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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.a.5) GM AnnouncementsAgenda Item S Q 5 Board Meeting of October 7, 2010 Written Announcements District Kudos a) HHW Collection Facility Inspection On September 29th, the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility was inspected by the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Program. The inspection included a review of hazardous waste storage and handling practices and procedures, the Hazardous Materials Business Plan, and operations permit. The Facility was found to be in compliance in all areas observed. General Updates b) Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Tentative Waste Discharge Requirements Renewal On September 3, 2010, a tentative Waste Discharge Requirements renewal package was issued for the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District Wastewater Treatment Plant. The discharger community was surprised by the significantly increased treatment requirements contained in the tentative permit. In particular, if adopted, the permit would require Sacramento Regional to remove ammonia and nitrogen from its effluent and then filter all its effluent and provide a higher level of disinfection before discharge to the Sacramento River. In addition,, the permit proposes to allow no consideration of dilution and mixing zones which results in requirements needing to be met at the "end of pipe ". The discharger community is concerned that the increased requirements are not supported by sound science and that the economic impacts have not been compared to the actual benefits and finally, that other consequences, such as the increase in green gas emissions, have not been considered. As such, many in the discharger community, including the District and BACWA, will be commenting on the permit. Staff is working with District Counsel on the legal aspects and with a specialty water quality firm, Limnotech, on the technical issues and will compile a comment letter for submission prior to the 5 p.m. October 8, 2010 deadline. c) Concord's Adoption of Title 10 Updates On September 28, 2010, Concord City Council adopted the revisions to the District's Source Control Ordinance (Title 10 of the District Code). The item was adopted under Consent Calendar and there were no public comments. The Concord Municipal Code that incorporates the District's Source Control Ordinance requirements references changes made to the District's Code being effective in Concord's sewer service area. However, District Counsel determined that formal adoption of the District's modifications was needed in order to ensure the Source Control standards in Concord's service area were enforceable. District Counsel and staff supported this adoption process by providing supporting documents and being available for questions. d) Federal Safe & Secure Drug Disposal Act Awaits President's Signature On September 29, 2010, the US Senate approved final changes to the Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act (S 3397). The companion bill passed the US House of Representatives unanimously on September 22, 2010. The bills now go to the President for signature, which is expected soon. This law will amend the Controlled Substances Act to allow for drug take -back options beyond law enforcement collection, which is the only mechanism to collect this challenging subset of prescription drugs available in most of the country today. The exact options that will be included are left to the rule- making. The Drug Enforcement Administration will promulgate regulations under the amended Act that: • Will allow for take -back (exact mechanisms to be determined) of controlled substances by authorized parties who are in compliance with all regulations to prevent diversion, and • May authorize long -term care facilities to dispose of controlled substances on behalf of current or deceased residents (in accordance with diversion controls as well as the public health and safety), and • Will consider the public health and safety, as well as the ease and cost of program implementation and participation by various communities. e) UC Berkeley Externship Program Participation UC Berkeley is starting a program for Cal alumni interested in participating in their externship program. Now in its 12th year, the program has placed over 2,000 students with alumni sponsors in a wide variety of industries throughout California and beyond, offering a chance to shadow real -world professionals and explore career options. The program is designed primarily for freshmen and sophomores who submit a resume and interest statement for their top choice of externships. UC staff matches the candidate(s) with the externship opportunity and refers the student(s) early December to those participating agencies. In mid - December, the student(s) placed will contact their assigned agency to confirm the schedule for the January 2011 assignment. This is a one day to two week program. Students do not receive compensation or benefits. If required, they will need to provide steel -toed boots at their own expense. Jim Kelly has approved the District's participation and the Human Resources Committee will be informed next month.