HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.d. Receive written report on meeting of the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA)Item 6.d.
J uly 20, 2021
T O: R E A L E S TAT E, E NV I R O NME NTA L A ND P L A NNI NG C O MMI T T E E
F RO M :L O R I S C HE C T E L , E NV I R O NME NTA L A ND R E G UL ATO RY C O MP L I A NC E
D I V I S I O N MA NA G E R
RE V IE WE D B Y:J E A N-MA R C P E T I T, D I R E C TO R O F E NG I NE E R I NG A ND T E C HNI C A L
S E RV I C E S
R O G E R S. B A I L E Y, G E NE R A L MA NA G E R
S UB J E C T: R E C E I V E W R I T T E N R E P O RT O N T HE MO S T R E C E NT ME E T I NG S O F T HE
B AY A R E A C L E A N W AT E R A G E NC I E S (B A C WA)
B AC WA E xecutive B oard M eeting: M ay 21, 2021
Key Discussions:
Nutrients: B A C WA is continuing to work on the development of key tenets f or the third Nutrient
Watershed Permit and nutrients will be one of the topics of discussion f or the next regular meeting with the
R egional Water B oard on J une 2, 2021. I t’s still to be determined whether the permit will extend an extra
year beyond the 2024 permit end date. B A C WA Executive D irector shared that L isa Hunt was hired at the
San F rancisco Estuary I nstitute as the new Nutrient Management S trategy P rogram Manager. B A C WA
held its membership nutrient strategy group meeting on May 24, 2021 where the group f ocused on interest
level for a potential nutrient trading program in the f uture when management actions in the f orm of load
caps move forward.
Draft Sanitary Sewer System (SSS) Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR): B A C W A is working with
the California A ssociation of S anitation Agencies (C A S A ) to resolve dif f erences with the S tate Water
Board in several areas of the permit including reporting, exf iltration, and the S ewer S ystem Management
Plan. T hey are working on proposing alternative language to f acilitate changes to the draf t. T hey are
planning to meet in late J une with the S tate Water B oard to go over industry proposed edits.
Basin Plan Triennial Review: T he three-year cycle for reviewing the B asin Plan is in process. T he
R egional Water B oard has issued a document that lists the projects they plan to work on for the next three
years. T here will be a workshop with the Regional Water Board on the triennial review and comment
letters are due on J uly 5, 2021 and B A C W A will draft a letter.
Air: B A C WA C onsultant, Sarah Deslauriers, updated the B oard on draf t amendments to B ay Area A ir
Quality Management D istrict (B A A Q MD ) R ule 2. T he B A C WA A I R C ommittee recently provided
testimony at a public workshop regarding this rule, which proposes no new sources of air pollution in
overburdened communities and changes to risk analysis in permits. B A C WA submitted comments to
B A A Q MD on May 28, 2021. T he Board also discussed new Best Available Control Technology f or large
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emergency diesel engines and were briefed on process, communication issues, and publicly owned
treatment works planning process considerations. B A A Q MD and B A C W A leadership engagement on
this issue began in December 2020. T he B A C W A Air Committee is looking to schedule another meeting
on these issues with B A A Q MD this summer.
B AC WA E xecutive B oard M eeting: J une 18, 2021
Key Discussions:
Nutrients: A s B A C WA is preparing to draft its key tenets f or the third Nutrient Watershed P ermit,
B A C WA members discussed implications of subembayment aggregate load caps, how to calculate
compliance with f uture load caps, and the implications of exceeding load caps. Discussion was had on
whether B A C W A should investigate nutrient credit / trading scheme and how can regulators incentivize
nature-based solution / recycled water projects.
Triennial Review of the San Francisco Bay Basin Plan: B A C WA is preparing a draft comment letter
due J uly 8, 2021, related to key issues on the R egional Water B oard’s priority list. F or Nutrient
Management S trategy and Dissolved Oxygen Objectives in the San F rancisco Bay, B A C WA strongly
supports updating the B asin Plan to include a description of the Nutrient Management Strategy. D oing so
would affirm the shared commitment to a science-based process for protecting the Bay’s benef icial
uses. F or the C limate C hange and Wetland P olicy Update, B A C WA supports the incorporation of climate
change into the B asin Plan as B A C WA members have been examining the vulnerability of facilities to sea
level rise, as well as ability to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a broad portfolio of waste-to-
energy programs.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): T he final quality-reviewed data from Phase 1 of the
regional P FA S study will be distributed to study participants and there will be a presentation in early J uly
2021. P FA S Phase I I study concepts will be presented at the S eptember 2021 B A C W A E xecutive
Board Meeting to inf orm the development of the Phase I I sampling plan.
SSS WDR Informal Staff Draft Update: B A C W A worked closely with C A S A on a joint letter and redlining
ef f ort of the current W D R.
B AC WA M eetings and Upcoming Events :
Next B A C WA Executive Board Meeting: J uly 16, 2021
Additional I nformation/Monthly Bulletins: https://bacwa.org/bacwa-bulletins/
Strategic Plan Tie-I n
G O A L TW O: Environmental Stewardship
Strategy 1 – Achieve 100% compliance in all regulations, Strategy 3 – Support regional development of local water
supply
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