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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-20-2000 Steering Committee MinutesDRAFT I ~ r·! F' l C"'·""".,. .f' MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING -' 11 ;:, !'" LL~ 1 Wednesday, December 20, 2000 . : ~ j::., A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was held on Wednesday, December 20, 2000 at 5 p.m., in the District's Administrative Office. (1) The roll was called and a quorum declared present, as follows: STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Directors Present: Norm Eckenrode, Chair Peter Green, Vice Chair Pat McGuigan, Chairman, OMTS Committee Steve Anderson, PDC Committee Directors Absent: Jim Silva, County Supervisor (2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM No appointment was necessary. (3) PUBLIC COMMENTS OTHERS PRESENT: Thomas L. Woodruff, General Counsel Ryal Wheeler Peer Swan STAFF PRESENT: Blake Anderson, General Manager Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services Greg Mathews, Assistant to the General Manager Gary Streed, Director of Finance Lisa Lawson, Communications Manager Jim Herberg, Engineering Supervisor Jean Tappan, Committee Secretary There were no comments by any member of the public. (4) RECEIVE, FILE AND APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of the November 15, 2000 Steering Committee meeting were approved as drafted. (5) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR Committee Chair Norm Eckenrode announced that CASA's mid-year conference will be held in Palm Springs January 18-20, 2001. He also mentioned that the go/no-go decision on the GWRS Project has been delayed until March to provide stakeholders with sufficient time to review and comment on the financial report. The report had been expected to be finalized in early November but is now Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 2 December 20, 2000 expected to be released in January. Additional discussion follows under the General Manager's Report. The appointment of a chairman for the FAHR Committee will be made before the next meeting. There will be a workshop for new directors on Saturday, January 13, from 8 to 11:30 a .m. All seated directors will also be invited to attend. (6) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER A. Next Step re SARI Relocation Project. General Manager Blake Anderson reported that staff will continue to work with SAWPA's staff, general manager and Board to urge them to finance their fair share of the SARI Line relocation project and to look for outside funding grants. Blake will be meeting with the SAWPA Board at a workshop on January 9 to answer questions and make our case. Staff continues to move forward with all permitting and engineering efforts that will lead to a fall 2001 construction start date, unless other events or the direction of the Board changes. B. GWRS-Financial Picture. An announcement was made today by MWD that they would not be providing replenishment water to the Water District in January and maybe into February. Blake Anderson and Gary Streed presented an overview of the possible financial impacts on user rates on both the Sanitation District and the Orange County Water District with and without the GWRS project. The numbers presented were draft only, provided as late as yesterday to the Water District and Sanitation District staff by PRAG. The report is being finalized and should be available by the end of January. Director Swan asked for a copy of the initial draft report and was told by the Water District that it was not being distributed. A copy of the final report will be provided to him. C. Additional Discussion on the Five-year Staffing Plan . Feedback was requested on the presentations made to the committees. The Steering Committee's early opinion is that it appears that the projected increases are justifiable, though there were some directors who commented that the numbers appeared high. Staff will present the final plan to the directors in February at the committee and Board meetings. D. Update on Huntington Beach Issues. Blake Anderson and Bob Ghirelli provided an update on Huntington Beach issues. Director Green and several city staff members attended a meeting with District staff on Tuesday. One of the issues discussed was the infrastructure problems in the city and the recent articles in the newspapers. The city, county, Sanitation District, UC Irvine and a large number of others will design a research and response plan for the summer of 2001. Staff's policy of directing questions pertaining to the District to the most knowledgeable person on specific issues will continue. Questions on other agencies or entities will be directed to the agency/entity being questioned. Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 3 December 20, 2000 Bob Ghirelli discussed the November test results on the outfall plume. Additional water samples will be taken in January. The results will help with the major study that is planned for next spring. That study will include sediment samples and hourly shore- line samples for a 24-hour period. A preliminary cost estimate on the worst-case scenario (disinfect the effluent to achieve beach standards) was presented by Jim Herberg. Four alternatives to reduce pathogens were identified. (7) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL General Counsel Tom Woodruff reported that the Montrose consent decree has been lodged and it will be heard by the court mid-February. Most of the District's share was paid through insurance coverage. (8) DISCUSSION ITEMS (Item A) A. Biosolids: Is the Future Class B or Class A, Exceptional Quality and Composted? Staff reported on the increased pressures by the Central Valley farmers to eliminate the use of Class B biosolids. Staff also reported that Class A composted biosolids may be required in the future and they are putting together a game plan on how to accomplish this change, including cost estimates. The Kings County Board of Supervisors has apparently reversed itself and is prepared to enact an ordinance in January that will ban Class B biosolids in two years. (9) OTHER BUSINESS. COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS. IF ANY There was no other business discussed. (10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING There were none. (11) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT There were none. (12) CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for January 24, 2000 at 5 p.m. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for January 24, 2000 at 7 p.m. ... ' . - Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 4 December 20, 2000 (13) CLOSED SESSION There was no closed session. (14) ADJOURNMENT The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m . Submitted)~ J an appan te ing Committee Secretary H:\wp.dta\agenda\Steering Committee\00\DecOO\ 122000 Minutes. doc