HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.a. Receive Update on the Most Recent Meeting of the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA)Page 1 of 2
Item 4.a.
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November 15, 2023
TO: REAL ESTATE, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANNING COMMITTEE
FROM: LORI SCHECTEL, ENVIRONMENTAL & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
DIVISION MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: GREG NORBY, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER - OPERATIONS
ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER
SUBJECT: RECEIVE UPDATE ON THE MOST RECENT MEETING OF THE BAYAREA
CLEAN WATER AGENCIES (BACWA)
BACWA Meetings:
• Last BACWA Board Meeting:
October 20, 2023 at Central San
Next BACWA Board Meeting:
November 17, 2023 at EBMUD's Orinda Facility
Key items from the October 20 meeting:
Air:
The BACWA/BAAQMD collaborative group met on September 18. Bay Area Air Quality Management
District (BAAQMD) is continuing to fill in staffing gaps and has filled several upper management positions.
A management audit is ongoing. An update on the collaboration should go to their Board this year, but it
may get pushed back until early 2024.
BACWA is hosting its first source testing workshop on November 6 in San Jose. Central San regulatory
staff will attend.
Communications:
BACWA created an ad -hoc communications group made up of BACWA members and has a contract with
a communications firm. The idea is to centralize some of the communications so that BACWA can
provide a cohesive regional voice on key issues and can also refer reporters to contacts at member
agencies to highlight specific projects, as appropriate. There are ongoing internal BACWA efforts to
develop a media library, media spokesperson training, and the like.
November 15, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 11 of 14
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Operations and Maintenance Information Sharing Group:
BACWA restarted this group for BACWA member agencies. The City of Livermore will be chairing the
group. The first meeting will be November 7 at Livermore and will include a tour and operations topics.
Regional Monitoring Program (RMP):
The RMP Annual Meeting was held on October 12 in Berkeley. Central San staff attended. To view the
recorded program, please see https://www.sfei.org/programs/rmp.
Jay Davis, Senior Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), discussed RMP annual
priorities with the BACWA Board. The RMP collects data and communicates information about water
quality in San Francisco Bay in support of management decisions. SFEI/RMP submitted a proposal for
water quality improvement funding for additional Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) research
which includes studying PFAS in stormwater.
Regarding PFAS, the draft sewershed study is out and will be finalized early next year. A presentation on
the study can be found in the above link. Central San staff will provide an update to the REEP committee
on the results of the study as soon as that is finalized (early 2024) and will also provide a more
comprehensive update on Central San's PFAS profile at that time.
Nutrients:
BACWA held an internal nutrient strategy meeting following the Board meeting on October 20. Member
agencies continued to discuss the strategy for the third Nutrient Watershed Permit. BACWA Board
members also met with RWQCB staff on October 31; this meeting included conversations related to the
next permit. The RWQCB staff are beginning to draft the new permit, and adoption is planned for next
May. Central San also met with RWQCB staff separately to discuss a long-term vision for nutrient
management.
Additional Information/Monthly Bulletins: https://bacwa.org/bacwa-bulletins/
Strategic Plan Tie -In
GOAL TWO: Environmental Stewardship
Strategy 1 - Achieve compliance in all regulations, Strategy 3 - Be a partner in regional development of local water
supply
November 15, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 12 of 14