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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.a.1) GM Written AnnouncementsBoard Meeting of December 16, 2010 Written Announcements Staff Accomplishments a) Human Resources Analyst Christopher Ko Recognized Human Resources Analyst Christopher Ko was recently recognized at the 35th Annual California Public Employer Labor Relations Association (CALPELRA) Conference for becoming a Certified Master of Labor Relations. Only five individuals state -wide received this distinction this year. Mr. Ko's master thesis was on Identifying and Handling the Workplace Bully. In addition, Mr. Ko completed his continuing education in Human Resource Management from CSU East Bay and received his certification as a Human Resources professional from the International Personnel Management Association. Mr. Ko will serve as Acting Human Resources Manager at the District effective December 18, 2010 pending a recruitment for the position being vacated by retiring Human Resources Manager Cathryn Freitas. Legislation /Compliance Updates b) San Francisco Bay Region SWAMP Workplan — Monitoring Spring Phytoplankton Bloom Progression in Suisun Bay District staff met with staff from both of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB) on Wednesday, December 1, 2010. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the District's comments on the Suisun Bay Nutrient Study. Of concern to the wastewater community is that the Suisun Bay Nutrient Study is currently receiving funding from the water contractors and not from the District or BACWA. Staff is delighted to report that all comments were accepted by the RWQCB. RWQCB will accept the District or BACWA funding for an additional sampling location at the mouth of the San Joaquin River, pesticide /herbicide monitoring, other nutrient monitoring, phytoplankton diversity and richness taxonomy work done in a way that is acceptable to scientists, additional quality assurance and quality control to bring the study to standard, and analysis of nitrate reductase enzyme which confirms if nitrate is being utilized by phytoplankton (implicates level of nutrient treatment necessary at wastewater plants). As the Board is aware, the Sacramento -San Joaquin Delta and the downstream San Francisco Bay Estuary ecosystem flows into is a very large and complex freshwater - estuarine system with physical, chemical, and biological processes interacting together under highly unnatural conditions. Strong urging from District staff lead to the RWQCB to take a serious look at expanding already extensive hydraulic modeling on Suisun Bay to include nutrient modeling. While there are multiple factors that together reduce the fish population in the Bay, the contribution or impact of a given stressor is unknown. Staff anticipates that the development of a nutrient model will help the RWQCB coordinate the sound science that has been developed over the years into scientifically based management decisions. Funding for these studies will come from BACWA and in some instances, the District directly. c) Sacramento Regional Permit Adopted by Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) On December 9, 2010, after a 12 -hour meeting, the Central Valley RWQCB adopted a new NPDES permit requiring nutrient removal (nitrification and denitrification) as well as filtration for the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District. The cost is currently estimated to be approximately $2 billion dollars in upgrades which translates to annual sewer bills of approximately $720 per year compared to $240 per year today. Sac Regional has until 2020 to meet the new permit limits. Project Updates d) CSOD Administration, Crew, and Warehouse Facility Construction Progress, DP 8202 The construction schedule update for the month of November has not been received yet. Per the last report, the contractor was 30 calendar days behind schedule. As of November 30, 2010, there are 243 calendar days remaining on the contract. The contractor's work continues to progress steadily, with current activities focused on completing work necessary to place concrete for the second floor, erect the exterior walls, and manage the site conditions during the wet weather season. Staff will keep the Board updated on the construction progress.