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Home My WebLink About07.a. Consider contributing to WateReuse Research FoundationCentral Contra Costa Sanitary District 7Q ' BOARD OF DIRECTORS POSITION PAPER Board Meeting Date: MARCH 5, 2015 Subject. CONSIDER MAKING A CONTRIBUTION AS REQUESTED BY THE WATEREUSE RESEARCH FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF ITS RESEARCH INTO DIRECT POTABLE REUSE Submitted By. Initiating Dept. /Div.: Roger S. Bailey, General Manager Administration � REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED FOR BOARD ACTION: N I,_,1 V. ) w Roger S. Baile General Manager ISSUE: At the February 5, 2015 Board meeting, the three Board Members present expressed support for the research being conducted by the WateReuse Research Foundation as part of its Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) initiative and directed the General Manager bring the matter back for discussion at a future meeting. RECOMMENDATION: Staff requests that the Board provide direction with regard to making a contribution. FINANCIAL IMPACTS: WateReuse has requested that the District contribute $150,000, payable over a three -year period, in support of the DPR initiative. ALTERNATIVES /CONSIDERATIONS: The Board could decide not to make a contribution, or may choose to contribute a different amount. BACKGROUND: At the February 5, 2015 Board meeting, the Board received a presentation from Michael Markus, General Manager of Orange County Water District and Board Member of the WateReuse Research Foundation, outlining the Foundation's work on in the area of direct potable reuse. Attached is a letter from WateReuse outlining its work to date and its request that the District contribute $50,000 per year for three years, for a total of $150,000. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: This matter was not reviewed by a Committee. RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION: Staff requests that the Board provide direction with respect to the amount of contribution the District should make, if any. Attached Supporting Document: 1. 2 -17 -15 Letter from WateReuse Research Foundation seeking contribution UAXerox Images \Donna \Donna \Position Papers \_Position Paper - Current Template 04- 23- 14.docx Page 1 of 1 WATE USE February 17, 2015 Mr. Roger Bailey General Manager Central Contra Costa Sanitary District 5019 Imhoff Place Martinez, CA 94553 Dear Roger: ATTACHMENT 1 We want to thank you and Mike McGill for the opportunity to make a presentation to the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District's (CCCSD) Board of Directors on February 5. The WateReuse Research Foundation appreciates the opportunity to submit this letter proposal for consideration by you and your Board to provide additional much needed support for the critical research of the WateReuse Research Foundation. In 2001, the WateReuse Research Foundation began a long period of growth which has resulted in the funding of 198 research projects to date and the investment of more than $61 million on water reuse and desalination research. The Foundation is carrying out leading edge /cutting edge unique research which is resulting in additional water for all Californians. It is our goal to continue to develop research -based tools to enhance member communication strategies and to better inform the public on critical water resource solutions. As you are aware, in 2009, the WateReuse Research Foundation and WateReuse California launched its Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Initiative. Over the past five years, we have accomplished the following: • Advocated for the enactment of SB 918, which directed the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to issue a report to the legislature on the feasibility of DPR by December 31, 2016; this bill was signed into law on September 30, 2010; • Initiated a fundraising effort in June, 2012 to generate the financial support necessary to conduct the needed applied research and to engage in public education and outreach; to date, more than $6 million has been raised for this essential and important effort; • Launched 26 applied research projects with the funding provided; with leveraging from organizations as far away as the Water Corporation of Western Australia, the WateReuse Research Foundation's portfolio of projects consists of an investment of more than $12 million. There are several reasons for considering direct potable reuse. First, California has adopted goals of increasing the use of recycled water from approximately 0.65 MAF per year currently to 1.5 MAF /year by 2020, and then to 2.5 MAF /year by 2030 — approximately a four -fold increase over the next 15 years. These goals cannot be achieved with non - potable reuse; putting that much purple pipe in the ground is simply too expensive and too disruptive. Second, indirect potable reuse (IPR) will not work in many locations. IPR, if a utility intends to use groundwater recharge, requires a groundwater basin and many agencies do not have one. Third, DPR will facilitate the use of the billions of gallons that are disposed of in the ocean daily. More than 50 water and wastewater agencies have contributed to the DPR Initiative to date. Almost every major water /wastewater agency in California has made a meaningful donation to the effort. Why? In the words of a water agency general manager in Orange County, "We will probably never undertake a DPR project; however, this effort will benefit all Californians, so we want to support the effort." This has been the sentiment of several water /wastewater agency managers across the state. In addition to water agencies, a total of 15 consulting engineering firms have donated generously to this effort. They include ARCADIS (Malcolm Pirnie), CH2M Hill, MWH Global, AECOM, CDM Smith, Black & Veatch, HDR Engineering, Carollo Engineers, Kennedy /Jenks, Hazen & Sawyer, GHD, RMC Water & Environment, and Trussell Technologies. Several equipment suppliers have also contributed to the cause, including Trojan UV, Suez Environment /United Water, and CSM Woongjin (a division ofToray Membranes). This is an ambitious and unprecedented undertaking; a research collaborative funded by WateReuse California members and others to help reduce the gap between water supply and demand. Adoption of DPR has the potential of greatly assisting California to achieve water sustainability for the future. But this can only happen through a dedicated, sustained, and adequately funded effort. How will California benefit from WateReuse's research on DPR and other innovative research efforts? All types of reuse will be enhanced. If we get DPR right, then this will result in greater acceptance of non - potable and IPR projects. Recovering even a fraction of the billions of gallons of water discharged into the ocean each day in California would be a boon to the state's water supplies, economy, and communities. Consider the following important finding from a recent Foundation report entitled "The Opportunities and Economics of Direct Potable Reuse" (WRRF- 14 -08): "It is estimated, using available data..., that more than 2300 Mgal /d – which amounts to 2.6 MAF /year – may be available in California for new water recycling projects in 2020. This source water, after receiving complete advanced treatment (CAT), could yield more than 1000 Mgal /day (or more than 1.1 MAF /year) of potable supplies. To place this into context, 1.1 MAF /year is sufficient potable water to supply all municipal needs (including C11 uses) for more than eight million Californians, or roughly one - fifth of the state's projected population for 2020." Because the research being conducted by the WateReuse Research Foundation will benefit all Californians — including those residing in Contra Costa County, we are requesting that CCCSD provide financial support for the WateReuse Research Foundation's unique and innovative research agenda on water reuse – non - potable, indirect potable, and direct potable. With this letter, we request that you and your Board consider a contribution of $150,000, payable over a three -year period. CCCSD's pledge of $150,000 to the WateReuse Research Foundation's DPR Initiative or general research fund would earn you a spot in our gold circle of leadership, giving you input and access to the Board as it charts WateReuse's future. Typically, our donations are spread over a two to three year period, allowing you to budget for the contribution without overtaxing your finances. The following donor benefits would accrue to CCCSD over the next three years: • Eligibility for qualified senior staff to serve on Research Advisory Committee; • Recognition at the annual WateReuse Research Conference from the podium, in the program book, and on ribbons affixed to the badges of your employees; • Recognition in the Annual Report; • Honorary access to the WateReuse's Board of Directors (non- voting; non - committee) – attend /observe board meetings, receive board information, networking with directors at meetings, events, in surveys, and via email communications; • A reserved place for your organization at all Foundation research needs workshops; • Opportunity to interact at least bi- annually with GMs across the country in unique small formats promoting relationship building; • Invitation to participate in annual legislative visits on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC; • Acknowledgment on the WateReuse's website, featuring the Honor Roll of Donors; • Complimentary electronic copies of all Foundation research reports for an unlimited number of staff (more than 100 quality documents are available); • Discounted registration to the annual research conference and specialty events such as exclusive, invitation -only workshops and seminars; • Complimentary access to Foundation webcasts — presenting cutting -edge research —for an unlimited number of staff (includes Professional Development Hours); • Eligibility to leverage research dollars through the Foundation's Tailored Collaboration program; • Opportunity to plan and sponsor a webcast on a topic of interest to the water reuse community. In addition, the newly combined Board of Directors of the WateReuse Association and Foundation is expected to have two open seats available in the second quarter of 2015. The nominating committee will be evaluating qualified and interested agency representatives over the next couple of months to fill these positions. We would like to include either a member of your Board or you in the Nominating Committee's deliberation process. As we noted in our presentation on February 5, there are several good reasons for CCCSD to become part of the DPR Initiative: • The DPR Initiative represents some of the most innovative thinking and action on securing adequate future water supplies; • More than 50 water and wastewater Agencies, including some of the largest (i.e., MWD, LACSD, Sacramento Regional, Santa Clara Valley WD) are part of this Initiative; • The Initiative will result in more water for all Californians; • Wastewater is simply water that has been used; it is too valuable to be used only once; • CCCSD needs to be a leader in innovative water use in the North Bay and this is one way of achieving that objective ; • Path to discharge reduction and /or elimination with looming nutrient regulations; • Beneficial use of effluent provides role for CCCSD to ensure customers have a long -term, reliable water supply; • Keeps CCCSD in the forefront of innovation within the wastewater industry; and • Becoming a leader in transition from wastewater treatment to resource recovery, benefiting the community and environment. This is an exciting time for WateReuse as we work to craft meaningful and sustainable solutions to water scarcity challenges. We hope CCCSD will support this important effort financially, joining with the other 50+ agencies that have made significant contributions. Please feel free to call either of us with questions or if you need additional information. Sincerely, Michael R. Markus, P.E. General Manager, Orange County Water District Vice Chair, WateReuse Research Foundation Cc: Michael R. McGill, P.E. Melissa L. Meeker Executive Director WateReuse Research Foundation