &E. Staff worked with PG &E crews to safely bleed the supply line. Then the boilers, cogeneration system, and furnace were restored to normal operations. Quick work by all staff allowed the plant to continue to operate without a permit violation. During this time the monthly bioassay was underway, and no interruption in plant air supply created the normal 96 percent survival rate of the fish. POD staff will address the issues with the fuel supply to the boilers and test the system in the near future. PG &E is anticipated to pay a claim for the demand charge created when the electric blower was started. Aso a , y, Op U.S. Department of Homeland Security 1111 Broadway, Suite 1200 Oakland, CA. 94607 -4052 F Emam A 8� D StiG� February 27, 2012 Rich Lierly Floodplain/Watershed Manager Contra Costa County Department of Public Works 255 Glacier Drive Martinez, CA 94553 -4825 Dear Mr. Lierly: We have completed our final review of the Contra Costa County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, officially adopted by Contra Costa County, CA on June 28, 2011, and found the plan to be in conformance with Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 201.6 Local Mitigation Plans. A list of the status of participating jurisdictions is enclosed with this letter. Contra Costa County can be commended for its planning and plan maintenance process as well as the clear direction this Plan gives for long term planning to reduce the impacts of future disasters. The approval of this plan ensures Contra Costa County and all participating jurisdictions continued eligibility for project grants under FEMA's hazard mitigation assistance programs, including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Pre - Disaster Mitigation, Flood Mitigation Assistance and Severe Repetitive Loss grant programs. All requests for funding, however, will be evaluated individually according to the specific eligibility, and other requirements of the particular program under which applications are submitted. Approved mitigation plans are eligible for points under the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS). Additional information regarding the CRS can be found at www.fema.gov /business /n&, crs.shtm or through your local floodplain manager. FEMA's approval of the Contra Costa County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update is for a period of five years, effective starting the date of this letter. Prior to February 27, 2017, Contra Costa County and all participating jurisdictions are required to review and revise the plan to reflect changes in development, progress in local mitigation efforts, and changes in priorities, and resubmit it for approval in order to continue to be eligible for mitigation project grant funding. The enclosed crosswalk provides additional recommendations to incorporate into the plan during the plan maintenance process. If you have any questions regarding the planning or review processes, please contact Juliette Hayes, Community Planner at (510) 627 -7211, or by email at juliette.hayes @dhs.gov. Sincerely, A ±Sallyiolkowski, irector Mitigation Division Enclosures cc: Julie Norris, California Emergency Management Agency, Mitigation Planning www.fema.gov Status of Participating Jurisdictions as of February 27, 2012 Jurisdictions — Adopted and Approved Antioch Unified School District j August 10, 2011 I Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District July 21, 2011 Central Contra Costa Sanitary District August 4, 2011 - -• ..1 Contra Costa County June 28, 2011 Contra Costa County Office of Education ; August 17, 201. 1 :Danville town ' Jul 19, 2011 East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Brentwood, city of October 3, 2011 Kensington Police Protection and Community Services 1 Pleasant Hill, city of July 14, 2011 District Knightsen Community Services District _ ' May. 19 2011 Liberty Union High School District -L. __ . ... __....._._........... i September 14, 2011 Martinez, city j _El Cerrito, city of September 21,20 1.1 Pleasant Hill Recreation and Parks District (. July 13, 2011 .. . Rodeo- Hercules Fire Protection District j San Ramon city August 24, 2011 June 28 2011 Walnut Creek School District September 19, 2011 '. West Contra Costa Unified School District i September 21, 2011 Jurisdictions - Approvable Pending Adoption Antioch, city of -� Kensington Fire Protection District Brentwood Union School District Mt. Diablo Unified School District Brentwood, city of Pinole, city of . _. _ - - i Canyon,Elementary School District 1 Pleasant Hill, city of Contra Costa Community College District ` Reclamation District 800 Contra Costa County Consolidated Fire Reclamation District 830 District -L. __ . ... __....._._........... i ..... Delta Diablo Sanitation District Diablo Water District to Richmond city San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District - j _El Cerrito, city of Walnut Creek, city of Ironhouse Sanitary District [Type text]