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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-08-2017 Legislative Committee Meeting Agenda Orange County Sanitation District . , Monday, May 8, 2017 Meeting of the 12:00 P.M. LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC Administration Building AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Board Room 10844 Ellis Avenue Fountain Valley, CA (714) 593-7433 AGENDA PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: DECLARATION OF QUORUM: PUBLIC COMMENTS: If you wish to address the Committee on any item,please complete a Speaker's Form(located at the table at the back of the room) and submit it to the Clerk of the Board or notify the Clerk of the Board the item number on which you wish to speak. Speakers will be recognized by the Chairman and are requested to limit comments to three minutes. REPORTS: The Committee Chair and the General Manager may present verbal reports on miscellaneous matters of general interest to the Committee Members. These reports are for information only and require no action by the Committee. CONSENT CALENDAR: Consent Calendar Items are considered to be routine and will be enacted, by the Committee, after one motion, without discussion. Any items withdrawn from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion will be considered in the regular order of business. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (Clerk of the Board) RECOMMENDATION: Approve minutes for the Committee meeting held on March 13, 2017 and the Special Joint meeting of the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee and the Steering Committee held on April 26, 2017. 2. OPPOSE ASSEMBLY BILL 1479 (AB 1479) (Rebecca Long) RECOMMENDATION: Approve letter of opposition to Assembly Bill 1479 — Public Records: Custodian of Records: Civil Penalties (Assemblymember Bonta). NON-CONSENT CALENDAR: None. 05io8 2017 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Page 1 of INFORMATION ITEMS: 3. LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS UPDATE (Rebecca Long) 4. PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE (Jennifer Cabral) OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY: ADJOURNMENT: The next Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 12, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. Accommodations for the Disabled: Meeting Rooms are wheelchair accessible. If you require any special disability related accommodations, please contact the Orange County Sanitation District Clerk of the Board's office at (714)593-7433 at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. Requests must specify the nature of the disability and the type of accommodation requested. Agenda Posting: In accordance with the requirements of California Government Code Section 54954.2,this agenda has been posted outside the main gate of the Sanitation District's Administration Building located at 10844 Ellis Avenue, Fountain Valley, California, and on the Sanitation District's website at www.ocsd.com, not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting date and time above. All public records relating to each agenda item, including any public records distributed less than 72 hours prior to the meeting to all,or a majority of the Board of Directors,are available for public inspection in the office of the Clerk of the Board. Agenda Description: The agenda provides a brief general description of each item of business to be considered or discussed. The recommended action does not indicate what action will be taken. The Board of Directors may take any action which is deemed appropriate. NOTICE TO DIRECTORS: To place items on the agenda for the Committee Meeting, items must be submitted to the Clerk of the Board 14 days before the meeting. Kelly A.Lore Clerk of the Board (714)593-7433 Klomaocsd.com For any questions on the agenda, Committee members may contact staff at: General Manager James D. Herberg (714)593-7300 iherbem(glocsd.com Assistant General Manager Bob Ghirelli (714)593-7400 mhire1I0,ocsd.com Principal Public Affairs Specialist Jennifer Cabral (714)593-7581 icabrel(rpoosd.com Senior Public Affairs Specialist Rebecca Lon 714 593-7444 ronaQocsd.00rn 05/08/2017 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Page 2 of 2 ITEM NO. 1 MINUTES OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Orange County Sanitation District Monday, March 13, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. A meeting of the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee was called to order by Chair Seboum on Monday, March 13, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. in the Administration Building of the Orange County Sanitation District. Director Bernstein led the pledge of allegiance. A quorum was declared present, as follows: COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: Greg Sebourn, Board Chair Jim Herberg, General Manager David Shawver, Board Vice-Chair Bob Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager Allan Bernstein, Director Celia Chandler, Director of Human Peter Kim, Director Resources Donald P. Wagner, Director Jim Colston, Director of Environmental John Withers, Director Services Rob Thompson, Director of Engineering COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: Mike White, Controller Chad Wanks, Director Tina Knapp, Deputy Clerk of the Board Jennifer Cabral Rebecca Long Mark Manzo Kelly Newell OTHERS PRESENT: Brad Hogin, General Counsel Eric O'Donnell, Townsend Public Affairs Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources (via teleconference) Cori Williams, Townsend Public Affairs (via teleconference) PUBLIC COMMENTS: None. REPORTS: The Committee Chair and the General Manager may present verbal reports on miscellaneous matters of general interest to the Committee Members. These reports are for information only and require no action by the Committee. General Manager Jim Herberg reported that the Association of California Cities-Orange County (ACC-OC) continues work on developing a leadership symposium for elected 03/13/2017 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 1 of4 officials that would begin with a leadership assessment and provide training on topics such as homelessness, transportation infrastructure, changing workforce demographics, among other topics. Chair Sebourn reported that an agenda item will be presented to the Steering Committee for consideration of changing the frequency of meetings of the Legislative and Public Affairs (LaPA) Committee. Chair Sebourn expressed an interest in having the public affairs update and legislative update(both currently monthly information items to the LaPA Committee) moved to information items for the Steering Committee and holding LaPA meetings quarterly. Vice-Chair Shawver expressed an interest in having the LaPA Committee meet when the legislature (State and Federal) is in session. Director Bernstein expressed his appreciation for what the LaPA Committee addresses and indicated that he would like to see more practical use of the Committee to delve into legislative topics facing OCSD. CONSENT CALENDAR: Consent Calendar Items are considered to be routine and will be enacted, by the Committee, after one motion, without discussion. Any items withdrawn from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion will be considered in the regular order of business. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (Clerk of the Board) MOVED. SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Approve minutes for the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting held on February 6, 2017. Bernstein, Kim, Seboum, Shawver, Wagner, and AYES: Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wanks NON-CONSENT CALENDAR: None. INFORMATION ITEMS: 2. LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS UPDATE (Rebecca Long) Rebecca Long, Senior Public Affairs Specialist, provided an update on the Cal Recycle program grant and indicated that OCSD will be applying. Ms. Long also indicated that OCSD will be applying for the OC Waste and Recycling grant. Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources, reported that appointments have been made with the Environmental Protection Agency, provided an overview on a variety of federal loan programs, and reported on the recent California Association of Sanitation Agencies conference. 0 3/1 312 01 7 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 2 of 4 Ms. Long indicated that the Orange County Water District will be applying for funding through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act(WIFIA)for the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) expansion. Cori Williams, Townsend Public Affairs (TPA), provided an update on activities in the State government, including a recap of legislation submitted before the recent deadline for the introduction of legislation. Ms. Williams provided an update on legislation regarding the feasibility of direct potable reuse of water(AB 574) and SB 231, which would amend Proposition 218. Ms. Williams also indicated that the State Water Resource Control Board recently extended urban water conservation regulations until May. Eric O'Donnell, TPA, reported on the Little Hoover Commission and the recent meeting the Commission had regarding permitting and special district rules. Mr. O'Donnell also reported on the recent Cap & Trade auction. Mr. O'Donnell and Ms. Long indicated that congratulatory letters will be sent to State and Federal legislators, in which tours of OCSD will also be offered. 3. PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE (Jennifer Cabral) Ms. Cabral provided a brief overview of the Public Affairs Strategic Plan and reviewed the community events at which OCSD will be, and has been, present. Ms. Cabral also reviewed recent publications that have included information on OCSD. Ms. Cabral provided an overview on OCSD's recent video production efforts and two videos were shown—the General Manager's welcome/introduction to OCSD video and recruitment video. Ms. Cabral indicated that the next video to be produced/finalized will be a tour video. Ms. Cabral reported on the upcoming marketing efforts for the GWRS water bottling campaign. The first event will be the WateRuse event on March 20th in San Diego and the second event will be in Sacramento on April 18th. The Chair and Vice-Chair will be attending, and there is one additional vacancy for another elected official to attend. OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY: None. 0 311 312 01 7 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 3 of 4 ADJOURNMENT: Chair Sebourn declared the meeting adjourned at 8:56 a.m. to the next Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting, Monday, April 10, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. Submitted by: Tina Knapp Deputy Clerk of the Board 0 3/1 312 01 7 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 4 of MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND STEERING COMMITTEE Orange County Sanitation District Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. A special joint meeting of the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee and Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was called to order by Chair Sebourn on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 4:37 p.m. in the Administration Building of the Orange County Sanitation District. Chair Sebourn led the pledge of allegiance. A quorum was declared present, as follows: COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: Greg Sebourn, Fullerton, Board Chair Jim Herberg, General Manager David Shawver, Stanton, Board Vice- Bob Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager Chair Celia Chandler, Director of Human Allan Bernstein, Tustin Resources Ellery Deaton, Seal Beach Rob Thompson, Director of Engineering Peter Kim, La Palma Ed Torres, Director of Operations & Tim Shaw, La Habra Maintenance Donald Wagner, Irvine Lorenzo Tyner, Director of Finance & Chad Wanks, Placentia, Administration Administrative Services Committee Chair Kelly Lore, Clerk of the Board John Withers, IRWD, Operations Jennifer Cabral Committee Chair Carla Dillon Al Garcia COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: Tom Grant None. Tina Knapp Mark Manzo Kathy Millea Jeff Mohr Kelly Newell Roya Sohanaki OTHERS PRESENT: Brad Hogin, General Counsel Fred Smith, Director, Buena Park Lucille Kring, Alternate Director, Anaheim PUBLIC COMMENTS: No public comments were provided. 04/2W2017 Minutes of the Special Joint Meeting of the Page 1 of 3 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee and Steering Committee REPORTS: Chair Seboum did not provide a report. General Manager Jim Herberg did not provide a report. CONSENT CALENDAR: None NON-CONSENT CALENDAR: 1. LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (Bob Ghirelli) General Manager Jim Herberg introduced this item and indicated that it is in follow-up to the March Steering Committee meeting discussion regarding the frequency and timing of the Legislative and Public Affairs (LaPA) Committee meetings. As provided in the Agenda Report, Mr. Herberg offered the following options for consideration: Option 1: Continue LaPA as a Standing Committee with meetings held in the following months: • February, March, May, July, August, and November, reducing the number of committee meetings from 10 to six per year. • The Sanitation District's lobbyists indicate these are the months that best match legislative activity in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Option 2: Sunset the LaPA Committee and return this area of purview to the Steering Committee's authority, and extend the current meeting time for Steering Committee meetings to allow more time for consideration of legislative and public affairs matters. Option 3: Continue with monthly LaPA Committee meetings, with January and August being dark. Discussion took place regarding the future of the LaPA Committee. Committee members voiced their desire and interest in continuing legislative work and the importance of having good staff representation in Sacramento and Washington, DC. The discussion included comments regarding the volume of upcoming Steering Committee agenda items that might make it challenging to assume purview of the LaPA Committee tasks; if August was identified as a month during which State and Federal legislation is in session, it might be prudent for the LaPA Committee to not be dark in August; and a suggestion that the Sanitation District be more proactive in the creation of new bills. 04/26/2017 Minutes of the Special Joint Meeting of the Page 2 of 3 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee and Steering Committee Director Wagner arrived at 4:50 p.m. MOVED. SECONDED, AND DULY CARRIED TO: Recommend to the Board of Directors to: Continue with monthly Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meetings on the second Monday of each month, with January dark, at a new meeting time of 12 noon. AYES: Bernstein; Deaton; Kim; Sebourn; Shaw; Shawver; Wagner; Wanks; and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: None INFORMATION ITEMS: None. OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY: None. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Sebourn declared the meeting adjourned at 4:57 p.m. Submitted by: Tina Knapp, CMC Deputy Clerk of the Board 04/26/2017 Minutes of the Special Joint Meeting of the Page 3 of 3 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee and Steering Committee LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE N1e0 ngDale To ad.ofDir. 8117 AGENDA REPORT ItemNumber Item Number z Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager Originator: Bob Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager SUBJECT: OPPOSE ASSEMBLY BILL 1479 (AB 1479) GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Approve letter of opposition to Assembly Bill 1479 - Public Records: Custodian of Records: Civil Penalties (Assemblymember Bonta). BACKGROUND The California Public Records Act requires a public agency to make its public records available for public inspection and make copies available upon request. Existing law requires an agency to justify withholding a record from disclosure bydemonstrating either that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of law or that the public interest is served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record. Additionally, existing law requires specified state and local agencies to establish written guidelines for accessibility of records. RELEVANT STANDARDS • Unified legislative advocacy and public outreach program • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with neighboring agencies PROBLEM AB 1479 would mandate that every local agency assign a Supervisor of Record to review each public records act denial prior to the final determination being issued.AB 1479 would cause further delays in processing requests by creating an additional step in the process whereby every request denial would have to be reviewed by the Supervisor of Record before a final determination from the agency can be issued. Additionally, the measure establishes new and costly punitive damages assessed to agencies above and beyond plaintiffs' attorney fees established in current law. PROPOSED SOLUTION At the direction of the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee, staff has written a letter of opposition to Assembly Bill 1479 by Assemblymember Bonta. Page 1 of 2 TIMING CONCERNS It is important that the Orange County Sanitation District (Sanitation District) take a position on the letter as soon as possible to ensure that the Sanitation District's position is considered when reviewing the bill. The bill is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will need to pass out of the Committee before the May 26 deadline. RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION The bill may be signed by the Governor and become law. PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS N/A ATTACHMENTS The following attachments are included in hard copy and may also be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.coml with the complete agenda package: • Letter of Opposition to Assembly Bill 1479 • Assembly Bill 1479 Page 2 of 2 Serving: Orange County Sanitation District Anaheim 10844 Ellis Avenue,Fountain Valley,CA 92708 Brea w.714.962.2411 • wwoesd.cum Buena Park Cypress May 8, 2017 Fountain valley The Honorable Rob Bonta California State Assembly Fullerton State Capitol Building, Room 2148 Garden Grove Sacramento, CA 95814 Huntington Beach RE: AB 1479 -Public records: custodian of records: civil penalties -OPPOSE Irvine Dear Assemblymember Bonta: La Habra The Orange County Sanitation District respectfully opposes Assembly Bill (AB) 1479, La Palma which places substantial burdens on local agencies by adding onerous, costly, and unnecessary requirements in processing California Public Records Act (CPRA) Los Alamitos requests. Newport Beach Local agencies strive to comply with the strict guidelines inherent within the CPRA; Orange requests measure runs counter to that intent. AB 1479 would cause delays in processing requests by creating an additional step in the process whereby every request denial Placentia would have to be reviewed by the Custodian of Record before a final determination from the agency can be issued. We diligently work to review records requests to Santa Ana ensure that exemptions and/or denials are carefully scrutinized. It is always our intent to ensure information remains widely accessible to the public whenever legally Seal Beach possible. Stanton Additionally, the measure establishes new and costly punitive damages that may be Tustin assessed to agencies above and beyond plaintiffs' attorney fees established in current law. It is our contention that adding the additional punitive damages award Villa Park provision, which could be as high as $5,000 per violation, and will lead to a litany of satellite litigation given the grounds for punitive damages are so vast. Under this County of orange measure, damages may be awarded on every type of violation, no matter how Costa Mesa significant, no matter if a denial was made in good faith, to name just a few. Sanitary District For the the reasons described above, the Orange County Sanitation District opposes Midway City AB 1479. Thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to contact me should Sanitary District you have any questions. Irvine Ranch Water District Sincerely, Ymba Linda Water District Gregory C. Sebourn, PLS it Board Chairman Our Mission: To protect public health and the environment by providing effective wastewater collection, treatment, and recycling. AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 27, 2017 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 21,2017 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE-2017-18 REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLY BILL No. 1479 Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta (Coauthor.Assembly Member Cristina Garcia) February 17, 2017 An act to amend Sections 6255 and 6259 of the Government Code, relating to public records. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1479, as amended, Bonta. Public records: Supervise r custodian of records: fines. civil penalties. Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires a public agency, defined to mean any state or local agency, to make its public records available for public inspection and to make copies available upon request and payment of a fee,unless the public records are exempt from disclosure.Existing law requires an agency to justify withholding a record from disclosure by demonstrating either that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of law or that on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record. Existing law requires specified state and local agencies to establish written guidelines for accessibility of records. Existing law authorizes a person to institute proceedings for injunctive or declarative relief or writ of mandate in any court of competentjurisdiction to enforce his or her right to inspect or to receive a copy of any public record or class of public records under these provisions. 97 AB 1479 —2— This bill would require public agencies to identify a sttpe�isor designate a person or office to act as the agency's custodian of records wh is denied.. is responsible for responding to any request made pursuant to the California Public Records Act and any inquiry from the public about a decision by the agency to deny a request for records. The bill also would make other conforming changes. Because the bill would require local agencies to perform additional duties,the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also authorize a court that finds that an agency or the custodian improperly withheldlmbhe-reeards from a member of the public, public records which were clearly subject to public disclosure, unreasonably delayed providing the contents of a record subject to disclosure in whole or in part, assessed an unreasonable or unauthorized fee upon a requester, or otherwise did not act in good faith to comply with these provisions, to assess-punitive-damages a civil penalty against the agency in an AAA amount not less than $1,000, nor more than P5adhe by-the-bill. $5,000. Statutory Provisions establish proeed�es for Making that reilllb�senlent. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains eosts mandated by the state, reimb�sement for these eosts shall be made pursuant to the statutory previsions noted above. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The California Constitution requires local agencies,for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and containsfindings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. 97 -3— AB 1479 This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. The people of the State of California do enact as follows. 1 SECTION I. Section 6255 of the Government Code is amended 2 to read: 3 6255. (a) The agency shall justify withholding any record by 4 demonstrating that the record in question is exempt under express 5 provisions of this chapter or that on the facts of the particular case 6 the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly 7 outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record. 8 (b) A response to a written request for inspection or copies of 9 public records that includes a determination that the request is 10 denied,in whole or in part, shall be in writing. 11 (c) Each agency shall-identify a supervises designate a person 12 or office to act as the agency's custodian of records who shall 13 review a determination is responsiblefor responding to any request 14 made pursuant to this chapter and any inquiry from the public 15 about a decision by the agency-that to deny a request for-meerds 16 is-dexied. records. 17 SEC. 2. Section 6259 of the Government Code is amended to 18 read: 19 6259. (a) Whenever it is made to appear by verified petition 20 to the superior court of the county where the records or some part 21 thereof are situated that certain public records are being improperly 22 withheld from a member of the public, the court shall order the 23 superviser custodian of records or person charged with withholding 24 the records to disclose the public record or show cause why he or 25 she should not do so. The court shall decide the case after 26 examining the record in camera, if permitted by subdivision (b) 27 of Section 915 of the Evidence Code, papers filed by the parties 28 and any oral argument and additional evidence as the court may 29 allow. 30 (b) If the court finds that the supervisor custodian of records' 31 or other public official's decision to refuse disclosure is not 32 justified under Section 6254 or 6255, he or she shall order the 33 supervisor custodian ofrecords or public official to make the record 34 public. If the judge determines that the supervisorcustodian of 97 AB 1479 —4- 1 records or other public official was justified in refusing to make 2 the record public,he or she shall return the item to the�uperviser 3 custodian of records or other public official without disclosing its 4 content with an order supporting the decision refusing disclosure. 5 (c) In an action filed on or after January 1, 1991, an order of 6 the court, either directing disclosure by a public official or 7 supporting the decision of the supewisee custodian of records or 8 other public official refusing disclosure,is not a final judgment or 9 order within the meaning of Section 904.1 of the Code of Civil 10 procedure from which an appeal may be taken, but shall be 11 immediately reviewable by petition to the appellate court for the 12 issuance of an extraordinary writ.Upon entry of any order pursuant 13 to this section,a party shall,in order to obtain review of the order, 14 file a petition within 20 days after service upon him or her of a 15 written notice of entry of the order, or within a further time not 16 exceeding an additional 20 days as the trial court may for good 17 cause allow.If the notice is served by mail,the period within which 18 to file the petition shall be increased by five days. A stay of an 19 order orjudgment shall not be granted unless the petitioning party 20 demonstrates it will otherwise sustain irreparable damage and 21 probable success on the merits.Any person who fails to obey the 22 order of the court shall be cited to show cause why he or she is not 23 in contempt of court. 24 (d) (1) The court shall award court costs and reasonable attorney 25 fees to the plaintiff should the plaintiff prevail in litigation filed 26 pursuant to this section. The costs and fees shall be paid by the 27 public agency of which the supervisors custodian of records or 28 public official is a member or employee and shall not become a 29 personal liability of the-supervisoe custodian of records or public 30 official. 31 (2) If the court finds that the plaintiff's case is clearly frivolous, 32 it shall award court costs and reasonable attorney fees to the public 33 agency. 34 (3) If a court finds that an agency or the Merviser custodian 35 of records or other public official of an agency improperly withheld 36 a public record from a member of the public 37 failed to fdrnish a property requested reeord or a portion therea 38 �;that was clearly subject to public disclosure, 39 unreasonably delayed providing the contents of a record subject 40 to disclosure in whole or in part, assessed an unreasonable or 97 -5— AB 1479 1 unauthorized fee upon a requester,or otherwise did not act in good 2 faith to comply with this chapter, the court may assess-pcmitive 3 damages a civil penalty against the agency in an amount not less 4 than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand 5 dollars ($5,000) that shall be deposited into the Public Records 6 Assistance Fund,which is hereby established in the state treasury. 7 ($5,000). 8 SEG. 3. if the Gemmission an Sloe Mmdafes determines th 9 this net eentains eests mandated by t4te state, reimbursement to 10 11 12 4 of - 2 of - -- rnment Gode. 13 SEC. 3. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to 14 Section 6 ofArticle MII B of the California Constitution because 15 the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school 16 district under this act would resukfrom a legislative mandate that 17 is within the scope ofparagraph (7) ofsubdivision (b) of Section 18 3 ofArticle I of the California Constitution. 19 SEC. 4. The Legislaturefinds and declares that Sections I and 20 2 of this act, which amend Sections 6255 and 6259 of the 21 Government Code, respectively, further, within the meaning of 22 paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 ofArticle I of the 23 California Constitution, the purposes ofthat constitutional section 24 as it relates to the right ofpublic access to the meetings of local 25 public bodies or the writings of local public officials and local 26 agencies. Pursuant to paragraph (7) ofsubdivision (b) of Section 27 3 ofArticle Iofthe California Constitution, the Legislature makes 28 thefollowingfindings.: 29 By requiring local agencies to designate custodians of records 30 responsible for responding to requests and inquiries under the 31 California Public Records Act, this actfurthers thepublic's access 32 to public records. O 97 LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE N1e0 ng Dale To Bd_of Dir. AGENDA REPORT17 Item Item Number 3 Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager Originator: Robert P. Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager SUBJECT: LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS UPDATE GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Information Only. BACKGROUND The Orange County Sanitation District's (Sanitation District) legislative affairs program includes advocating Sanitation District legislative interests, Sanitation District sponsored legislation, and seeking Federal/State funding for projects. Staff and Sanitation District lobbyists will provide an update on recent legislative activities. RELEVANT STANDARDS • Unified legislative advocacy and public outreach program • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Use all practical and effective means for recovering wastewater for reuse • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with neighboring agencies • Listen to and seriously consider community input on environmental concerns PROBLEM Without a strong advocacy program, elected officials may not be aware that the Sanitation District is more than a wastewater treatment plant — treating and sending water to the ocean. The Sanitation District is an environmentally engaged organization which recycles more than 50 percent of its wastewater. Additionally, to help meet the goal of 100% recycling, the Sanitation District uses the byproducts from the wastewater treatment process to produce biosolids and energy used to help run the two plants in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach. PROPOSED SOLUTION Work with Local, State, and Federal officials to advocate the Sanitation District's legislative interests. Help to create/monitor legislation and grants that would benefit the Page 1 of 2 Sanitation District, the wastewater industry, and the community. To assist in our relationship building activities, we will continue to reach out to our elected officials, providing facility tours, one-on-one meetings, and trips to D.C. and Sacramento. RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION If we do not work with Local, State, and Federal elected officials, legislation could be passed that negatively affects the Sanitation District and the wastewater industry as a whole. Additionally, this could affect our chances of receiving grant funding. ATTACHMENT The following attachment(s)are included in hard copy and may also be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.coml with the complete agenda package: • Federal Update & Legislative Matrix - ENS Resources • State Update & Legislative Matrix - Townsend Public Affairs • Grant Matrix Page 2 of 2 Ll �V RESOURCES MEMORANDUM TO: Rebecca Long FROM: Eric Sapirstein DATE: May 1, 2017 SUBJECT: Washington Update During the past month, Congress dedicated its efforts to finalize a fiscal year 2017 budget agreement that would maintain federal spending for the remaining five months of the fiscal year. After intense negotiations,Congress and the White House reached an agreement on budgetary requests surrounding the border wall and efforts by the administration to impose new spending cuts. Both issues were put on hold to be addressed as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget debate. The other matter that attracted attention was regulatory reform as both the House and Senate began exploring ways to address infrastructure development through regulatory reforms. In a matter,unrelated to general legislative and regulatory matters,it became known this month that former Senator Barbara Boxer has joined the effort to secure Coastal Commission approval of the Huntington Beach desalination project She is conducting this work on behalf of Poseidon Resources. While this may not have a direct impact upon OCSD, it could create competitive issues on securing federal infrastructure assistance in the years ahead if the project secures state and federal approvals. Page 1 of 4 The following summarizes the issues of interest to OCSD. Final FY2017Budget Hold to Current Spending with Limited Increases to Support Water Infrastructure, Budget Decisions for Fiscal Year 2018 Anticipated in the Coming Months Congress avoided a shutdown scenario when it reached agreement with the White House not to fund the border wall in the current spending agreement Instead, facing a deadline that did not allow adequate time to finalize the FY 2017 omnibus,another short-term extension until May 5 was enacted. This now allows Congress to pass and send to the president for signing a five-month spending bill that will maintain most spending programs at current year funding levels. For OCSD,this means that the Clean Water SRF will be funded at approximately$1.3 billion, providing California with about$100 million to replenish its SRF. The WIFIA program will receive a boost at$30 million and an expectation that$3 billion in new water infrastructure funding will be initiated through this leverage funding. In an encouraging sign,the funding agreement maintains support of the Beaches and National Estuary Programs that have benefited OCSD in the past Regarding water recycling,the Department of the Interior will receive a minimum of$34 million to support water recycling. This boost is a function of the new authorized spending that was included in last year's WIIN. Other water conservation programs to enhance innovation within the energy water nexus were also provided. All considered,the agreement to fund the federal government until October 1, 2017 represents a compromise to maintain most water and wastewater infrastructure programs and preserving many coastal-related programs that were slated for significant cuts. After passage and enactment of the FY 2017 funding bill,the President is expected to transmit his detailed Fiscal Year 2018 budget request to Congress before Memorial Day. This is important because it represents the first budget request that will embody the administration's policy priorities. Based upon the March"skinny"budget that offered top line data on what might be sought,the budget should maintain current spending for water infrastructure programs.This includes the SRF,WIFIA and water recycling assistance. However,other USEPA and USBR programs are expected to be subject to dramatic cuts, including elimination of beach protection and ecosystem grants assistance programs that OCSD has benefited from in past year. Prospects that Congress would accept such cuts are considered highly unlikely. Instead, USEPA could see spending reductions in the range of 3-8%,according to congressional budget staff. While program spending reductions are expected to be less severe than requested,it is entirely possible that the agency could see substantial personnel reductions approaching more than 3,000 staff positions from a total employment base of 15,000. If this occurs,it unclear how the agency will pursue its current priorities and particularly the impact upon enforcement programs if personnel cuts come close to the request. Regardless of how the budget might evolve,it appears that the debate over USEPA's budget will be a central element of the upcoming debate in Congress. Page 2 of 4 Infrastructure Policymaking The administration continues to develop an infrastructure policy to submit to Congress. The timetable has yet to be defined,but it appears that the priority objective is to fashion a new approach that relies upon private sector financing through public private partnerships and privatization efforts. However,bipartisan congressional support for traditional water infrastructure programs suggests that any effort to displace programs like the SRF and WIFIA will be very difficult. In fact,Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure member Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA) has reintroduced her legislation to renew the Clean Water SRF and to provide$20 billion over five years. OCSD's Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) who also sits on the committee is a cosponsor. At the same time,committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA)has instructed his staff to begin developing water infrastructure policy options that could become part of an infrastructure bill. Shuster has expressed interest in public private partnerships,but he has also expressed support of current funding approaches like the SRF and WIFIA. In the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works,the committee staff continue to develop an infrastructure proposal for the committee leadership. According to committee staff,the effort at developing a proposal has a summer deadline that in turn would allow committee work to begin in the fall. Since Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) sits on the committee,OCSD will have the opportunity to provide input to her staff on any water infrastructure proposal the committee considers. In tandem with the committee staff work on a new infrastructure policy, the Committee on Environment and Public Works approved the Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act(S.692). S. 692 was unanimously approved. The fact that the committee worked on a bipartisan basis is a demonstration that a new infrastructure water policy is likely to be developed with a similar bipartisanship. S. 692 would authorize a utility to use integrated planning for permitting multiple clean water needs,thereby reducing project costs and compliance by designing a permit that addresses the priority needs to deliver overall water quality benefits. The bill is unlikely to provide direct benefits to OCSD,since the bill's major focus is to help communities and utilities that have stormwater management responsibilities in addition to general wastewater treatment needs. However,the ability to promote the use of water recycling through integrated planning and permitting might have an impact upon OCSD. BuyAmerica Trade Issues May Impact Infrastructure President Trump issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to review compliance with Buy American mandates. Under current laws and regulations,American iron and steel must be used in SRF-funded projects as directed under the Water Resources Development Act of 2014. This mandate has not impacted the ability to cost-effectively construct wastewater treatment facilities. The question that could impact OCSD is whether the mandate might be expanded to capture treatment technologies and processes. This became an issue during the"Stimulus Bill"because of concerns that any mandate on such products could lead to project delays or cost increases. Page 3 of 4 Under the Executive Order,agencies must report to the Department of Commerce on whether modifications should be made to the current mandate. If USEPA determines that it is appropriate to revise current policies to capture treatment goods,it could add new costs to the use of SRF assistance and other federal assistance programs,like WIFIA. USEPA must report the review findings and recommendations by June. At the same time, legislation continues to be introduced in the House and Senate seeking to expand the imposition of Buy America mandates on the procurement of technologies that public agencies procure using federal loan and grants assistance. Bureaucracy Reform and Rulemaking Priorities Continue to Be a Focus; WOTUS Rewrite Initiated President Trump also issued an Executive Order directing federal agency and department heads to identify programs and activities that could be reformed or eliminated. Under the order,department and agency heads have 180 days from March 13,to submit plans to the Office of Management of Budget(OMB) on proposed plans to comply with the order. OMB also issued a directive to federal agencies to review priority regulatory initiatives for the coming fiscal year 2018,but cautioned that there cannot be any increased costs to the economy from regulatory initiatives. Under a separate guidance document,USEPA and other agencies must submit an agenda of rulemaking priorities for approval by OMB. If OMB does not approve of the proposed agenda,then the agency would be precluded from pursuing the specific rulemaking. Finally,the ongoing administration priority to reform the federal bureaucracy continues. Federal agencies are currently working on recommendations to submit to OMB on program consolidations, for example. OMB plans to use,the results of agency findings to incorporate,as appropriate,into the Administration's FY 2019 budget request that is to be developed over the next several months,leading to a congressional transmittal next February. Finally,USEPA is proceeding rewrite of the Clean Water Rule (WOTUS). The effort will involve extensive reviews of past data that was relied upon in the development of the original rule and seek input from the stakeholder community. Complicating this endeavor is a Supreme Court hearing on the issue to determine whether the current hold on the rule's implementation nationwide can continue. For OCSD,the WOTUS rule did not impose any new compliance conditions since it expressly exempted POTWs. When a new rule is developed and promulgated,it is highly unlikely to create any new regulatory burdens for OCSD operations. It should also avoid any impacts upon water recycling and the introduction of recycled waters into the environment. Page 4 of 4 OCSD Federal Bills of Interest . • . H.R.1071 Paul Tonko (D- Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2017 Amends the Introduced 2113/17 Watch rote upporters of NY) Safe Drinking Water Act to increase assistance for States, water Referred to the House for OCSD systems, and disadvantaged communities; to encourage good Committee on Energy and financial and environmental management of water systems; to Commerce 2/15/17 strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to enforce the requirements of the Act; and for other purposes. H.R.1068 Frank Pallone (D- Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 2017 To enable Introduced in House Watch No supporters of NJ) needed drinking water standards, reduce lead in drinking water, 2/15117, Referred to note for OCSD plan for and address threats from climate change, terrorism, and Subcommittee on source water contamination, invest in drinking water Environment 2/17/17 infrastructure, increase compliance with drinking water standards, foster greater community right to know about drinking water quality, and promote technological solutions for drinking water challenges. H.R. 1663 Robert Wittman (I Water Resources Research Amendments Act Amends the Introduced 3121/17 Watch No supporters of Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to reauthorize grants for Referred to Committee on note for OCSD and require applied water supply research regarding the water Natural Resources- resources research and technology institutes established under 3/21/17 that Act. H.R. 1579 Scott H. Peters Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act To require drinking Introduced in House Watch No supporters of (D-CA) water systems to assess and address their vulnerabilities to 3/16/17, referred to note for OCSD climate change, source water degradation, and intentional acts to Committee on Energy and ensure secuity and resiliency. Commerce H.R. 1647 Earl Blumenauer Water Infrastructure Trust Fund Act of 2017 To establish a Introduced 3/21/2017 Watch No supporters of (D-OR) Water Infrastructure Trust Fund, and for other purposes Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD on Water Resources and Environment H.R. 434 Jeff Denham (R- New WATER Act Authorizes the Department of the Interior, for Introduced 1/11/17 Watch No supporters of CA) 15 years after this bill's enactment, to provide financial Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD assistance, such as secured loans or loan guarantees, to entities on Water, Power, and that contract under federal reclamation law to carry out water Oceans-217/17 projects within the 17 western states served by the Bureau of Reclamation, other states where the Bureau is authorized to provide project assistance, Alaska, and Hawaii. OCSD Federal Bills of Interest H.R.448 Jared Huffman Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act amends the Internal Introduced 1/11/2017 Support ACWA and (D-CA) Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for energy Referred to Committee on CASA Support conservation subsidies provided by public utilities to exclude from Ways and Means- 1/11/17 gross income subsidies provided: (1) by a public utility to a customer, or by a state or local government to a resident of such state or locality, for the purchase or installation of any water conservation or efficiency measure; and (2) by a storm water management provider to a customer, or by a state or local government to a resident of such state or locality, for the purchase or installation of any storm water management measure. S. 692 Deb Fischer(R- Water infrastructure Flexibility Act provides for integrated plan Introduced 3/21/17 Support NACWA Supports NE) permits, to establish an Office of the Municipal Ombudsman, to Referred to Committee on promote green infrastructure, and to require the revision of Environment and Public financial capability guidance. Works, Order to be Reported with an amendment-4/05/2017 H.R. 1654 Tom McClintock Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act To authorize the Introduced 3/21/17 Watch No supporters of (R-CA) Secretary of the Interior to coordinate Federal and permitting Referred to Committee on note for OCSD processes related to the construction of new surface water Natural Resources, storage projects on lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Ordered to be Reported the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture and to designate the (Amended)-4/27/2017 Bureau of Reclamation as the lead agency for permit processing, and for other purposes. H.R.998 Jason Smith (R- SCRUB Act SCRUB would institutionalize a process to identify Passed House 3/1/17 240- Support No supporters of MO) those regulations that are eligible to be repealed. Under the 185, Received in Senate - note for OCSD measure, a bipartisan review commission would examine rules referred to Committee on fifteen years or older that are determined to be not necessary and Homeland Security and should be repealed immediately, or given to the appropriate Governmental Affairs agency for the purposes of prioritizing the rule for repeal. H.R. 1653 Robert E. Latta Drinking Water Affordability Act amends certain provisions of Introduced 3/21/2017 Watch No supporters of (R-OH) the Safe Drinking Water Act, and for other purposes. Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD on Environment H.R. 1269 Doug LaMalfa (R- Sacramento Valley Water Storage and Restoration Act directs Introduced 3/10/2017 Watch No supporters of CA) the Secretary of the Interior to take actions to support non- Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD Federal investments in water infrastructure improvements in the on Water, Power and Sacramento Valley, and for other purposes Oceans 3/10/2017 OCSD Federal Bills of Interest H.R. 1807 Louie Gohmert Public Water Supply Invasive Species Compliance Act of Introduced 3/30/2017 Watch No supporters of (R-TX) 2017 amends the Lacey Act and the Lacey Act Amendments of Ordered to be Reported note for OCSD 1981 by exempting certain water transfers between public water (Amended)4/27/2017 supplies located on, along, or across the boundaries of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana from prohibitions on illegal trade of plants and wildlife. Specifically, the prohibitions do not apply to covered water transfers containing a prohibited species if: (1)the species are present in both public water supplies before the transfer and the water is transferred directly between them; or(2) the water is transferred in a closed conveyance system (a closed system that collects, contains, and transports the flow of water, such as pipe systems) and sent directly to treatment facilities where the species will be destroyed. H.R. 1579 Scott H. Peters Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act requires drinking Introduced 3/16/2017 Watch No supporters of (D-CA) water systems to assess and address their vulnerabilities to Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD climate change, source water degradation, nad intentional acts to on Environment ensure security and resiliency. H.R. 1769 David G. Valadao San Luis Unit Drainage Resolution Act to affirm an agreement Introduced 3/28/2017 Watch No supporters of (R-CA) between the United States and Westlands Water District dated Orded to be Reported note for OCSD September 15, 2015, and for other purposes. (Amended)4/27/2017 S. 896 Richard Burr(R-N A bill to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Introduced and referred to Watch No supporters of Conservation Fund Committee on Energy and note for OCSD Natural Resources 4/07/2017 H.R. 1971 Lloyd Smucker Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act to provide for integrated Introduced and referred to Support NACWA Supports (R-PA) plan permits, to establish an Office of the Municipal Ombudsman, Subcommittee on Water to promote green infrastructure, and to require the revision of Resources and financial capability guidance. Environment-4/07/2017 S. 880 Tammy Baldwin Made In America Water Infrastructure Act to ensure the use of Introduced and referred to Watch No supporters of (D-W I) American iron and steel in public water systems, and for other the Committee on note for OCSD purposes Environment and Public Works 4/07/2017 H.R. 2001 Grace Napolitano FRESHER ACT of 2017 Amends the Federal Water Pollution Introduced 4/06/2017 No Impact No supporters of (D-CA) Control Act and direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD study with respect to stormwater runoff from oil and gas on Water Resources and operations, and for other purposes. Environment 4/07/2017 OCSD Federal Bills of Interest H.R. 2116 Stephen Knight Perchlorate Reclamation and Water Replenishment Act Introduced 4/25/2017 Monitor NACWA Supports (R-CA) amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in a series of water reclamation projects to provide a new water supply to communities previously impacted by perchlorate contamination plumes. H.R. 1647 Earl Blumenauer Water Infrastructure Trust Fund Act of 2017 to establish a Introduced 3/21/2017 Watch No supporters of (D-OR) Water Infrastructure Trust Fund, and for other purposes Referred to Subcommittee note for OCSD on Environment Legend: ACC-OC-Association of California Cities, Orange County LOCC- League of California Cities NYC- Not Yet Considered CASA-California Association of Sanitation Agencies NACW A-National Association of Clean Water Agencies ACWA-Association of California Water Agencies CSDA-California Special Districts Association TOWNSEND TPA To: Orange County Sanitation District From: Townsend Public Affairs, Inc. Date: May 1, 2017 Subject: Legislative and Public Affairs Agenda Report State Political Update The month of April was an abbreviated month for the Legislature, as they adjourned for Spring Recess on April 7 and returned on April 17. When the legislators returned to Sacramento, they immediately set to work on passing bills out of their policy committees.Transportation was a major focus in April, as legislators spent significant time discussing the details of the $52 billion transportation funding package that was recently signed by the Governor. The Legislature faced a quick turn-around, as April 28 was the last day for policy committees to hear and report fiscal bills in their house of origin. Bills identified as having fiscal components that failed to pass out of their policy committees by April 28 have become two-year bills and will be eligible for consideration next year. Below is a list of key upcoming deadlines in the Legislature: May 12— Last day for policy committees to hear and report non-fiscal bills to the floor May 26— Last day for fiscal committees to hear and report bills to the floor Last month, Governor Brown submitted a request to the Trump Administration to enact a fourth presidential disaster declaration to address the winter storms that several states have experienced. A presidential disaster declaration is required in order for some federal agencies such as FEMA to provide aid to states that have suffered from winter storms. In his request to the Trump Administration, the Governor stated that the damage caused by recent winter storms has exceeded $500 million. Included in the damage that the Governor hopes to address with federal funds are the Oroville Dam spillway, damaged roads and bridges, and significant flood events. President Trump responded to the request made by Governor Brown and announced that more than $500 million would be used to help California recover from winter storms that have cost the State an estimated $540 million. Approximately half of that money will be used to repair the main spillway and the auxiliary spillway at Oroville Dam, as well as repair the non-operational Hyatt Powerplant on the site. Recent reports from the Department of Finance indicate that personal income tax revenues from April were $874 million above projected, putting the State's General Fund at $1.15 billion above the forecast in the Governor's January Budget. Later this month, the Governor will release his May Revise Budget and will adjust his January Budget proposal based on updated revenues. Southern California Office•1401 Dove Street•Suite 330•Newport Beach,CA 92660•Phone(949)399-9050•Fax(949)476-8215 State Capitol Office•925 L Street•Suite 1404•Sacramento,CA 95814•Phone(916)4474086•Fax(916)444 0383 Federal Office•600 Pennsylvania BE•Suite 207•Washington,DC 20003•Phone(202)546-8696•Fax(202)5464555 Northern California Office-300 Frank Ogawa Plaza•Suite 204•Oakland,CA 94612•Phone(510)835-9050•Fax(510)835-9030 Transportation Funding Package On April 6, the Legislature passed SB 1 (Beall), a$52 billion funding package that was introduced by legislative leadership and the Governor the week prior. This proposal will fund approximately $5.2 billion per year for transportation infrastructure improvements through increases in gas and diesel excise taxes as well as increases to vehicle registration fees. Revenues generated through this tax increase will be split 50-50 between local streets and roads and state owned highways and infrastructure with a formula based amount being directly routed to individual cities. The funding package and related tax increases will be phased in over several years.The gas and diesel sales and excise tax increases will begin on November 1, 2017, with the first annual adjustment for inflation scheduled for July 1, 2020. The increase in vehicle registration fees, also known as transportation improvement fees, will be effective in Spring 2018 with annual adjustments for inflation beginning July 1, 2020. In addition, the new$100 vehicle registration fee on zero emission vehicles model year 2020 or newer will begin July 1, 2020 and will be adjusted annually for inflation starting January 1, 2021. Both the Assembly and Senate had exactly the two-thirds vote required to pass this funding proposal, with multiple Democrats voting no. In order to garner enough votes, legislative leadership and the Governor orchestrated specific funding carve outs for two projects in two legislative districts. Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres)and Senator Richard Roth (D-Riverside)will all benefit from the nearly $1 billion allocated to transportation projects in their districts through a separate bill, SB 132. In addition to the funding carve out, Senator Anthony Cannella's SB 496 was passed as part of the deal. SB 496 changes the duty of design professionals to indemnify against liability for claims and the costs to defend an indemnitee. All three bills were signed by the Governor on April 28. California Snowpack Conditions California's recent winter storms have delivered a substantial amount of snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains. This snowpack represents a sizeable amount of the State's water supplies, as we rely on this snow to melt in the Summer. Two years ago, Governor Brown held a famous press conference in the Sierra Nevada mountains to discuss drought related issues while standing on dirt that normally should have been covered in roughly 5 feet of snow. Currently, that location is under 9 feet of snow. Snowpack in several areas of the Sierra rose to as high as 185 percent of average in the month of March. This will be especially important as we transition from the wet season into the dry months of Summer when this snowpack will melt. Governors Executive Order B-40-17 On April 7,the Governor lifted the drought state of emergency in most of California. Four counties in the Central Valley are still under the drought state of emergency due to their lack of groundwater supplies and emergency drinking water projects. ® April 2017 Report 2 This executive order builds upon the Governor's B-37-16 executive order in May 2016 by transitioning California water conservation regulations from emergency short term to long term. Since May 2016, over 20 public meetings have been held across the State to solicit stakeholder feedback and develop a new plan going forward.The new plan maintains several of the provisions of the emergency conservation regulations, such as water reporting requirements and prohibitions on wasteful practices. In addition, the State will continue to work to counter the effects of the drought including tree mortality and drought stressed forests. Coinciding with the Governor's executive order was the release of a new framework by five state agencies: The State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Water Resources, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Energy Commission, and the California Public Utilities Commission.This framework, referred to as Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life, will require additional legislation to expand state authority with the intention of executing the Govemor's executive order. Specific elements of the plan include: • Bans on wasteful practices, such as hosing sidewalks and watering lawns after rain. • Technical assistance, financial incentives, and standards to guide water suppliers' efforts to detect and repair leaks. • Requiring urban water suppliers to prepare water shortage contingency plans, including a drought risk assessment every five years. • Requiring more agricultural water suppliers to submit plans that quantify measures to increase water use efficiency and develop adequate drought plans. • Monthly reporting by urban water suppliers on water usage, conservation achieved and enforcement efforts • Improved drought planning for small water suppliers and rural communities. Cap and Trade On May 1 Senator Bob Wieckowski is expected to amend his SB 775 to address the growing concerns over the viability of the Cap and Trade program. SB 775 will attempt to provide the State with a more dependable revenue stream after the last four auctions provided dismal returns for the State's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The new proposal is expected do the following: • Remove the distribution of free permits • No longer allow companies to pay for offsets to greenhouse gas emissions, such as forest protection projects, green infrastructure projects, windfarms, etc as a way to meet their regulatory requirements • Set aside a portion of Cap and Trade revenue for rebates to Californians in preparation of higher costs of consumer goods as a result of increased compliance costs. ® April 2017 Report 3 The Assembly also has legislation to address the Cap and Trade program. AB 151 (Burke) and AB 378 (C. Garcia) hope to expand the scope of benefits that the Cap and Trade program provides, including amending the legislation to allow for money to be spent on other public health programs such as asthma, as well as to serve as the starting point for negotiations regarding the extension of the Cap and Trade program. Governor Brown and legislative leadership have set their sights on extending the Cap and Trade program, past the 2020 sunset, in order to quell the questions regarding the programs legal uncertainty. The Governor has expressed his desire to finalize the extension of the Cap and Trade program by June in order to line up with the timing of the FY 18 Budget deadline. Priority Legislation AB 574 (Quirk) - Potable reuse—Recommended support position AB 574 would require the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), on or before June 1, 2018, to establish a framework for the regulation of potable reuse projects that includes specified elements. The bill would require the SWRCB, on or before December 31, 2021, to adopt uniform water recycling criteria for potable reuse through raw water augmentation and would allow the board to extend this date if certain criteria is met. AB 574 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will be heard on May 3. AB 967(Gloria)—Alkaline hydrolysis:licensure and regulation—Recommend watch position AB 967 would require the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau to license and regulate hydrolysis facilities. Hydrolysis facilitates rapidly decompose human remains using water and potassium hydroxide, as a greener solution to cremation. AB 967 would prohibit hydrolysis facilities from dumping remains into the municipal sewer system, and would instead require the hydrolysis facilities to transport the end product known as hydrolysate to an anaerobic water treatment facility where the hydrolysate will be utilized for the cogeneration of bioenergy. Assemblymember Gloria accepted nearly all the California Association of Sanitation Agencies' amendments, including clarification that this bill applies only to human remains. AB 967 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. SB 5 (De Leon) — California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018 — Recommend watch position in addition to a letter urging for additional funding for local water reliability projects SB 5 would enact the California Drought,Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in an amount of $3,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protection, and outdoor access for all program. SB 5 was recently amended to remove approximately $500 million in water funding, bringing the total water funding down to $1 billion. The Assembly version of this bill, AB 18, has passed the Assembly Floor and is now in the Senate. AS 1 is focused on park and recreation funding and does not include the$1 billion forwater projects. SB 5 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee. ® April 2017 Report 4 SB 229 (Wieckowski)—Accessory dwelling units—Recommend watch position. Last year, Senator Wieckowski passed SB 1069 to make changes to the way local public agencies can apply connection fees to secondary housing units, or accessory dwelling units (guesthouses, granny flats, converted garage space). SB 229 states that accessory dwelling units shall not be considered by a local agency or a special district to be a new residential use for the purposes of calculating connection fees or capacity charges for utilities, including water and sewer service. SB 229 is a cleanup bill for Senator Wieckowski s bill last year, and will expand the bills definitions to specifically include special districts. Under special circumstances, special districts were unintentionally excluded from the provisions of SB 1069. SB 229 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee. SB 231 (Hertzberg)—Local government:fees and charges—Recommend watch position. SB 231 is similar to the final version of Senator Hertzberg's SB 1298 (2016), which failed to pass the legislature last year. Unlike SB 1298, SB 231 does not mention conservation, efficiency fees, or lifeline water rates, as these were topics that eventually led to the amending and killing of SB 1298. SB 1298 (2016) was sponsored by the Water Foundation, and was supported by several local chapters of the Coastkeepers as well as the Sierra Club. SB 231 is once again being sponsored by the Water Foundation. SB 231 amends state law to clarify the statutory authority of cities, counties, and local water agencies to finance stormwater projects through property-related fees for sewer and water. This bill changes the definition of"sewer service"to include stormwater, allowing local governments to charge property owners for the construction and operation of stormwater management projects. This clarification makes it clear that local governments may build projects necessary to manage and reuse stormwater. SB 231 Is currently in the Assembly Rules Committee. ® April 2017 Report 5 OCSD State Bills of Interest AUTHOR SUMMARY ATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION Proposed State Legislation 2017-2018 High Priority 1016. AB 18 Garcia [D] California Clean Water, Climate, and Coastal Protection and Outdoor Passed the Assembly Floor Watch Guiding Priorities: ACC-OC -Watch Access For All Act of 2018.Would enact the California Clean Water, and currently in the Senate Funding assistance LOCC-Support Climate, and Coastal Protection and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018, Rules Committee to be for OCSD projects CASA-Work with which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in assigned to Committees through grants, Author an amount of$3,005,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation appropriations, or NACWA- NYC Bond Law to finance a clean water,climate, and coastal protection and other means CSDA-Support outdoor access for all program. AB 151 Burke[D] California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: market-based Referred to the Assembly Watch State Tactics: ACC-OC-Watch compliance mechanisms Would state the intent of the Legislature to Appropriations Committee Ensure wastewater LOCC-Watch enact legislation that authorizes the State Air Resources Board to utilize a interests are CASA-Watch market-based compliance mechanism after December 31, 2020, in protected within NACWA- NYC furtherance of the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit of at least climate change CSDA-Watch 40% below the 1990 level by 2030. This is seen as the vehicle to goals and reauthorize the Cap and Trade program. programs AB 574 Quirk[D] Potable reuse The bill would require the state board, on or before June Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-Watch 1,2018,to establish a framework for the regulation of potable reuse Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch projects that includes specified elements. The bill would require the state Policies: Support CASA-Support board,on or before December 31, 2021,to adopt uniform water recycling measures that NACWA- NYC criteria for potable reuse through raw water augmentation,as specified, promote and CSDA-Watch and would allow the board to extend this date if certain criteria is met. provide for the use of reclaimed water AB 967 Gloria [D] Human remains disposal: alkaline hydrolysis: licensure and Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC regulation Would require the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau to license Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC- NYC and regulate hydrolysis facilities, as defined, and would enact Policies: Support CASA-Work with requirements applicable to hydrolysis facilities substantially similar to (generally) Author those applicable to crematoria.AB 967 would require the Hydrolysis measures that NACWA- NYC facilities to transport the end product known as hydrolysate to an provide for CSDA- NYC anaerobic water treatment facility where the hydrolysate will be utilized for improved public the cogeneration of bioenergy. By expanding the definition of crimes health through relating to the disposition of human remains and creating new crimes,this regulation bill would impose a state-mandated local program. OCSD State Bills of Interest AB 968 Rubio [D] Urban retail water use:water efficiency targets.Would require the Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC Department of Water Resources to submit to the Legislature by Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch December 31,2018, a report that states preliminary water efficiency Policies: Support CASA-Watch targets for 2025 for each of the state's hydrologic regions with per capita legislation and NACWA- NYC daily water use targets based on and considering specified factors.The regulation that CSDA-Support bill would require the department to consult with a representative task promote improved force with members designated by the department by July 1,2018. water use efficiency through stale and federal assistance AS 1479 Bonta [D] Public records: custodian of records: civil penalties Would require Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC public agencies to designate a person or office to act as the agency's Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Oppose custodian of records who is responsible for responding to any request Policies: Oppose CASA- NYC made pursuant to the California Public Records Act and any inquiry from the imposition of NACWA- NYC the public about a decision by the agency to deny a request for records. unfunded, CSDA-Oppose The bill would also authorize a court that finds that an agency or the mandated custodian improperly withheld from a member of the public, public records programs on local which were clearly subject to public disclosure, unreasonably delayed governments providing the contents of a record subject to disclosure in whole or in part, assessed an unreasonable or unauthorized fee upon a requester, or otherwise did not act in good faith to comply with these provisions,to assess a civil penalty against the agency in an amount not less than $1,000 nor more than$5,000. SB 5 De Leon [D] California Drought,Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection,and Currently in the Senate Watch Guiding Priorities: ACC-OC-Watch Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018.Would enact the California Appropriations Committee Funding assistance LOCC-Watch Drought,Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection,and Outdoor Access for OCSD projects CASA-Work with For All Act of 2018,which, if approved by the voters,would authorize the through grants, Author issuance of bonds in an amount of$3,000,000,000 pursuant to the Stale appropriations, or NACWA- NYC General Obligation Bond Law to finance a drought, water, parks, climate, other means CSDA-Support coastal protection, and outdoor access for all program. SB 5 contains$1 billion for water recycling, drinking water,groundwater cleanup, and integrated regional water management.SB 5 was amended on March 15 to reduce the water funding by$500 million OCSD State Bills of Interest SB 229 Wieckowski [D] Accessory dwelling units.The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the Currently in the Senate Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC legislative body of a city or county to regulate the intensity of land use, Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch and also authorizes a local agency to provide by ordinance for the Policies: Track CASA-Work with creation of accessory dwelling units in single-family and multifamily pending legislation Author residential zones. Current law requires the ordinance to designate areas to ensure OCSD NACWA- NYC within the jurisdiction of the local agency where these units may be remains in CSDA-Watch permitted and impose specified standards on these units This bill would compliance with authorize the ordinance to include more permissive maximums of the government increased floor area and total floor space.This bill would prohibit a code as it pertains special district from considering an accessory dwelling unit a new to wastewater residential use for purposes of calculating connection fees or capacity system user fees charges for utilities.The bill also requires any other connection fee or capacity charge levied by a special district to be proportionate to the burden of the proposed ADU. SB 231 Hertzberg [D] Local government:fees and charges.Articles All C and XIII D of the Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-Watch California Constitution generally require that assessments, fees,and Rules Committee waiting to be Regulatory LOCC-Watch charges be submitted to property owners for approval or rejection after assigned to Committees. Policies:Track CASA-Work with the provision of written notice and the holding of a public hearing.Would pending legislation Author define the term "sewer"and would recast the definition of'Water"to mean to ensure OCSD NACWA- NYC "water service,'for these purposes, in order to fund stormwater capture remains in CSDA-Watch projects through property taxes. compliance with the government code as it pertains to wastewater system user fees and property tax revenues and the investment of public funds. SCA 4 Hertzberg [D] Water conservation.The California Constitution requires that the water Currently in the Senate Rules Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC resources of the state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch which they are capable and that the waste or unreasonable use or Policies: Support CASA-Work with unreasonable method of use of water be prevented.This measure would legislation and Author declare the intent of the Legislature to amend the California Constitution regulation that NACWA- NYC to provide a program that would ensure that affordable water is available necessitate the CSDA-Watch to all Californians and to ensure that water conservation is given a responsible use of permanent role in California's future. water in residential, commercial,and industrial areas. OCSD State Bills of Interest Additional Legislation AB 168 Eggman [D] Employers: salary information Would prohibit an employer, including Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-Watch state and local government employers,from seeking salary history Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch information about an applicant for employment,except as otherwise Policies: OCSD is CASA- NYC provided.The bill would require an employer,except state and local committed to the NACWA- NYC government employers, upon reasonable request,to provide the pay exercise of and CSDA-Watch scale for a position to an applicant for employment. provision of orderly procedures for the administration of employer-employee relations, including, but not limited to, meeting and conferring in good faith with recognized employee organizations regarding the wages, hours of work, and other terms and conditions of employment. AB 277 Mathis [R] Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant Program This bill would,to the Referred to the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC extent funding is made available, authorize the State Water Resources Appropriations Committee's Regulatory LOCC-Watch Control Board to establish the Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant suspense file. Pollcles:Support CASA-Approve Program to provide funding to eligible applicants for specified purposes the protection of NACWA- NYC relating to drinking water and wastewater treatment.This bill would public health CSDA-Support authorize a county to apply to the board for a grant to award loans or through the grants, or both,and a qualified nonprofit organization to apply to the construction and board for a grant to award grants to residents and to small water systems implementation of advanced wastewater treatment technology. OCSD State Bills of Interest AB 355 Chu [D] Water pollution:enforcement. Current law permits the State Water Currently on the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC Resources Control Board or regional board, in lieu of assessing all or a Floor Regulatory LOCC-Watch portion of the mandatory minimum penalties against a publicly owned Policies: Support CASA-Watch treatment works serving a small community, as defined, to elect to require measures that NACWA- NYC the publicly owned treatment works to spend an equivalent amount provide funding CSDA-Watch towards completion of a compliance project proposed by the publicly and support to owned treatment works if the state board or regional board makes certain publicly owned findings. Current law,for these purposes, defines"a publicly owned treatment works treatment works serving a small community."This bill,for purposes of the and sewage exception, would instead define publicly owned treatment works serving a collection systems small community as a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 20,000 persons or fewer or a rural county,with a financial hardship. AB 640 Harper[R] Recycled water: recycling criteria. Spot Bill -Recycled Water Introduced 2114/17 Watch N/A ACC-OC-NYC LOCC-Watch CASA-Watch NACWA- NYC CSDA-Watch AB 641 Harper[R] Water conservation and reclamation projects.Spot Bill Introduced 2/14/17 Watch N/A ACC-OC-NYC LOCC-Watch CASA-Watch NACWA- NYC CSDA-Watch AB 869 Rubio [D] Water use: landscaping: recycled water. Current law imposes various Currently in the Assembly Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC water use reduction requirements that apply to urban retail water Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch suppliers, including a requirement that the state achieve a 20%reduction Policies: Support CASA-Watch in urban per capita water use by December 31, 2020.This bill would measures that NACWA- NYC require recycled water delivered within the service area of an urban retail promote and CSDA-Watch water supplier or its urban wholesale water supplier for either nonpotable provide for the use or potable use or that replenishes a groundwater basin and supplements of reclaimed water the groundwater supply available to an urban retail water supplier be excluded from the calculation of any urban water use target or reduction in urban per capita water use. SB 80 Wieckowski [D] California Environmental Quality Act: notices The California Currently in the Assembly Watch State Priorities: • ACC-OC-NYC Environmental Quality Act requires the lead agency to mail certain notices Rules Committee waiting to be Support efforts to LOCC-Watch to persons who have filed a written request for notices.The act provides assigned to Committees. reform the CASA-Watch that if the agencys offer to provide the notices by email, upon filing a California NACWA- NYC written request for notices, a person may request that the notices be Environmental CSDA-Concerns provided to him or her by email.This bill would require the lead agency to Quality Act(CEQA) post those notices on the agency's Internet Web site.The bill would to streamline require the agency to offer to provide those notices by email. current procedures and regulations OCSD State Bills of Interest SB 189 Bradford [D] Workers'compensation: definition of employee. Existing law Currently in the Senate Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation,within Policies: OCSD is CASA- NYC the Department of Industrial Relations,to compensate an employee for committed to the NACWA- NYC injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment.This bill would exercise of and CSDA-Watch expand the scope of the exception described above to apply to an officer provision of orderly or member of the board of directors of a quasi-public or private procedures for the corporation who owns at least 10%of the issued and outstanding stock administration of and executes a written waiver,as above. employer-employee relations, including, but not limited to, meeting and conferring in good faith with recognized employee organizations regarding the wages, hours of work, and other terms and conditions of employment. SIB 212 Jackson [D] Medical waste. Current law, the Medical Waste Management Act, Currently in the Assembly Watch State Priorities: ACC-OC-NYC administered by the State Department of Public Health, regulates the Rules Committee waiting to be Support legislation LOCC-Watch management and handling of medical waste, as defined.This bill add to assigned to Committees. or regulations that CASA-Watch the act a definition of"home-generated pharmaceutical waste"as a would prevent the NACWA- NYC prescription or over-the-counter human or veterinary home-generated disposing of drugs CSDA-Watch pharmaceutical that is waste and is derived from a household, including, down the drain but not limited to, a multifamily residence or household.This bill is a follow up/cleanup bill for Senator Jackson's SIB 1229(2016),which provides that certain collectors who are authorized under federal law to engage in drug take-back collection with limited protection from civil and criminal liability. SIB 302 Mendoza [D] Joint powers agencies:fire protection:funds—Legislation will address Currently in the Senate Watch State Priorities: ACC-OC-Watch how property tax revenues of a County are allocated by that County to a Governance and Finance Continue to monitor LOCC-Watch Joint Powers Authority. The bill amends existing law restricting property Committee and will be heard the state budget CASA- NYC taxes received by a JPA from the county,so that they"shall" be on May 10 and actively protect NACWA- NYC appropriated for fire protection services. Whereas existing law indicates local property taxes CSDA-Watch that those funds"may only' be appropriated for fire services. Legislation is likely to be amended to include more specific language OCSD State Bills of Interest SB 584 De Leon [D] California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program.The Legislature Referred to the Senate Rules Watch State Tactics: ACC-OC-Oppose has separately declared that its intent in implementing the program is to Committee. Ensure wastewater LOCC-Watch attain, among other targets for sale of eligible renewable resources, the interests are CASA-Watch target of 50%of total retail sales of electricity by December 31,2030.This protected within NACWA- NYC bill would revise those legislative findings and declarations to state that renewable energy CSDA-Watch the goal of the program is to achieve that 50%target by December 31, production 2025,and for all electricity sold at retail to be generated by eligible financing and renewable energy resources by December 31, 2045. mandates SB 740 Wiener[D] Onsite treated water Would, on or before December 1, 2018, require the Currently in the Senate Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC State Water Resources Control Board, in consultation with other state Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Watch agencies,to adopt regulations for a comprehensive risk-based framework Policies: Support CASA-Work with to assist local jurisdictions in developing oversight and management measures that Author programs for onsite treatment of water for nonpotable use.The bill would promote and NACWA- NYC require the framework to be flexible to adapt to new water sources, end provide for the use CSDA-Watch uses, and advances in approaches and methodologies to estimate the of reclaimed water risk of onsite water treatment to public health.The bill would specify that a local jurisdiction is not required to adopt the practices set forth in the framework. SB 780 Wiener[D] Water Conservation in Landscaping Act.Would require state and local Currently in the Senate Watch Legislative and ACC-OC-NYC agencies to adhere to specified principles of the watershed approach in Appropriations Committee Regulatory LOCC-Oppose landscaping. The bill would require the Department of Water Resources Policies: Support CASA- NYC to develop watershed approach-focused landscaping policies and legislation and NACWA- NYC incentives, including an enhanced model water efficient landscape regulation that CSDA-Watch ordinance. The bill would also require the Department of Water provide for the Resources to promote watershed approach-focused education and development of the training for homeowners, contractors,certified community conservation watershed corps, and other landscape professionals who plan,develop,or approach, including implement projects complying with the enhanced model ordinance. watershed management plans and watershed- based permitting Legend: ACC-OC-Association of California Cities, Orange County LOCC-League of California Cities NYC-Not Yet Considered CASA-California Association of Sanitation Agencies NACWA-National Association of Clean Water Agencies OCSO's Grant and Loan Funding Tracker 2016-2017 Name of Grant/Loan Synopsis of Grant/Loan Amount of Grant/Loan Amount Applying Y/N Project/Program Reason Match Deadline Category Rcvd Grant/ Applying for Financing Y/N STATE Administered by the Department of Water Resources and Proposition 84: Yes Proposition 84: OCSD was eligible Integrated Regional Water managed by Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority Under Proposition 84, OCSD applied for$1 and applied. SAWPA . million. Proposition 1: The projects found Management (IRWM) Grant ( ) in OCSD's CIP do not match up Proposition 1:The projects found in the o Newhope-Placentia Trunk Proposition 84: 25/a Program In Proposition 1, $63 million was allocated to with IRWM funding priorities and District's CIP do not match up with Proposition 84: In 2016, OCSD was awarded funding in $1 million Sewer Replacement Project 7/1/2015 Water Yes the Santa Ana funding region. Approximately guiding principles. TPA is IRWM funding priorities and guiding the third and final round of Proposition 84 funding. 2-72 Proposition 1: TBD Proposition 84 and Proposition 1 $43 million will be used to fund implementation prepared to advocate for funding principles. TPA is prepared to Proposition 1: Additional funding for this program was Projects. Funding will be broken up into two guidelines to be updated to advocate for funding guidelines to be included in Proposition 1, which will be available in 2017. rounds. include criteria that would match updated to include criteria that would OCSD priority projects. match OCSD priority projects. The purpose of this competitive grant program is to lower overall greenhouse gas emissions by expanding existing capacity or establishing new facilities in California to reduce the amount of California-generated green $24,000,000 is available for fiscal year (FY) materials, food materials, or alternative daily cover being 2016-17. An applicant can request up to sent to landfills. Eligible projects include: Construction, Cal Recycle Organics Grant $2,400,00o for compost projects and No. Did not meet renovation, or expansion of facilities to increase in-state $5 million Yes - Applied Digesters Applied for grant. None 3/9/2017 Energy/Solids Program infrastructure for the digestion or composting of organics expe$3,20nses a afor digestion projects for capital all qualifications. e into compost, soil amendments, biofuels, or bioenergy or expennd other eligible expenses for the for the preprocessing of organics when providing infrastructure portion of the project preprocessed materials to an in-state digestion or composting facility that is using the waste to make compost, soil amendments, biofuels, or bioenergy. The CPUC's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) provides incentives to support existing, new, and emerging distributed energy resources. The SGIP provides rebates Self-Generation Incentive for qualifying distributed energy systems installed on the Program customer's side of the utility meter. Qualifying Up to $1.4 million N/A No Aquacritox receive funding under this program. program Project was not an eligible expense to N/A, incentive Ongoing Energy N/A technologies include wind turbines, waste heat to power technologies, pressure reduction turbines, internal combustion engines, microturbines, gas turbines, fuel cells, and advanced energy storage systems. OCSD was eligible to receive a planning grant, however, the $75,000 Proposition 1 authorixed $7.12 billion in general maximum award was determined to obligation bonds for state water supply not be an effective use of staff Approved through Proposition 1 in November 2014, the infrastructure projects. resources nor a sufficient amount of Water Recycling Funding State Water Resources Control Board provides funding for funding ($75,000). In mid-2016, the Program the planning, design and construction of water recycling $625 million is available for water recycling program became heavily and advanced water treatment technology N/A No SP-173 oversubscribed. Based on the o Ongoing Water N/A projects that offset or augment state fresh water supplies. projects. Sanitation District's Capital Project Grant: 50/o Proposition 1 Improvement Program (CIP), the Program has project and planning grants avaialble. Planning Grant Maximum: $75,000 Sanitation District does not have projects that fit the current Project Grant Maximum: $15 million guidelines.As funds begin to replenish, this will continue to be a funding opportunity. Updated 05/01/2017 OCSD's Grant and Loan Funding Tracker 2016-2017 Name of Grant/Loan Synopsis of Grant/Loan Amount of Grant/Loan Amount Applying Y/N Project/Program Reason Match Deadline Category Rcvd Grant/ Applying for Financin Y/N STATE Continued The purpose of this program is to provide accessible low- California Infrastructure and cost financing to eligible borrowers for a wide range of Program funding is available in amounts infrastructure and economic expansion projects. Eligible Economic Development Bank ranging from $50,000 to $25 million, with loan Multiple (possible projects). Water/Energy/ CA0272 Infrastructure State activities generally include designing, acquiring, planning, terms for the useful life of the project up to a TBD Evaluating Evaluating the program. Might be for smaller projects. N/A, loan program Rolling Infrastructure TBD permitting, entitling, constructing, improving, extending, maximum of 30 ears. Revolving Fund (ISRF) Program restoring, financing, and generally developing eligible y facilities within the state of California. OCSD would not be eligible to apply for the vast majority of this money. While most of the Cap and Trade $900 million from the Cap and Trade program (Greenhouse spending plan is not connected to the Unknown at this Cap and Trade Funding Gas Reduction Fund) was appropriated in the last $900 million TBD TBD TBD services OCSD provides, the funding TBD Energy TBD legislative session. did include $40 million for waste time diversion projects. Staff and TPA will closely monitor the development of this program. $1.5 billion in overall water funding. If SB 5 passes the legislature and TPA and OCSD will advocate for the SB 5 (De Leon) includes $375 million for each of the follow is signed by the Governor, it will inclusion of this funding in the final categories: Integrated Regional Water Management $375 million for Water Recycling and $375 2018 Proposed Park Bond (IRWM),Water Recycling Groundwater Sustainability Clean, million for Intergrated Regional Water TBD be placed on the statewide ballot N/A version of the parks bond legislation. If TBD TBD Water No Safe, Reliable Drinking Water Management (IRWM) to be funneled into the in 2018. Funds will likely not be funding becomes available, TPA and available until 2019. staff will evaluate the opportunity. existing programs. FEDERAL Project Definition for Pilot and The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable This funding opportunity supports technology development Energy envisions awarding multiple financial Demonstration Scale OCSD Staff applied however, we plans for the manufacture of drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels, assistance awards in the form of cooperative Energy/ Manufacturing of Bio bioproducts, or intermediates in a pilot- or demonstration- agreements. The estimated period of $15 million Yes Aquacritox were notified that we did not receive 10/31/2016 Biosolids No BiOprOduCtS, and BiOpoweOwer scale integrated biorefinery. performance for the design phase of each the grant. (PD2B3) award will be approximately 1-2 years. The purpose of this program is to support established We do not fit within their guidelines: watershed groups in implementing on-the-ground To be eligible, applicants must be a watershed management projects. Projects should be grassroots, nonregulatory watershed W aterSMART Cooperative collaboratively developed by members of the watershed group that addresses water availability Watershed Management group, and address critical water supply needs, water Award Ceiling: $100,000 N/A No SARI/Santa Ana River and quality issues within the relevant 2/15/2017 Water N/A quality, and ecological resilience. Plans should ultimately watershed, represent a diverse group help water users meet competing demands and avoid of stakeholders, and can promote the conflicts over water. sustainable use of water resources within the watershed. The Energy Department (DOE) and the Department of OCSD will not currently pursue this Concept papers Energy Department Partners with Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant. Grant focuses on biorefineries are due Feb 6 Department of Agriculture for (USDA-NIFA)jointly announced $22.7 million to support .(liquid products) The first topic area $22.7 million N/A No Aquacritox/Biosolids and full Energy/Solids N/A Integrated Biorefinery the optimization of integrated biorefineries (IBR). DOE is mentions biosolids, but the topic is Optimization providing majority funding with up to $19.8 million and about feed handling systems, not applications are USDA-NIFA is providing up to $2.9 million in funding. about biosolids . due April 3. Updated 05/01/2017 OCSO's Grant and Loan Funding Tracker 2016-2017 Name of Grant/Loan Synopsis of Grant/Loan Amount of Grant/Loan Amount Applying Y/N Project/Program Reason Match Deadline Category Rcvd Grant/ Applying for Financin Y/N FEDERAL Continued Senator Feinstein included $50 million to support construction of projects that have a final and deemed feasible study of a recycling The Sanitation District will not be The Water Infrastructure The enactment of the Water Infrastructure Improvements project. In securing this new competitive Final Expansion of GWRS applying for grants related to the Water/ Improvements Act (S. 612/Public Act (S. 612/Public Law#114-322/WIIN) contained grants program at the U.S. Bureau of TBD Yes-OCW D (planning, design and expansion of the GWRS, but will TBD N/A Law #114-322/W IIN) important assistance for water recycling and desalination. Reclamation, Senator Feinstein highlighted the construction) support OCWD in their efforts to Infrastructure identification of several water and wastewater obtain available financing. agencies that would benefit from the assistance. OCSD is one of these agencies. The LUST program receives approximately The USEPA Leaking $100 million annually to prevent, detect, and Underground Storage Tank The fund addresses petroleum releases from regulated clean up releases. Assistance is provided TBD Evaluating Cleanup of contaminated soils We will review the grant to determine TBD Infrastructure TBD underground storage tanks. through grants. Eligible activities include at Plant No. 1 if it is a fit for the project. (LUST) Trust Fund removal of tanks and cleanup of contaminated areas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture through its health watersheds program offers public-owned wastewater A total of$100 million is funded annually and Reviewing the funding agencies funding through collaboration with agricultural the opportunity to design a watershed program opportunity to see if there is a We will review the possible funding US Department of Agriculture interests where funding would be provided to the TBD TBD opportunity to determine if it is a fit for TBD Water TBD might offer OCSD with the chance to advance fit for OCSD. (Restoration of agricultural entity that would contribute to efforts to protect its priority to reduce regulatory burdens. beaches and estuaries) the Sanitation District. the watershed and minimize regulatory burdens on the point source. Project Funding Opportunity: A minimum of$20 million to as much as $100 Energy production to reduce million based upon prior years' budgets. USBR costs of recycled water could receive as much as $130 million in through innovative The Department of Energy (DOE), The DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency is likely to continue support of the WaterSmart (due to increased technologies like Aquacritox, We will review the possible funding to be funded by Congress to support such efforts as funding under W IIN) during the next several TBD TBD. We will monitor for possibleInnovative water monitoring opportunity to determine if it is a fit for TBD Energy TBD USBR and USEPA biogas, biosolids and green energy. years. USBR will issue solicitations for funding opportunities technology that can produce the Sanitation District. innovative approaches to managing water and efficient real time monitoring water treatment through technology and and data analysis, Biogas processes. Management and Use Improvements. It is unclear how the incoming administration may revise existing programs that address energy and water efficiency needs. However, the effort to support Project Funding Opportunity: communities develop approaches that improve the quality TBD. Based on the funding SCADA System and Network of life in communities might continue to receive funding. If funding becomes available we will Unknown at this Smart Cities and Security TBD TBD opportunities and OCSD's Upgrades, Seismic Hazard Energy/Water TBD OCSD might able to leverage such program assistance projects/needs Evaluation (FEMA Mitigation evaluate the opportunity. time to support innovative .approaches to security. Funding may Assistance) also be available through Department of Homeland Security to assist communities to protect against cyber- threats. Possible projects: GWRS The WIFIA program accelerates investment in our nation's Final Expansion, District 6 water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost Trunk Sewer Relief Project, supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant Rehabilitation/Expansion The Sanitation District does not plan projects. To qualify for funding assistance a project must Rehabilitation/Expansion to borrow funds to complete projects. Water/ W IFIA cost at least $20 million. The USEPA has expressed an $2 billion N/A No Headquarters Complex, Site The Water District might qualify for 4/10/2017 Infrastructure N/A interest in projects that deliver multiple benefits that might and Security/Entrance these loans and OCSD will support capture water recycling as well as projects that address Realignment, Western them if they choose to do so. stormwater and other"large project" needs. Regional Sewers—Planning and design and construction Updated 05/01/2017 OCSD's Grant and Loan Funding Tracker 2016-2017 Name of Grant/Loan Synopsis of Grant/Loan Amount of Grant/Loan Amount Applying Y/N Project/Program Reason Match Deadline Category Rcvd Grant/ Applying for Financin Y/N COUNTY Fourth Cycle of the Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant. This competitive grant provides potential This is a $3 million competitive grant Held meeting with Waste Management P. with grant funding to develop sustainable $600,000 per Food waste digestion. OC Waste and Recycling programs that support compliance with state-mandated opportunity. Up to $600,000 per Supervisorial Supervisorial District Evaluating Digesters. potential partner to discuss viability of None 5/19/2017 Energy/Solids TBD waste diversion goals and promote increased regional District is available. grant and proposed project. recycling and diversion efforts. Updated 05/01/2017 LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE N1e0 ng Dale To Bd_of Dir. 17 AGENDA REPORT ItemNumber Item Number a Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager Originator: Bob Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager SUBJECT: PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Information Only. BACKGROUND Staff will provide an update on recent public affairs activities. RELEVANT STANDARDS • Unified legislative advocacy and public outreach program • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Use all practical and effective means for recovering wastewater for reuse • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with neighboring agencies • Listen to and seriously consider community input on environmental concerns PROBLEM Many Californians are not aware of the Orange County Sanitation District (Sanitation District) and the important work we do to keep the environment clean by using the wastewater byproducts to create energy, water recycling and the use of biosolids. Additionally, they are not aware that more than 50 percent of the wastewater is recycled and used to replenish the Orange County Groundwater Basin. In general, the community and businesses do not realize that when they improperly dispose of waste into the sanitation system, it can negatively affect the work we do and the quality of water we supply for the Groundwater Replenishment System. PROPOSED SOLUTION By providing tours, community outreach education and general communication via the Sanitation District's website, social media outlets and mainstream media, we have the ability to educate the community, local agencies and businesses on the What2Flush program, energy production, water recycling, biosolids and our source control program. This in turn results in a better quality of wastewater. Page 1 of 2 TIMING CONCERNS N/A RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION If we do not educate the community, local agencies and area businesses about the Sanitation District, we lose an opportunity to educate thousands of people about our plants, source control and the wastewater industry as a whole. PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS N/A ADDITIONAL INFORMATION April 2017 Activity # # of Guests OCSD/OCWDTours 10 245 OCSD Tours 6 152 Speaking Engagements 1 —100 CWEA Video production 1 TBD Events 2 —220 CEQA N/A FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS N/A ATTACHMENTS The following attachments are attached in hard copy and may also be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.coml with the complete agenda package: • Outreach Calendar April 2017 • Media Clips April 2017 Page 2 of 2 OCSD Outreach Report 5/1/2017 Date Time Organization/Event Location Purpose Attendee Contact 5/1/2017 1330- 1500 Plant Tour Boardroom Cypress College tour. 16 Ryal Wheeler Tour Guide Cheryl Scott guests. 5/2/2017 900- 1100 Plant Tour Boardroom Chavez HS Coastkeeper Randy and Tom M. Tour Cheryl Scott Tours 40 students Guides 5/5/2017 1000- 1130 Plant Tour Boardroom OCC Tour, 25 guests. Brian Bingman Tour Guide Cheryl Scott 5/6/2017 1300- 1800 Eco Challenge Anaheim Eco Challenge at Anaheim Various OCSD Employees Cheryl Scott Stadium 5/9/2017 800- 1100 Plant Tour Boardroom Saddleback College Tour. Jeff Armstrong Tour Guide Cheryl Scott 25 guests. 5/10/2017 1030- 1400 Plant Tour Purchasing P2 tour for OCSD Shabbir Basrai Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Building P1 Purchasing Group. Meet at Purchasing building 5/11/2017 1400- 1600 Speaking Engagement Citrus College Dickie Fernandez and Mila Dickie Fernandez and Mile Cheryl Scott Kleinbergs to speak at Kleinbergs Citrus College Engineering Fair 5/12/2017 1300- 1430 Plant Tour Boardroom Fullerton College Tour. Lisa Frigo Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Approx. 30 guests. 5/12/2017 1900-2100 Speaking Engagement Orange, CA AAAEA-CA Speaking Jim Herberg Speaker Cheryl Scott Engagement 5/15/2017 830- 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom Santa Ana College Tour. Jeff Armstrong Tour Guide Cheryl Scott 30 guests 5/1/2017 2:04:17 PM OCSD Outreach Report 5/1/2017 Date Time Organization/Event Location Purpose Attendee Contact 5/17/2017 900- 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom Fullerton College Tour. 26 Mark Esquer Tour Guide Cheryl Scott guests. 5/18/2017 1300- 1400 Speaking Engagement Huntington Beach Speaking engagement for Jennifer Cabral Speaker Cheryl Scott Hydro Warrior group. 15 guests 5/19/2017 900- 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom American Univ. of Health Brian Bingman Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Science Tour. 17 guests 5/20/2017 1000- 1400 OC Public Works Open Orange OCSD to host a booth Various OCSD Employees Cheryl Scott House 5/23/2017 830- 1000 Plant Tour GM Conf. Room Director Hawkins and Jim Herberg Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Councilmember Haney to tour P1. 5/30/2017 900- 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom New Employee/Open to Ann Crafton Tour Guide Cheryl Scott the Public Tour 5/31/2017 830- 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom Santa Ana College Tour. Jeff Armstrong Tour Guide Cheryl Scott 30 guests. 6/1/2017 1000- 1200 Plant Tour Boardroom La Paz Mexico Leyla Perez Tour Guide Cheryl Scott engineering tour. 15 guests 6/1/2017 1800- 1900 Speaking Engagement Bahia Corinthian Newport Beach Rotary Jennifer Cabral Cheryl Scott Yacht Club Club. 20 attendees 6/6/2017 900- 1200 Plant Tour Boardroom Godinez HS Tours 50 Brian Bingman and Paula Cheryl Scott Students Zeller Tour Guides 5/1/2017 2:04:17 PM OCSD Outreach Report 5/1/2017 Date Time Organization/Event Location Purpose Attendee Contact 6/8/2017 900- 12 00 Plant Tour Boardroom Godinez HS Tours 50 Jaime and Leyla Perez Cheryl Scott Students Tour guides 6/9/2017 1000- 1130 Plant Tour Boardroom Edison Special Ed Class to Belen and Edna Tour Cheryl Scott tour P1.17 guests. Guides 6/22/2017 900- 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom North Orange County Ann Crafton Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Chamber Tour. 25 guests 5/1/2017 2:04:17 PM Monthly News Clippings G�JN�V S A N I TgT�Oy = 9 Q 2 c� o � FCTi� �E April 2017 OCSD Public Affairs Office Table of Contents CONSTRUCTION.......................................................................PAGE 1 April 10, 2017 Construction work makes Tustin's Red Hill a red hot mess By: Susan Christian Goulding OC Register DESALINATION................................................... .....................PAGE 4 April 20, 2017 Proposed desalination plant could decrease South Bay's dependence on imported water By: Ryan McDonald Easy Reader News HUMAN INTEREST................................................... .................PAGE 15 April 7, 2017 Local Water Reliability Projects Earns Engineering Honors By: Wave News Staff Wave News April 24, 2017 The World may begin to do more but consume less By: Patrice Apodaca LA Times— Opinion April 2017 What it will take to rebuild America By: David Von Drehle Times Magazine TWITTER POSTINGS ................................................... .............PAGE 20 FACEBOOK POSTINGS ............................................................PAGE 29 Orange County Register April 10, 2017 oxalvGE COUNTY 110MISV19M Construction work makes Tustin's Red Hill a red hot mess Major construction of a new sewage pipe installation on Redhill in Tustin, CA on Monday,April 10, 2017 is creating huge inconveniences and traffic jams. The work will continue until the end of 2018. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County RegisferISCNG) By Susan Christian Goulding I sgoulding@scng.com I Orange County Register PUBLISHED: April 10, 2017 at 2:57 pm I UPDATED:April 11, 2017 at 12:10 pm 1 Red Hill Avenue is a red hot mess, as you probably have noticed. Several things are going on at once. First,the Orange County Sanitation District is installing a mile of new,larger sewer line between Warner and Valencia avenues. During construction hours, from about 9 a.m.to 3:30 p.m., northbound Red Hill is down to one lane. In the same area, simultaneously, construction workers are laying a jet fuel pipeline that runs from the Long Beach refineries to John Wayne Airport. And when that work concludes, another large-scale project begins:The widening of Red Hill. "If all the stars align, our project will get started this summer,"said Krys Saldivar,public works manager for Tustin. "It will be under an aggressive schedule.We hope to have it finished by the end of 2018." In other words, consider the current inconveniences a dress rehearsal. Motorists are already finding alternative routes —Tustin Ranch and Jamboree roads, or they just stay on the freeway, Saldivar said. "You get stuck in that traffic once, and you don't forget it,"she said. The city received a $6 million grant from the Orange County Transportation Authority to add a fourth northbound lane on the 1.4-mile stretch between Dryer Road/Barranca Parkway and Edinger Avenue.Tustin will chip in another$2 million. "Three lanes are just not enough there,"Saldivar said. "It gets a lot of overflow from the 55, which is a parallel route." The improvements will include a raised median to provide safety and beautification, she said. Southbound will remain three lanes. Tustin Legacy, a multi-use development at the former Marine Corps Air Station,makes the projects all the more urgent, Saldivar said. "Traffic is already terrible, and the Legacy is not even built out yet," she noted. "And the old sewage lines were not built to accommodate the growing population." The 3o-inch-diameter sewer pipes require an open trench 20 to 25 feet deep, sealed with steel plates during peak traffic hours. Much smaller in size,the 12-inch fuel pipeline will connect to a 16-inch pipeline at Tustin Ranch Road just north of Edinger. "That project is not nearly the undertaking that the sewer line is," Saldivar said. 2 Bottom line: Today's jams will pay off in the future. C l i a_ Major construction ofa new sewage pipe installation on Redhill in 71,stin,CA on Monday,April to,2017is creating huge inconveniences and trafficjaws.The work will continue until the end of2018.(Photo hyMindy Schauer,Orange County Register/SCNC) 3 Easy Reader News April 20, 2017 EasygeaderNews Savior or Albatross? Proposed desalination plant could decrease South Bay's dependence on imported water, but has raised environmental concerns j, wig The location of West Basin Municipal Water District's proposed ocean water desalination plant.In the distance is the existing El Segundo NRG power plant.Photo by Brad Jacobson APRIL 20,2017 BY RYAN MCDONALD In April 2015,the City of Manhattan Beach made a sudden announcement that shook the twin pastoral pillars of suburbia,the automobile and lawn.Effective immediately,residents could not wash their cars at home,and instead had to take them to a commercial car wash.Watering lawns was permitted only on one designated day a week,and had to be done by hand or with sprinklers,not a hose. The restrictions had kicked in automatically because of a law the city passed in 2oo9,but the restrictions flowed from a much larger stream.Gov.Jerry Brown had just issued the first mandatory urban water-use restrictions in California history.Brown's April 1, 2015 order instructed cities to reduce water usage across the state by 25 percent.Among other provisions,the order required cities to impose fines for those who engaged in ongoing violations,like washing a car at home. 4 The specter of fines,and the fact that Manhattan had already made significant progress in curtailing water use,irked some residents.But residents continued to conserve,and the city met ongoing reduction targets. In September of that year,the City Council tweaked the requirement to allow watering two days per week at seven-and-a-half minutes per session.A few weeks later,the council again took water supply-related action.This time,however,the vote was quite different. The council asked staff to draft a letter opposing a proposed ocean water desalination plant near the city's northern border.The proposal,council members said,had catastrophic implications. "This will ruin the South Bay,"said then-Mayor Mark Burton."We need to oppose this as soon as possible." Earlier this month,almost two years to the day after issuing the mandatory cutback order and following the wettest California winter since record keeping began,Brown declared the drought all but over. (A state of emergency remains in place for four Central Valley counties,which significantly drew down their local ground water stores during the drought.)But,in keeping with the adult-in-the-room tone of Brown's second stint as governor,the optimistic announcement was tempered with a stern reminder: reporting requirements and a prohibition on"wasteful practices,"like watering after a rainstorm,aren't going away. And neither is the debate over desalination.The West Basin Municipal Water District,the water supplier for the broader South Bay area,has proposed building an ocean water desalination plant near the NRG power generation campus off Vista del Mar.Two possible plants—one producing 6o-million gallons-per- day,the other 20 million—are under consideration.An environmental impact report has been in the works since August 2o15,and is set to be released sometime this year. Spurred by concerns from local environmentalists,the Beach Cities have formed an opposition block to the project.Hermosa Beach and Manhattan have both submitted letters against the project,and Bill Brand, Redondo Beach's recently elected mayor,has been an outspoken critic.But several other South Bay cities included in West Basin's service area—including those with more moderate incomes and no coastal land —are supporting it. The disagreement over desal has created bitterness among some environmentalists toward West Basin,a water agency long regarded as both active and visionary for its stewardship of natural resources.The intensity of the debate is a reflection of the fact that the dispute is over much more than just the plant: the ability of government agencies to pursue multiple complex agendas,the future of technology to produce clean water,and the acceptability of continued limits on water use. It is fitting that desalination should push and pull on such tautly wound strings:water delivery here is both obvious and hidden,essential yet taken for granted.Addressing Southern California,its geography but also its identity,Carey McWilliams wrote,"Basically the region is a paradox: a desert that faces an ocean." rr'S CHINATOWN In a less populated era,South Bay cities got all of their water from wells dug in the ground.But with the beginning of the Baby Boom following World War II,residents began to notice their lawns turning yellow. Without realizing it,they had drawn down the ground water enough that the ocean was beginning to intrude in the water table.The area's population had grown to the point where it was consuming groundwater faster than it could be replaced,allowing the sea to seep in.They would need to find another source. West Basin Municipal Water District was created in 1947 and became one of the constituents of the Metropolitan Water District(MWD).Created in 1928 and based in Los Angeles,MWD is an imported 5 water wholesaler that provides water to nearly 20 million people in Southern California,making it the largest distributor of treated water in the United States.It draws its water from two primary sources:the Colorado River Aqueduct,and rivers and deltas in Northern California. West Basin has grown since being annexed into MWD, and now encompasses 19 cities containing about 900,00o people.Throughout this growth,imported water has continued to dominate its portfolio. Although numbers vary within individual cities,the average glass of water in West Basin's service area is 8o percent imported water and 20 percent ground water. As the South Bay grew in population,so did the rest of Southern California.And not only did they need water,they needed somewhere for their wastewater to go.And so,like generations of people before them, they turned to the largest body of water they could find.In 1892,the city of Los Angeles bought zoo coastal acres where the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant now sits,and used it as a site to dump raw sewage into the Santa Monica Bay until 1925,when screening began.Treatment became more advanced as the population grew,with the facility's current iteration finishing construction in the 199os. West Basin opened the Edward C.Little Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo in 1995.At the time the Little facility was erected,Hyperion was sending ago million gallons of treated wastewater per non-rain day into the Pacific.Today,that number is down to about 250 million gallons.Of that loo million-gallon decline,between 35 and qo million is due to a partnership with the Little facility,which takes in treated wastewater and puts it through a variety of further processes. West Basin and the Little facility have been hailed by environmentalists for both their innovation and positive impact on the ocean water quality of the South Bay.The sticking point is whether further recycling, in any number of forms,could make desalination unnecessary,and in turn whether the desalination project represents a continuation,or an abrogation,of its tradition of environmental protection. `I want to make them heroes for what they do well,'said Craig Cadwallader,head of the South Bay chapter of the Surfrider Foundation."What they've done with recycled water,they went out on a limb to do that. They were pioneers in that era,and it's still a smarter alternative.' At current levels,Edward C. Little could handle a total of 90 million gallons.The City of Los Angeles Sanitation Department,which operates Hyperion,is committed to reducing the flow of water from Hyperion into the Santa Monica Bay.According to Los Angeles'Sustainable City Plan,the sanitation department is exploring a variety of ways of doing this. Bruce Reznick,director of the nonprofit Los Angeles Waterkeeper,said that pursuing desalination makes further reductions from Hyperion less likely. `If more desal plants are built,that would reduce demand for Hyperion water,which would mean more wastewater is going into the Santa Monica Bay,'Reznick said. Rich Nagel,general manager of West Basin,disagrees.He said that the pursuit of desalination will have no impact on its recycling goals. "We're going to try to double that input regardless.Desal is completely independent of our pursuit of recycling,'Nagel said. FROM BITTER TO SWEET 6 A rendering of the proposed plant.West Basin officials say that the plant's water would be cost-competitive with recycled water,but environmentalists are concerned about energy use.Image courtesy West Basin Municipal Water District Desalination is an old idea.In the book of Job,the title character is wallowing in misery when he is visited by a mysterious man named Elihu.Seeking to prove God's infinite wisdom to the beleaguered Job,Elihu points to God's ability to take water from the sea and make rain,"which the clouds do drop and distill on man abundantly."(They are his only lines in scripture.)The non-miraculous approach seems to have begun in the Mediterranean. Roman polymath Pliny the Elder wrote of sailors boiling seawater and collecting the condensed evaporation against sheep's wool. Then as now,a key part of desalination's appeal has been the independence it provides,from the whims of a politicized water system and the swings of a changing climate.Cities and water districts across Southern California are increasingly promoting"water independence,"and West Basin regularly highlights this aspect of the proposal in presentations. "Having desal means Southern California gains water independence from Northern California.You can't waive that off as insignificant.That can be quite important,"said Yoram Cohen,a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability,in an interview."It certainly helps to move forward to a sustainable water supply.It can provide a buffer.If there is a lower level of water supply elsewhere,then it can fill in the need." And while significant strides in desalination technology over the years have made it a more economically viable,and less energy-dependent option,limitations inherent in the process remain,and leave some environmentalists skeptical. In most modern desalination plants,the"thermal"method—an updated version of the distillation technique described by Pliny—has been set aside in favor of membrane systems,which use a semipermeable filter to remove salt and other unwanted components.Among membrane methods,the most popular,and the method that would be used in West Basin's proposal,is reverse osmosis,which separates a volume of water into two streams,then uses electrically powered pumps to"reverse"the natural tendency of the streams to equalize their salinity.Instead,one stream becomes purer,while the other gets steadily saltier.The pure stream is for use,while the salty brine is sent back out into the ocean. West Basin began considering desalination almost immediately after coming into existence,Nagel said.In 1948,the district looked at three possible sources to supplement the area's groundwater: desalination, reclamation or recycling,and imported water.At the time,desalted water cost 30 times as much by volume as imported water. Today,desalination is around twice as expensive as imported water.This reduction is the result of considerable technological progress,including techniques that recover energy from heat and motion 7 expended in the process.But a significant portion of the costs of desalination come from the energy required to separate salt from water,and there is a limit to how much more energy efficient the process can become. (The technology that would be employed in West Basin's desalination plant is substantially similar to that used in water reclamation,but the addition of salt from seawater creates a complication not present in recycled water.) Henry Vaux,a professor of resource economics at UC Berkeley and the emeritus chair of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy,said engineering improvements are unlikely to significantly improve the power cost associated with desalination,because increasing the purity of water from a fixed level of salinity requires exponentially more energy. "There are theoretical limits that have been spelled out as to how much energy it's going to take to separate salt from water.We have been approaching those theoretical limits pretty rapidly,"Vaux said. Energy-use figures for desalination vary.In a 2or6 report on desalination in California,the Natural Resources Defense Council pegged the figure at just over 5,000 kilowatt-hours per acre-foot. (A five-person household averages about one acre-foot of water per year.)In the book"Thirst for Power",Michael Webber,deputy director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas,said desalination ranges between about 3,200 and 5,40o kilowatt-hours per acre-foot,noting that it was dependent on local conditions like sea temperatures and salinity level.West Basin estimates that the proposed plant would operate at a rate of 4,2oo kilowatt-hours per acre-foot. But there is little disagreement that desalination is one of,if not,the most energy-intensive methods of water delivery.The concern is that great reliance on desalination would complicate efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. "Looking at desal as an option is perfectly legitimate.Maybe in 20 or too years from now,costs will go down,and we'll all be relying on renewable energy. But at this time it doesn't make sense,"said Jim Kennedy,a water policy advisor and former candidate for the Water Replenishment District of Southern California. Other methods of water delivery,however,are hardly free of energy use.The energy involved in transporting water over hills and mountains in the state water project approaches the lower end of what is required for desalination.And any difference between the energy use required for the desalination plant and that of importation,Nagel said,would be made up for with carbon-neutral energy sources. Beyond that,proponents argue that desalination's reliability makes it worth the added energy and cost. West Basin projects that a desalination plant would in the future provide about rr percent of the area's water supply.Their internal projections indicate that building and operating the plant would add about$3 dollars per month to the average single-family home's water bill. THE OTHER`R' The energy challenges associated with desalination have produced many environmental critiques,but they can be ultimately boiled down to slogan size: desalination adds a needless step.It makes more sense to recycle treated wastewater,they say,rather than dumping that wastewater into the Pacific,then drawing it out and desalinating it. "What we're really talking about is putting wastewater into the ocean,then taking it back out,with the added obstacle of salt,"Tracy Quinn,a water program policy analyst with the NRDC,said at a forum on desalination last year. 8 Whether increased recycling is an adequate replacement for what desalination would provide—a drought- proof supply of drinking water—is disputed,and involves looking into the future. At the core of the disagreement is a concept called direct potable reuse,in which wastewater is treated, purified and reintroduced into the drinking water supply.(For obvious reasons,direct potable reuse,or DPR,has become the preferred nomenclature over the former"toilet-to-tap.")A recent report from the state Water Resources Control Board(WRCB)has said that direct potable reuse could safely form part of the state's water portfolio.But research,as well as legislative and regulatory tinkering,is still needed. "Purified water taken directly to people's drinking water systems:that's the last part of the drinking water distribution system.And it's many years off,"said Jennifer West,the managing director at WateReuse California,a nonprofit organization focused on alternative water supplies. Direct potable reuse is already occurring in several parts of the world.According to Webber,deputy director of the Energy Institute, Singapore's NewWater facility uses reclaimed wastewater to produce 30 percent of the nation's drinking water,with plans to triple its capacity in the coming decades.And the U.S. military has invested in similar technology to provide water for troops in isolated combat zones. In California,public support for direct potable reuse is hampered by the gross-out factor.That can be altered,experts say, through public education.In a public opinion poll from 2014,WateReuse found support hovering around 5o percent,but that figure shifted with further information about the technology. "Initially they're concerned. But once they understand the treatment process,it moves into that 65 percent support range,"West said. In February of this year,Assemblymember Bill Quirk(D-Hayward)introduced a bill to advance the process.The bill establishes a"continuum"of four categories of potable reuse,with increasing research and regulation required for each level.The first two of these categories,groundwater augmentation and reservoir augmentation,are already taking place.And the bill sets a deadline of Dec.2021 for the water board to write regulations for the third,raw water augmentation,which involves introducing recycled water into a point in the water supply where further treatment awaits. But only the fourth category,introducing recycled water directly into the treated-water supply,would truly replace the water that desalination could provide,Nagel said.And while this is still years away,the agency will work to advance direct potable reuse in the interim `We don't have our head in the sand.We're leaders on this issue.We've drafted legislation,we've supported potable reuse studies to the tune of millions of dollars,"Nagel said. Project opponents question whether the significant environmental and regulatory hurdles associated with desalination mean that it would distract from its support of potable reuse. Starting last year,West Basin convened a Recycled Water Working group to produce a report on the future of water recycling in the district.Though not formed to address desalination,the working group contained a mix of project supporters and opponents,and discussions on water recycling invariably led back to the need for a desalination plant. Opponents pointed out that Texas is working on DPR at its Big Springs facility,and that California technically has the authority to permit the practice on a case-by-case basis. Kurt Sousa,a principal engineer with the state Water Resource Control Board's Division of Drinking Water,acknowledged that the permitting authority existed.But he said it probably did not make sense to create short-term regulations for such a hypothetical facility. 9 "When we're writing a regulation,we're not writing it for two or three years to get us through a situation. We're writing it for people to drink that water for 70 years of their life,"Sousa said. NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND r. 4 A photo of West Basin's Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility.The facility,which opened in 1995,has been hailed by local environmentalists for its contributions to conservation and ocean water quality.Photo courtesy West Basin Municipal Water District. The Edward C.Little Facility produces five different grades of water.Three of these are for industrial use at nearby refining plants.The remaining two are"fit for purpose"water,the"purple pipe"water used in irrigation along the Green Belt and elsewhere,and"barrier water." Barrier water is a solution to the problem that prompted the formation of West Basin in the fast place:It is injected back into the ground to push back seawater and prevent it from seeping into the groundwater table.Between Los Angeles International Airport and Palos Verdes,there are 153 injecting"straws"going nearly r,000 feet underground. But there are other possible applications for the water produced at the Little facility—applications that do not face the same regulatory hurdles as direct potable reuse—including possibly enhancing the drinking water supply. "The absence of approval for direct potable reuse is not a barrier to expanding the recycled water program," said Mayor Justin Massey of Hermosa. And just as DPR requires looking to the future,other kinds of water recycling may mean looking elsewhere. Cohen,of UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability,noted that although desalination can help with water independence,countries that rely heavily on desalination often have advanced water recycling programs. "If you look at Israel,they reuse 8o to 85 percent of municipal wastewater.California usually does no better than 10 to 15 percent,"he said. There is also an example closer to home: Orange County. 10 The Groundwater Replenishment System,a joint project between the Orange County Sanitation District and the Orange County Water District,functions similarly to the arrangement between Hyperion and Edward C.Little.The sanitation district does preliminary treatment,including removing some solids and organic material,and the water district takes further steps,including reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection. The difference is one of scale.Orange County's facility is the largest of its kind in the world,taking in 185 million gallons of wastewater every day and producing too million gallons of water for indirect potable reuse.About 35 million gallons are used as barrier water.The remainder is diverted to a series of basins in Anaheim.It gradually percolates into the groundwater,with the water district employing sensors to check for quality.After about six months,the result is an affordable and environmentally friendly source of drinking water. This difference in scale,say officials,is due to having a common aquifer, and an administrative overlap that is not found in Los Angeles County,where the county,the city of Los Angeles,West Basin and others all bring different bureaucracies to interconnected problems. "In the late`gos,we went from being a bunch of small sanitation districts to becoming OC Sanitation.Our boundaries almost exactly match the Orange County Water District's area.We thought,`Hey,let's work together on a better outcome,find a way to maximize the benefit to our common ratepayers,"said Rob Thompson,director of engineering for Orange County Sanitation. Thompson said that state law does not obligate water districts to track and report reclamation rates,but he doubts any other agency in the state matches Orange County.And the district is currently studying further expansion to eventually reach 130 million daily gallons of indirect potable reuse water. Whether Orange County's model can be replicated locally is unclear.Los Angeles County has two principal, separate basins of groundwater:the"West"basin and the"Central"basin.Although they are hydrologically connected,they are under different jurisdiction.And not only are there administrative differences,there may be geologic ones too.The rate at which treated water seeps into the alluvial plain in Orange County is, in the water district's phrasing,`exceptional."It is not clear that the soil found in West Basin's service area is adequate to handle similar efforts. Nonetheless,desalination opponents say,the idea is worthy of exploration. "With the enormous price of desalination,it's always talked about as being a'reliability premium,"'said Joe Geever,a former water programs manager for the Surfrider Foundation."But really,the way you get reliability is more responsible groundwater management." Looming over the administrative difficulties holding back enhanced groundwater filtration is a proposal from the one agency that does link everyone together:the Metropolitan Water District.In the fall of 2015, MWD released a plan to build a recycled water plant in Carson.Though still tentative,early projections indicate the plant would be capable of producing about 150 million gallons of potable water per day—50 percent more than Orange County's existing operation. Water district engineers around Southern California are still evaluating the proposal. But the plant got a recent boost when Brown included it in a list of infrastructure projects for which the state is seeking federal dollars. THE LOCAL SCENE 11 Among the South Bay companies supporting desalination is Body Glove International. Body Glove President Russ Lesser said he first became interested in the issue when he noticed the strong opposition from the city councils of Manhattan and Hermosa. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the plant's impact on marine ecosystems in the South Bay.Heal the Bay cited a 2o13 report from the Pacific Institute that examined reverse osmosis desalination in California.The report notes risks about the impact on marine ecosystems of both the mechanisms used to draw in water,and the brine discharge from the reverse osmosis process.(West Basin,for its part,said that plans for low intake velocity,filters and brine diffusion all effectively mitigate these risks.) As a committed member of Heal the Bay,and the head of a surfing and diving brand,Lesser felt compelled to learn more. He became convinced of the project's merits,and said he is at a loss over why local officials have come out so strongly against desalination. "We live in a desert.We're going to have ongoing droughts.The only reliable source of water we can count on is the ocean,"Lesser said. Lesser may find himself the odd man out in Manhattan and Hermosa,but he has plenty of company a bit further inland.Other cities served by West Basin,including Hawthorne,Inglewood and Lomita,have backed the plan. The division is not as simple as inland and coast or rich and poor.(Rancho Palos Verdes has also backed the plan.)But one possible explanation for the disparity in support between the affluent beach cities and elsewhere is that people in historically disadvantaged communities tend to experience more issues with drinking water quality,and in polling are consistently more skeptical of recycled water. Last year,at the height of the water crisis in Flint,Mich.,Nagel and Gloria Gray,the secretary of the West Basin board of directors,gave a presentation to the Inglewood City Council.During public comment, resident Carolyn Fowler urged the council to support the desalination proposal. Fowler,who is running for secretary of the California Democratic Party,said that environmental issues were often neglected in minority communities and,quoting Billie Holiday,said that approving desal would help assure water independence. `A lot of people will know this phrase:`God bless the child/that's got his own,"'she said. The council unanimously endorsed the project. Desalination continues to make inroads elsewhere in Southern California.A long-contested facility opened in Carlsbad in 2o15.According to figures provided by Bob Yamada,director of Water Resources for the San Diego County Water Authority,costs for the plant are comparable to West Basin's projections,and the energy usage is lower,at 3,50o kilowatt-hours per acre-foot.The agency's contract with Poseidon Water, the private company that operates the plant,obligates San Diego to purchase at least 48,000 acre-feet of water from the plant for the next 30 years,regardless of prevailing water conditions. Poseidon is also in line to operate a desalination plant proposed for Huntington Beach,which was included in a recently leaked list of President Donald Trump's infrastructure priorities.Environmental concerns have dogged the proposal through the regulatory process. Among Southern California cities,Santa Barbara has perhaps the longest history with desalination.During a drought that stretched from 1987 to 1992,the city invested in a desalination plant.The project operated for one year before being shuttered when the drought ended and desalination became cost prohibitive once 12 more.Although now out of the recent drought,Santa Barbara sought permission from the governor's office earlier this month to reopen the facility,with plans to eventually triple its capacity. THE WEIGHT AND THE NEED 1.MOMaray Bay Regional Water Project 3.Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project 3.Ocean View Plaza Deealinatlon Facility 4.West Basin Ocean Water Dl6allnation Project S.Munangton Beach Desalination Project S.Dollany Ocean Desalination Plant r.Camp Pendleton Deealinatlon Pilot Project a.Gnstard Deealinatlon Project 2 ' 3 45 6 _. m 110 tm 90 7 8 g I . Ms. a _ A listing of proposed new or expanded desalination plants along the California coast.The map does not show a plant in Santa Barbara,which has recently sought permission from the state to reopen its plant. Image courtesy State Water Resources Control Board The story of Santa Barbara reveals a key truth in the debate over desalination: cost is relative.Although the actual number may not change,how good of an idea it seems depends in large part on how desperate South Bay residents are for water. Climate change is likely to create periods of both intense rain and prolonged drought,complicating conservation efforts. But it may be even more dire than that,Nagel said,because the loth century was unusually wet.In other words,the conditions that informed the design of much of the state's water infrastructure may not be reflective of the real water challenges the state faces. Recent work in dendrochronology,the study of tree rings to examine natural history,offers mild support for this idea. David Meko,a professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona, is currently working on a historical precipitation reconstruction for California's Department of Water Resources.Meko said that the 2oth century was likely the wettest in the last 500 years,though it averaged only about 7 percent more precipitation than the driest. 13 But the dearth of water cuts both ways.Desalination opponents argue that the likelihood of future droughts means the state must increasingly focus on conservation.Geever said the recent mandatory cutbacks in urban water usage required by the drought show further conservation need not be onerous. "For too long we haven't really prepared for these droughts.They're as predictable as the sun coming up. But every time they happen,we declare a state of'emergency'and say'Who knew?"'he said. West Basin,for its part,has long focused on conservation.Its legacy can be seen throughout the South Bay, including at the drought tolerant garden rimming the Dewey Weber statue at the Hermosa Beach Community Center.The agency hosted frequent workshops throughout the drought offering advice on how to reduce water consumption.This conservation emphasis will continue as desalination winds its way through the regulatory process,Nagel said;as with water recycling,desalination will not impact the agency's commitment to conservation. Remick,of LA Waterkeeper,is not convinced that an"all of the above"approach will work.He previously spent 1r years heading up San Diego Coastkeeper,a good portion of which was devoted to combatting the Poseidon plant in Carlsbad.His time there convinced him that water districts throughout the state tend to embrace desalination because it allows their customers to avoid having to confront hard questions about ingrained,but perhaps unsustainable,lifestyle choices. "People think'I want desal so I can water my lawn;without asking the obvious question,'Should you have a lawn in Southern California?'"Remick said. 14 Los Angeles Wave April 7, 2017 ws w�n.wa WANE Local Water Reliability Projects Earns Engineering Honors • April 7,2017 • Written by: WaveNewspapers.com �1 low C1 7 r � If it weren't for engineers and construction teams, the civilized world would literally fall apart. At the residential level,homeowners depend on these architects, construction workers, and engineers for everything from minor cosmetic updates to emergency renovations. In fact, among homeowners having remodeling projects done to their property, 35% of involve the whole home. On a much larger and more important level, engineering and construction projects protect people from 15 dangerous waterborne pollutants. In California, local engineers are being honored for their efforts to improve water quality. According to the Orange County Breeze, the Orange County Water District(OCWD)received two engineering awards for its local water reliability efforts. The American Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE)presented the Outstanding Water Project Award to the OCWD La Palma Water Recharge Basin and Stantec Consulting Services. The awards were part of a dinner celebration that honors projects that help improve the quality of life for those in the Southern California area. The OCWD's projects involved providing 75% of the drinking water for 2.4 million people and teaming up with the Orange County Sanitation District(OCSD) for the world's largest advanced water purification project,which produces and reuses 100 million gallons per day of new water. That's a massive achievement in a drought-prone state. "I am very proud to be part of this organization," said Greg Seboum, Board Chairman of the OCSD. "Facing the highest flows ever seen at OCSD,we were able to keep the flow in the pipes without any interruption in service to our customers. This was possible through the hard work and dedication of our staff, and the sound policy making, foresight and commitment of our past and current board to invest in infrastructure for the future. All of these factors came into play to allow OCSD to stay true to our mission of protecting public health and the environment, even during challenging times." The projects were primarily funded by the State Resources Control Board's (SWRCB) Financial Assistance Division. In addition,the SWRCB awarded the Water District a$2.86 million Prop 1 Grant. 16 Las Angeles Times April 24, 2017 Eos Anuttes arinws The world may begin to do more but consume less 4/24/17 PATRICE APODACA There's a book titled`Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less—and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined"that is receiving a lot of attention lately. Normally I wouldn't pay much mind. I'm not a big fan of books that promise to make me better. I'm not opposed to the idea of becoming the best me I can possibly be. From Our Partners: A Pepsi Warehouse in Russia Collapses Causing Flooding The problem is that self-improvement requires work, and I'm lazy. Rather than doing more with less, I'm inclined to do less with less. Or just less, full stop. If achieving more took no extra effort,I would be totally on board So when I read that"Stretch"author Scott Sonenshein, a Rice University management professor, advised that one means to unlock the power of less is to take mindless breaks from work to boost creativity, I got really excited. I happen to excel at mindless breaks. This is something I can do, I thought. Sonenshein's basic argument is that our tendency to think of"more" as the key to success as in more money and more stuff—is all wrong. By always seeking more,we tend to overlook the possibilities that already exist, he says. When we focus instead on using the resources we have, we stretch ourselves, thereby unlocking creativity and problem-solving skills. It makes a lot of sense. And the more I've thought about this idea, the more I have noticed variations of the doing-more-with-less theme popping up all over. Take the crusade being waged by neat freaks otherwise known as organizational experts who seem hellbent on getting all of us to clean our closets. Chief among these gums is Marie Kondo, whose best-selling"The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,"has apparently convinced half the country that we should not only make do with what we already have,but that we can only achieve true self-fulfillment by throwing out half our stuff. One could argue that the environmental movement,with its "reduce,reuse,recycle"mantra, is another facet of the do-more-with-less concept. Certainly it has gotten many of us to rethink bad habits. I thought I would miss plastic grocery bags,but it turns out I'm perfectly happy with my reusable sacks. I also think a lot more these days about ways to organize my errands to limit my driving time. There's nothing particularly creative about either of these little changes, but I guess if I really tried I could come up with more ways to do more with less. Perhaps I should take a mindless break to not work on it. Mindless or not,now that I'm paying attention,I'm increasingly convinced that there's something to this less/more paradigm. As reported in a recent Time magazine cover story about the need to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, for instance, the conclusion of many experts is that we probably won't be seeing much in the style of the mammoth projects of the past—no new Hoover Dams, major international airports, or whatever the modern-day version of the transcontinental railroad would be. Instead we'll more likely experience what the magazine called a"productivity renaissance." "Perhaps the monuments of a new age of infrastructure will be the invisible ones that shape a nation able to do more while consuming less,"it stated. The story went on to highlight a prime example of such innovation taking place in our backyard. The Orange County Sanitation District water-treatment facility and the Orange County Water District have engineered an ingenious, low-cost,energy-saving process for treating raw sewage and turning it into enough clean water for 850,000 people. These agencies aren't just doing more with less,they're doing more with slop. 18 Consider also the Next-Gen program that seeks to streamline aviation. The Federal Aviation Administration is rolling out this plan to make flight paths more efficient. At airports around the country, including John Wayne,the program calls for utilizing Global Positioning System(GPS)technology to improve takeoffs and landings,which will reduce flying time and allow air-traffic controllers to tighten the space between aircraft. So less fuel, less idling on runways and fewer circuitous routes. There are critics of the plan who me mainly focused on the"more"part of the equation potentially more planes overhead and more noise. As previously reported by the Daily Pilot,Newport Beach and Laguna Beach sued the FAA last year over NextGen, challenging the findings of an environmental analysis that the project would have no significant impact on pollution or noise levels. The Orange County Board of Supervisors filed a motion in November to join that challenge. Regardless,the implementation of NextGen is proceeding, along with other efforts large and small that are intended to make what we already have—freeways,railways, shipping routes, the electric power grid, the Internet, you name it—more modem and efficient. Brought down to a personal level—how can I do more with less?—the possibilities begin to unfold. Just in the course of writing this column I have vowed to make the great sacrifice of curtailing my unhealthy obsession with shoe-buying for a while, and I will be far more creative in utilizing the shoes I already have. I didn't even need a mindless break to come up with that one. PATRICE APODACA is a former Newport-Mesa public school parent and former Los Angeles Times stall'writer. She lives in Newport Beach. Copyright©2017, Daily Pilot 19 m i p- J O � 1 I L � L I I I I ` plus A BLUEPRINT FOR TODAY MOONSHOTS FOR TOMORROW AND A PLAN FOR GETTING IT RIGHT r / IXEARSTR UCTURF SPFCIaL REPORT quality of life is at stake,as well as safety, Cohn convene a meeting to create afrarl invocation of bipartisan cooperation.It WHILE ADIERICA WAITS for the White jobs andeconomic competitiveness,then work for drafting a proposal. comes as he is gutting the Democrats' WATER AND WASTEWATER House proposal, and the battles that WHEN PREsmENTTRUMP DECLARED,IN one would think that this is where all of According to a White House official, climate-change policies,charging ahead will erupt when it lands in Congress,we his first speech to Congress,"The time Washington has a chance to step up.An Cohn put them to work on a six-lane with his controversial border wall and should think harder about how much has come for a new program of national embattled President could prove whether process for moving forward, with the Twitter-bashing Hillary Clinton.it's had CURRENT FUNDING PROJECTED NEED to spend and how to spend it The best rebuilding;' the applause was loud his record as a developer is relevant; expectation that infrastructure would be to take seriously a hand extended across infrastructure investments begin in and long.This pledge to spend what it Republicans in Congress could practice handled after health care and tax reform. the aisle when the middle finger is so $45 $10 5 the imagination.They are bold bets on takes to fix roads and bridges,rails and governing;Democrats could deliverlong- Lanes one and two were devoted to prominent. The renegade Republicans tomorrow.Theiressence isn't found in an broadband,dams and airports—a staple promisedresults.Everyone wins—unless finding new and existing projects worthy who scotched the health care bill want to BILLION , BILLION engineering textbook.It's found in W.P. ofhis campaign speeches—struck a chord Bismarck's advice that"Politics is the art ofa federal boost.But the rest ofthe lanes cut spending,not increase it.And the tax Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe,in which with public opinion.The legacy of past of the possible" no longer holds.After were devoted to issues of regulation and reforms that might free up some money ghostly voice promises an Iowa farmer: generations that sustained the world's the failure by Trump and congressional finance—on the theory that streamlining for infrastructure are locked inside a the problems are. Younger economies "If you build it,he will come."Like the largest economyis aging and needs repair. Republicans to deliver on their pledge the approval of infrastructure projects fortress guardedby fire-breathing special around the world have leapfrogged us in farmer's baseball diamond in a cornfield, Some 34 million Americans still lack to repeal Obamacare,the questions were will unleash a tornado ofpent-up energy. interests. building state-of-the-art works,while our a visionary project changes a culture and access to broadband.The electrical grid written across Washington in neon.Does "If we were to take our to-year process Chicago Mayor Ralun Emanuel is one infrastructure is showing its age.Trump creates its own demand. can't keep up with advances in renewable the President actually have a plan,and can and shrink it down to a two-year process, of the local officials who has discussed frames the issue with his characteristic Two hundred years ago,the governor energy.People understand this:a recent he persuade even people who may agree that in and ofitselfwould create trillions projects with the Trump White colorful hyperbole. "You come in from of New York convinced the state legisla- poll for CNN found that 79%ofAmericans with him to go along with it? of dollars of economic activity;' the House, including plans to alleviate rail Dubai and Qatar and you see these ture to dig a canal from the Hudson River want the President to increase spending Although Trump often spoke during official said."Trillions." congestion through one of the world's incredible—you come in from China, to the Great Lakes.Aboondoggle,people on infrastructure, including 72% of the campaign of unlocking$1 Trillion in Trump's staff has identified a few pri- busiest transit hubs. A Democrat, he you see these incredible airports;'he says, scoffed.But DeWitt Clinton could imag- people who say they don't support Donald infrastructure investments, the pledge orities,like broadband and the electri- has been known to strike bipartisan "we've become a third-world country." ine the impact of such a direct waterway Trump. may prove as hollow as his promised cal grid,that require significant federal deals, but he doesn't see much hope As ayounger nation,we built on a heroic linking the unsettled heartland to the port His commitment was music to the mastery of the health care muddle.Ten investment.His $1 trillion plan will in- for this one. "I don't think the federal scale, creating instantly recognizable of New York City.The Erie Canal ignited ears of Wall Street and Main Street,and weeks after Trump's Inauguration,key clu le, officials say, between $ioo bil- government is going to step up, to monuments to dynamism and energy. settlement of the frontier and soon car- clu med labor as well as management. House and Senateleaders say they are not lion and$2oo billion of actual taxpayer be honest;' Emanuel says. "I've been Grand Central Terminal. The Chicago ried abrisktrade in crops and goods that State and local officials from Hartford in talks with the White House on a plan. money for projects like these. But the honest with his Administration. You "L!' The TWA terminal at Kennedy ensured New York's place as America's to Honolulu had scrambled in the weeks And the reason is that there is no blue- bulk of Tramp's promise is contained in can't get from here to there—there's no International Airport.The endless ribbon leading city. after Trump's victory to compile wish print to discuss one.Only in early March the theoretical tsunami of money in pri- fairy dust that's going to figure this out. of interstate highway.The Golden Gate Avision leads to aprojecq which leads lists of worthy projects,hoping to catch did White House economic adviser Gary vate hands supposedly waiting for reg- You're going to have to invest in it." Bridge. Sadly, we've discovered that to the future.Another example: among his eye. "America is suffering from a ulatory reform. While nonpartisan ex- But With his approval rating in the building such projects is more glorious the settlers in the booming Midwest was massive infrastructure deficit—crumbling pens agree that America's permitting Gallup poll sinking to an abysmal 35%, than maintaining them, even as we've a young man whose ambition was to be and dilapidated roads,bridges,airports, ELECTRICITY process is too cumbersome, Trump's Trump may soon find he needs something made new projects too difficult to build. "the DeWitt Clinton oflllinois."Instead, and tunnels;'Trump said in a statement team is an outlier in thinking that faster broadly popular to anchor his policy Admirable goals, like environmental Abraham Lincoln wound up in the White to TIME. "We need members of both approvals will have such a staggering ef- pivot.Infrastructure is his best and most protection and worker safety, are House, where his vision of a stronger parties—partnering with industry and CURRENT FUNDING ',. PROJECTED NEW fect.You might ask: How much of this worthy prospect.His name on the side mummied in red tape.All the while,more Union found expression in infrastructure. workers—to join together to repair, '.. plan has to do with infrastructure,and of skyscrapers around the world gives and more afoot national income has been Amid the chaos ofthe Civil War,Lincoln rebuild and renew the infrastructure of $rr77 5 '.,,,. $17 how much is part of the war—as White him credibility as a builder.And his past divetted into other priorities:the safety carved out time to push for approval of the United States." House strategist Steve Bannon calls it— history as a New York Democrat could net,the Social Security system,our health the Transcontinental Railroad. So if everyone agrees, if the need is BILLION ',, BILLION on the"administrative state"? give him space to tone down his anti- care,infrastructure and the costs of the Today's transformative infrastructure greatandthewill is there,ifAmerica'svery Which in turn undercuts Trump's government gospel. He knows what world's most dominant military. projects might not look like the broad- BUILDING A NATION 1673 1788 1806 1817 1827 1856 1869 1876 1882 The route of the The U.S.Constitution is Congress authorizes the Work begins on the New York City's horse- Chicago's municipal The thereassithemlel Alexander Graham Lower Manhattan Post Road or Hing's ratified,giving congress firmfischrallyfunded Erie Canal.Completed drawn omnibuses begin sewer system was one ralimad is Completed Bell's first telephone gets the nation's Post Highway is first traveled the power To establish roadway:National two Years ahead of service,one of the first of the first,along with in Promontory,Utah, tmmmisslon heralds eleetrielty system, to deliver mail from NYC post ofilces and post Road.By 1818, schedule,in 1825, mass transit routes. those in Brooklyn and made possible by the arrival of from Thomas Edison's America has to Boston.Eventually me&,along with the mail coaches travel it its 363 miles link In 1832 a different Jersey City,N.J.,built congressional grants lechnclogymat would company.The sixjumbo been creating the stretching from Boston authority to regulate between Maryland and western waterways to NYC omnibus route in the same decade. of land right of-ways. be ubiquitous a century dynamos served about architecture of to Charleston,S.C.,it interstate commerce Wheeling,W.Va.,which the Hudson River and uses mils in the street, Burns major surge Crosecountry travel later,when 90%of 1 sq.mile.By 1896 national life since was used by George and provide for common is on the Ohio River,and Atlantic Ocean,allowing making it an early kind in sewer construction time is greatly U.S.households had a alternating current before it Eyes Washington and defense and welfare. by the 1830s it reaches the movement of heavy of streetcar. came 40 Years later. reduced—for hose who landline. expanded the range of nation. General Cornwallis in Illinois. roads at a tenth of the can afford it. service. —Merrill Ferry the Revolutionary War. cost of going by road. .Dual..<.wiom 1—ol("'I"Exsix[v —E.Ill"'E"Ie"All E EEnwEE IEEOE— All"I Al."ainE 11 RErAII IiP uaE Ews. El.Ev wEr,Eo..I—E"A'Ell AU."no<.o I—E1 ..wi„u.E,r Eo eE ummEw....E'Ell ll"Ell 25 IXFARSTR UCTURF SPFCIXL RFPORi shouldered undertakings of the past. I thought he might point to such large mands of roughly 85o,000 people,is as need for new pavement.A modernized voters have chosen to shoulder the The best ones must harness efficiency undertakings as the high-speed rail proj- pure as a sparkling glass of premium ice air-traffic control system would permit PORTS AND SHIPPING cost of their light-rail network, which and bramprower, not just concrete and ect in California,the mass-transit system water.Pumping stations return it to the existing airports to handle more traffic could reach$8 billion.Atlanta residents steel. Tomorrow's version of the Ten- that is transforming Denver or the tun- Orange County aquifer to percolate into without the need for more runways. have kicked in for a$2.5 billion transit nessee Valley Authority,which brought Doling of a major downtown highway in wells for future drinldng. The process One test will come when the Presi- CURRENT FUNDING PROJECTED REED expansion.In Rhode Island,voters have light to darkness in the mid—loth cen- Seattle.Instead,he directed my attention costs less,and consumes less energy,than dent weighs his priorities for energy in- approved$70 million in bonds to improve wry,could be powered by sunlight and to an unimpressive cluster of buildings importing water from the Colorado River. frastructure.Tnunp's campaign promisea $2 2 $15 the ports of Providence and Davis vine. batteries in the 21st.A storm of lucrative in the suburbs of southern Los Angeles— So the next Hoover Dam is no data at to revitalize coal mining may have won In light of all this,some experts ques- contracts for new infrastructure projects and,much more important,to what goes all.It's technology,invention,efficiency. votes,but they lacked vision.While poll- BILLION BILLION tion whether the Trump plan will rely too could demand a productivity renaissance on inside. Take a look at Singapore—one of the ticians have been arguing about the rela- much on private investors.Private money in the construction industry.Perhaps the One group of structures, nothing wort&s infrastructure leaders,according tive merits of coal,gas and nuclear,in the is attracted to projects that have a depend- monuments of a new age of infrastructure to look at, houses an Orange County to Germal respected Kiel Institute for real world,the energy story is suddenly Department estimates,if the conversion able return of revenue.Private money can will be the invisible ones that shape a na- Sanitation District water-treatment the World Economy.Using the technology about efficiency. to LED lightbulbs continues at its current learn to love toll roads and even airports, tion able to do more while consuming facility.Each day some AS million gallons pioneered in Orange County,the island U.S.demand for electricity has gone pace,demand for electricity will be cut by but not every bridge or storm sewer is less.Which is every bit as Grind-boggling. of raw sewage flows in, and eventually nation has replaced 40%of its freshwater flat.Few saw it coming.But Energy De- an amount equal to44 large power plants likely to generate a profit for investors. the treated water flows out—not toxic, consumption with recycled NEWater,as partment statistics show that total sales 10 years from now. Ultimately,if the President wants to AFTER THE IRON RAILS of the Trans- but not potable either.This wastewater they call it. Infrastructure is shrinking of electricity from all sources,measured Maybe you don't think of lightbulbs As stake his revival on infrastructure, he continental Railroad were laid across used to be pumped through long pipes even as it grows more powerful. in gigawatt hours,have been unchanged infrastructure,but they are. will need to bring more than deregula- trackless prairies and over the daunting to disperse in the Pacific Ocean.But now Lire DeWitt Clinton and Arthur Powell for nearly a decade.Between 2007—the tion to the table.He most bring daring. Sierra Nevada, it seemed that nothing more than half of the treated product Davis,the leaders of Orange County had last year before the economic crash—and DUCTS AND CONCRETE and asphalt and As grand as his$1 trillion promise may could stop the rise of California—except goes next door,to nondescript facilities to let go of the past to reach for the future. 2o15,demand actually fell very slightly. wire may look mundane,but they have appear,he has a chance at something real water.Then as now,the state was parched operated by the Orange County Water In the mid-199os,the sanitation district In the same period, the U.S. economy revolutionized the where and the how of that is even bigger.He can use his experi- in some years and flooded in others.Call- District. The OCWD strains the water was faced with a need to upgrade exist- grew by an inflation-adjusted to%. human life.The world offrecerays andjets ence as a salesman to bring budget hawks forma needed water that it could depend through microscopic filters,then forces ing infrastructure.But instead ofdoubling In other words, without much fan- has a radically different geography from around to the idea of investing in An i- on.Aman from Lincoln's Illinois,Arthur it by reverse osmosis through superfine down on what they already had,they built fare,the U.S.is figuring out how to pro- the world ofsmalltowns and rural home- ca's tomorrow.He can turnhis knowledge Powell Davis,made the case for a tower- membranes,and finally bombards it with something completely different. duce economic growth without consuni steads that it replaced.Electrified life has of construction to streamlining the build- ing wall of concrete in a narrow canyon high-intensity ultraviolet light. ing more energy. That might be a first aculture differentfrom the culture oflives ing industry and bringing it into the new near what is now Las Vegas.His vision be- What flows out of the facility,in vol- CAN TRUMP HARNESS that spirit? in human history. Smart infrastructure lit by oil lamps. century.He can turn his gift for promotion came the Hoover Data,which tamed the umes sufficient to meet the daily de- Groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings investments would seize on this break- Investment in infrastructure is to renewing America's confidence in the capricious Colorado River and created a have been staples of his existence for through and pull it forward.We would investment in change. It represents a strides we are already making. reliable reservoir. four decades.Can a man whose name is build smaller,scattered power plants to people's belief in something better yet This is a harder, more substantive, Recently,I asked an executive at one of synonymous with gold and glitz become reduce wastage of electricity by short- to come, and the willingness to help it mission than the one that took Trump to America's leading engineering firms why ROADS AND BRIDGES a champion of small and smut?Amer- rating the distance between generator along. Across the U.S., local and state the White House.Butthe wreckage of his we don't build Hoover Dams anymore. ica may not need many more interstate and customer.We would invest in rap- governments are reflecting this optimism. health care failure is proof that leadership Where's our ambition? Where's the CURRENT FUNDING PROJECTED NEED flyovers or massive dams.It does need a idly improving batteries to make solar Los Angeles voters in November approved is not always easy.And doing the bard moxie that conjured a city from nothing '.. huge investment in embedded,but invis- energy more practical for running indi- a ballot initiative that will raise an thing has always been what makes in a remote desert,in the depths of the .. ible,technology to prepare ourhighways vidual homes and small businesses.We estimated$12o billionfor Transportation America great.—With reporting by BEN Depression, and put nearly the whole 941 1.1 and streets for driverless cars and trucks. would continue to push high-efficiency infrastructure over the next four decades. GOLDBERGER and loses SANEURN/NEW pop ul ation to Work on a structure able to BILLION TRILLION Such innovations will allow more vehicles appliances and lighting to drive doom de- Seattle's voters said yes to a$54 billion YOUR;andFH1LIF ELLIOTT,SAM FRIZELL hold back Lake Mead? to run on existing roads, reducing the Grand for electricity.According to Energy mass-transit investment. Denver-area AND ZEKEI.MILLER/WASHINGTON 0 1890S 1900 1908 1909 1932 1933 1935 1956 1980S 2017 Chicago's-t:train The Sanitary District Jersey City,N.J.,is the College Park Airport in The First federal gas MR's New Deal The Hoover Dan built The haterstate Highway The word infrastructure Firstsegmentof is the first electric of Chicagorevemes first city to routinely Maryland is one of the tax is levied,of It per proddes$3.3 billion by 21,000 people System is established begins to be used to NYC's Served Avenue elevated rail line and the Row ofthe disinfect its drinking first almerls.Created gallon,among a range for the Public Works working for four years, by Congress,which describe large-scale subway opens to the becomes one of the Chicago Fill to carry water.In the decade to train Army pilots,it of new taxes amid the Administration.Other at a total cost of allocated$25 billion public projects.They publ ic,almost a century first rapMthadsit wastewaterawayfrom thatfollowed,other remains in service. Great Depression. projects include the $49 million,reates to build a 41,000-mile were previously termed afterthe projectwas systems In the U.S. Lake Michigan,a source cities also implemented Ruml Electrification the largest manmade system Grerthe next PubJk works,but proposed and decades In 1897 Boston's of the city's drinking chlorination,filtration Administration,wiring lake in the U.S.and decade.Freeways were advocates worried the after excavation began underground rail tunnel water. and purification 288,000 homes Provides powerfor seen as a national- phrase had acquired a in the 1970s.The was the nation's first systems. by 1939 and the Southern Cal ifornia, Security issue,so U.S. negative connotation of final cost was roughly subway. Tennessee Valley Nevada and Arizona— forces could move pork-barrel politics and $4.5 billion—far more Authority. as well as a tourist lure. swiftlycrosscountou corruption. than the projected budget. 27 Twitter Posts April 2017 Twitter Posts for April 2017 Tweeted 25 times and Retweeted 7 times 6 OC Sewers @OCSewers 5 m5 minutes ago Have you 'liked'OCSD on Facebook yet? Follow our page for news,fun facts & information about wastewater treatment! _facebook.com/OCSewers OC Sewers @OCSewers 3h3 hours ago "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."-Eleanor Roosevelt #MotivationMonday 00C Sewers @OCSewers 4h4 hours ago What an interesting article. Did you know that OCSD currently has a program that captures Urban Runoff? http://www.Politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/20/st-lows-infrastructure-sewer-tunnel-water- system-215056 lima OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 28 OC Sewers Retweeted HB Police Foundation Thank you forjoining us! We are so glad that you enjoyed the tour. OC Sewers added, 20 hr N.:cew 1'III�11 HB Police Foundation @hbpcf Thank you #ocsd#ocsewers#OCAR for an awesome tour and great information about our sewers and clean water! IWOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 27 OC Sewers Retweeted Health Care Agency Our#What2Flush campaign reminds people to not flush meds down the toilet. Help keep our sewers clean byjoining#NationalTakeBackDay. OC Sewers added, )E TW runus. Health Care Agency @ochealth Drop-off expired/unused/unwanted prescriptions on#NationalTakeBackDay,4/29, 10 a.m. -2 p.m. @ 20+ #OC locations. mailchi.mp/ochca/dhokg4v6... 21 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 27 DYK? OCSD safely collects,treats, recycles&disposes of 185 million gallons of wastewater generated by 2.6 million people. #ocsdfunfact eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 27 @OCSewers is helping @CASA_CleanWater promote a scholarship opportunity for CA residents who are undergrad students eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 26 OC Sewers Retweeted CWEA Water Assoc Thank you for letting us be part of today's discussion. OC Sewers added, 7\ .: CWEA Water Assoc @CWEAMembers At#CWEAAC we're filming a roundtable discussion about#onewater w @radhikafox @LA1 H2O and Jim Herberg @OCSewers. It's ALL one water OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 26 Happy#AdministrativeProfessionalsDay to all of the#OCSD administrative professionals whom without, the work we do would not be possible. 22 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 25 It's#TriviaTuesday! Can you answer this question? How should pharmaceuticals be disposed? eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 24 ECA Magazine highlights our Director of Engineering giving an in-depth look at current&future projects on page 17. bit.ly/2ooKl2i 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 24 1 find that the harder I work, the less I call it work."-Thomas Jefferson #MotivationMonday OOC Sewers @OCSewem Apr 24 Want to know more about the work that we do? Come take a tour. You'll be glad that you did! ocsd.com/residents/tours #What2Flush 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 22 Today is Earth Day! How are you celebrating? APP� LS 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 22 Do you care about the#environment and#publichealth?We currently have a position for an Accounting Assistant. _ocsd.com/about-us/jobs/-_.. eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 21 Happy Friday! Today's#fbf is the Groundbreaking of the#GWRS expansion in 2012 with @OCSewers and @OCWDWaterNews Board members. M� , � IWOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 20 We're at @SantiagoCanyon for Earth Day! Come stop by and get some free goodies and learn about OCSD! i iii 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 19 Wondering how to dispose of unused or expired medication? Check out our PSA.#What2Flush OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 18 It's#TriviaTuesday! Can you answer this question? How is energy generated at the Orange County Sanitation District? INMX INW OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 17 "Don't count the days, make the days count."-Muhammad Ali#MotivationMonday 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 15 Congrats to Kevin Hardy, @NWRlwater's newest Executive Director. OCSD has been a charter member of NWRI for 26 years. nwri-usa.org OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 15 Have you 'liked'OCSD on Facebook yet? Follow our page for news,fun facts & information about wastewater treatment! _facebook.com/OCSewers OOOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 13 OC Sewers Retweeted SATU laboratory In 2011, OCSD spent$320,000 on de-ragging our pump stations. Today, we continue to remove wipes to help prevent clogging in our pipes. #W2F OC Sewers added, SATU laboratory @SATUlaboratory 25 "Flushable"00etwipes costing Canadian taxpayers$250+ million a year. #Canada#startup#Cleantech #healthtech youtube.com/watch?v=sUtTGG__... OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 12 Lots of construction activity on the#OCSDRedHill project, some things deep in the trenches, unseen by the public. -billy/2op1 gyk r . :t T 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 11 OC Sewers Retweeted Aaron Stephens You can ask for help @AaronBStephens. OC Sewers added, Aaron Stephens @AaronBStephens Replying to @OCSewers Is it cheating if I ask @BiosolidsRGreat for help with answering the question? 26 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 11 OC Sewers Retweeted penny cothran That's correct @fastnfurious676 OC Sewers added, penny cothran @fastnfurious676 Replying to @OCSewers A term for treated sewage eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 11 It's#TriviaTuesday! Can you answer this question?What are biosolids? eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 10 "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible."-Tony Robbins#MotivationMonday eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 10 Do you care about the#environment and#publichealth?Want to advance your#career?Apply for a#job with @OCSewers! .ocsd.com/about-us/jobs/_... IbOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 10 Wow this is cool! htto://wNtonline.co.uk/news/accidental-find-cou Id-cut-wastewater-treatment-enerav- costs/3497#.WOuiv nvvDB 27 60C Sewers @OCSewers Apr 7 Check out this scholarship opportunity for CA residents who are undergrad students through @CASA_CleanWater. eOC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 6 OC Sewers Retweeled Tim Floyd Thanks for coming to take a tour today! We hope you enjoyed it. OC Sewers added, 1 Tim Floyd @TimFloyd_edu Out with HBHS AP Environmental Science students getting answers to the age old question. Where does our poop go?Thanks @OCSewers! 28 Facebook Posts April 2017 Facebook Posts for April 2017 Posted 29 times and Shared 1 time Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell 29 rains Have you'liked'OCSD on Facebook yet?Follow our page for news,fun facts&information about wastewater treatment! https://www.facebook.com/OCSewm Orange County Sanitation District Publishcd by Kelly Ncwell 2 hrs "Yom talent determines what you can do,your motivation determines how much you are willing to do and your attitude determines how well you do it."-Lou Holz#MotivationMonday Oranee County Sanitation District Publisbcd by Kdly Ncwcll 23 hrs What an interesting article.Did you know that OCSD currently has a program that captures Urban Runoff? /st-louis-infrastructure-sewer-tun... How a Sewer Will Save St. Louis The Gateway City is building a massive tunnel system to capture billions of gallons of polluted storm water before it reaches the Mississippi. POLITICO.COM 29 le Orange County Sanitation District Published by Daisy Covarrubias Loaiza April 29 at 1:38pm- Construction Alen Please avoid State College Blvd.between Yorba Linda Blvd and.Chapman Ave in the City of Fullerton.Crews are paving the road so lane closures are required.Please find alternate routes to avoid traffic delays.Thank you for your patience as we work to improve Orange County's infrastructure. #OCSDconsnuction#OCSDNewhope#SorryAboutTheTraffic 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Ncwcll April 28 at 12:00pm As part of OCSD's What 2 Flush Campaign,we remind people that flushing prescription medications down the drain is not recommended. If you have any expired/unused or unwanted prescriptions,this Saturday is#NationalTakeBackDay where you can drop off your prescription medications at different locations around Orange County. Help us keep our sewers clean! ...See More Press Release - Spring Clean Your Cabinets and Drop-Off Unwanted Medications this National Take Back Day The OC Health Care Agency encourages community members to drop-off expired,unused or unwanted prescription medications this National Take Back Day,April 29,2017 from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m,at more than 20 participating locations throughout Orange County. MAILCHI.MP 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Ncwcll April 27 at 12:00pm Did you know?On a typical day,OCSD safely collects,treats,recycles and disposes of 185 million gallons of wastewater generated by 2.6 million people in north and central Orange County.#ocsdfunfact 30 6 Oranee Countv Sanitation District Published by Kelly Ncwcll April 27 at 9:00am Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to tum in your application for the CASA Education Foundation scholarship. As a member of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies(CASA)and recognizing the need to recruit new professionals into the industry,OCSD is helping to promote a scholarship opportunity for California residents who are undergraduate students seeking degrees connected to engineering,environmental science,public administration, or other related... S , CASA v CASA Education Foundation Today's Youth are Tomorrow's Leaders About the Foundation The CASA Education Foundation helps ensure clean water for Californians by awarding scholarships to promising students on a path to serving the environmental community.With no... CASAWEE.ORG 6 Oranee Countv Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 26 at 11:15am Did you know that Wednesday,April 26 is national Administrative Professionals Day!?Administrative Professionals Day is a day where agencies throughout the nation honor their administration team who provide the support needed to accomplish all of our goals. Since 1952,the administrative role has been recognized as a crucial part of agencies' success. Please join OCSD in honoring our administrative professionals,whom without,the work we do would not be possible. Do you wa... See More Orange County Sanitation District : Job Openings OCSD.COM 31 16 Oranee County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 25 at 9:OOam It's#TriviaTuesday! Can you answer this question? How should pharmaceuticals be disposed? 6 Oranee County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 24 at 12:00pm OCSD was recently mentioned in Engineering Contractors Association Magazine,where our Director of Engineering provided an in-depth look at current and future infrastructure projects at our agency.Check out the article(page 17). htip://ecasocal.orr /g_n-content/.../2017/04/ECAApril2017 v3.pdf Oranee County Sanitation District Published by Kelly b[ w 11 -April 24 at 9u0am "I find that the harder I work,the less I call it work." -Thomas Jefferson#MotivationMonday leity Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 23 at 12:OOpm Want to know more about the work that we do?Come take a tour.You'll be glad that you did!httn://www.ocsd.com/residents/tours 32 Orange County Sanitation District : Come join us on a tour! OCSD is committed to providing a valuable educational experience that focuses on learning the importance of wastewater treatment in protecting the public health and... OCSD.COM Oranee County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 22 at 12:00pm Do you care about the#environment and#publichealth?Want to advance your#career? We currently have a position for an Accounting Assistant.If you're interested,apply for a#job with the Orange County Sanitation District! but,://www.ocsd.com/about-us/i obs/iob-ouenines Orange County Sanitation District : Job Openings 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 22 at 9:00am Today is Earth Day!How are you celebrating? El 33 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 21 at 9:00ano Happy Friday! Today's#fbf is the Groundbreaking of the GWRS expansion in 2012 with Orange County Sanitation District and Orange County Water District Board members. � r 15 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 20at 10:24am Orange Come visit us today at the Earth Day event at Santiago Canyon College! We're here until 2pm. Grab some free goodies and learn about OCSD! . nranae County Sanitation OlaMct Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell - April 19 at 12:00put Wondering how to dispose of unused or expired medication?Checkout our PSA.#What2Flush hnns://www.voumbe.com/watch?v— 8Yd9828UE 34 60 sec No Drues Down the Drains.wmv 60 sec No Drugs Down the Dmins.wmv VOUTUBE.COM 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April I8 at9:00am IPs#TriviaTuesday! Can you answer this question? How is energy generated at the Orange County Sanitation District? Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 17 at 9:00am "Don't count the days, make the days count." -Muhammad Ali #MotivationMonday 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 16 at9a0am Happy Easter from the Orange County Sanitation District! 35 HAPPY EASIER Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 15 at 12:OOpm Have you'liked'OCSD on Facebook yet?Follow our page for news,fun facts&information about wastewater treatment! httos://www.facebook.com/OCSewm 0 AWL qW Orange County Sanitation District shared National Water Research Institute's p_ost. Published by Kelly Newell April 14 at 2:48pm Congratulations to Kevin Hardy,NWRI's newest Executive Director. OCSD has been a charter member of NWRI for 26 years. Check out the article which also includes a statement from James Ferryman(OCSD Board member and President of NWRI's Board of Directors). NWRI National Water Research InstituteLike Page April 12 at 10:52am Kevin Hardy joins NWRI as new Executive Director htto://www.nwri-usa.org/ 36 www.nwri-usa.org NWRI-USA.ORG 6 Oranee County Sanitation District added 2 new photos. Published by Kelly Newell April 14 at 9:00am Every Friday,we're sharing photos of OCSD employees hard at work and we're calling it#OCSDatWork. In this photo we have Plant Operator,Chris Wbeadey,checking out the waves at Huntington Beach and OCSD's Beach Box which protects the 1-mile and 5-mile ocean outfall pipes. Oranee County Sanitation District added 5 new Photos. Published by Tanya Chun e April 12 at9:00am There is a lot of construction activity on the#OCSDRedHill project,some things deep in the trenches,unseen by the public.If you drive by Red Hill Ave,you may only see a quick glimpse of what goes on above ground,but our sewer pipes we underground and that is where a lot of construction happens! Here are some recent construction photos. #OCSDConstruction#SorryAboutTheTraffic 37 ' aianar u:a Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell-April 11 at 9o0am It's #TriviaTuesday! Can you answer this question? What are biosolids? 6 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell - April 10 at 12:OOpm The American Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE)presented the Outstanding Water Project Award to the Orange County Water District La Palma Water Recharge Basin and Stantec Consulting Services.The OCWD's projects involved providing 75%of the drinking water for 2.4 million people and teaming up with the Orange County Sanitation District(OCSD)for the world's largest advanced water purification project,which produces and reuses 100 million gallons per day of new water. local-water-roliabili - ro'ects._/ Local Water Reliability Projects Earns Engineering Honors - Wave Newsoavers 38 If it weren't for engineers and construction teams,the civilized world would literally fall apart.At the residential level,homeowners depend on these architects,construction... WAVENEWSPAPERS.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 10 at 9o0am "Obstacles don't have to stop you.If you run into a wall,don't turn around and give up.Figure out how to climb it,go through it,or work around it"-Michael Jordan#MotivationMonday Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April 9 at 9A0am Wow this is cool! ual-find-could-cut-wa.../3497... Accidental find could cut wastewater treatment eneru costs A type ofbasseria accidentally discovered during research supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)...Read more here. W ONLMECO.UK qW Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell April S at 920am Do you care about the#environment and#publichealth?Want to advance your#career? We have a few job opportunities available. If you're interested,apply for a#job with the Orange County Sanitation District! have//www.ocsd.com/about-us/iobs/iob-openings Oranee County Sanitation District : Job Openings OCSD COM 39 6 Orange Countv Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell-April at 12:00pm- As a member of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies(CASA)and recognizing the need to recruit new professionals into the industry,OCSD is helping to promote a scholarship opportunity for California residents who are undergraduate students seeking degrees connected to engineering,environmental science,public administration, or other related fields,who show an interest in advancing the clean water community. The CASA Education Foundation is offering two or more scholarships in the amount of$5,000 for 2017. Applications will be accepted until April 28,2017.Applicants must be California residents and attending an accredited college or university located in California. Visit the Foundation webpage for additional information. httn://casaweb.org/about-us/ema-education-foundation/ rASA v CASA Education Foundation Today's Youth are Tomorrow's Leaders About the Foundation The CASA Education Foundation helps ensure clean water for Californians by awarding scholarships to promising students on a path to serving the environmental community.With no... CASAWEB.ORG 40 ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT Agenda Terminology Glossary Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations AQMD Air Quality Management District ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand CARB California Air Resources Board CASA California Association of Sanitation Agencies CCTV Closed Circuit Television CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CIP Capital Improvement Program CRWQCB California Regional Water Quality Control Board CWA Clean Water Act CWEA California Water Environment Association EIR Environmental Impact Report EMT Executive Management Team EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FOG Fats, Oils, and Grease gpd Gallons per day GWR System Groundwater Replenishment System (also called GWRS) ICS Incident Command System IERP Integrated Emergency Control Plan LOS Level of Service MGD Million Gallons per Day NACWA National Association of Clean Water Agencies NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NWRI National Water Research Institute O&M Operations and Maintenance OCCOG Orange County Council of Governments OCHCA Orange County Health Care Agency OCSD Orange County Sanitation District OCWD Orange County Water District COBS Ocean Outfall Booster Station OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration PCSA Professional Consultant Services Agreement PDSA Professional Design Services Agreement POTW Publicly Owned Treatment Works ppm Parts per million PSA Professional Services Agreement Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations RFP Request For Proposal RWQCB Regional Water Quality Control Board SARFPA Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency SARI Santa Ana River Inceptor SARWQCB Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board SAWPA Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system SCAP Southern California Alliance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District SOCWA South Orange County Wastewater Authority SRF State Revolving Fund SSMP Sanitary Sewer Management Plan SSO Sanitary Sewer Overflow SWRCB State Water Resources Control Board TDS Total Dissolved Solids TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load TSS Total Suspended Solids WDR Waste Discharge Requirements WEF Water Environment Federation WE&RF Water Environment& Reuse Foundation WIFIA Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act WIIN Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act Activated-sludge process — A secondary biological wastewater treatment process where bacteria reproduce at a high rate with the introduction of excess air or oxygen, and consume dissolved nutrients in the wastewater. Benthos—The community of organisms, such as sea stars, worms, and shrimp, which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) —The amount of oxygen used when organic matter undergoes decomposition by microorganisms. Testing for BOD is done to assess the amount of organic matter in water. Biogas — A gas that is produced by the action of anaerobic bacteria on organic waste matter in a digester tank that can be used as a fuel. Biosolids — Biosolids are nutrient rich organic and highly treated solid materials produced by the wastewater treatment process. This high-quality product can be recycled as a soil amendment on farm land or further processed as an earth-like product for commercial and home gardens to improve and maintain fertile soil and stimulate plant growth. Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Capital Improvement Program (CIP) — Projects for repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of assets. Also includes treatment improvements, additional capacity, and projects for the support facilities. Coliform bacteria —A group of bacteria found in the intestines of humans and other animals, but also occasionally found elsewhere used as indicators of sewage pollution. E. coil are the most common bacteria in wastewater. Collections system — In wastewater, it is the system of typically underground pipes that receive and convey sanitary wastewater or storm water. Certificate of Participation (COP) — A type of financing where an investor purchases a share of the lease revenues of a program rather than the bond being secured by those revenues. Contaminants of Potential Concern (CPC) — Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants. Dilution to Threshold (DIT) — the dilution at which the majority of the people detect the odor becomes the D/T for that air sample. Greenhouse gases — In the order of relative abundance water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone gases that are considered the cause of global warming ("greenhouse effect'). Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System — A joint water reclamation project that proactively responds to Southern California's current and future water needs. This joint project between the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District provides 70 million gallons a day of drinking quality water to replenish the local groundwater supply. Levels of Service(LOS)—Goals to support environmental and public expectations for performance. NDMA — N-Nitrosodimethylamine is an N-nitrosoamine suspected cancer-causing agent. It has been found in the Groundwater Replenishment System process and is eliminated using hydrogen peroxide with extra ultra-violet treatment. National Biosolids Partnership (NBP) — An alliance of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF), with advisory support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). NBP is committed to developing and advancing environmentally sound and sustainable biosolids management practices that go beyond regulatory compliance and promote public participation in order to enhance the credibility of local agency biosolids programs and improved communications that lead to public acceptance. Plume—A visible or measurable concentration of discharge from a stationary source or fixed facility. Publicly-owned Treatment Works(POTW)— Municipal wastewater treatment plant. Santa Ana River Interceptor (SARI) Line — A regional brine line designed to convey 30 million gallons per day of non-reclaimable wastewater from the upper Santa Ana River basin to the ocean for disposal, after treatment. Sanitary sewer — Separate sewer systems specifically for the carrying of domestic and industrial wastewater. Combined sewers carry both wastewater and urban run-off. Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) — Regional regulatory agency that develops plans and regulations designed to achieve public health standards by reducing emissions from business and industry. Secondary treatment — Biological wastewater treatment, particularly the activated-sludge process, where bacteria and other microorganisms consume dissolved nutrients in wastewater. Sludge— Untreated solid material created by the treatment of wastewater. Total suspended solids (TSS)—The amount of solids floating and in suspension in wastewater. Trickling filter — A biological secondary treatment process in which bacteria and other microorganisms, growing as slime on the surface of rocks or plastic media, consume nutrients in wastewater as it trickles over them. Urban runoff — Water from city streets and domestic properties that carry pollutants into the storm drains, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Wastewater—Any water that enters the sanitary sewer. Watershed — A land area from which water drains to a particular water body. OCSD's service area is in the Santa Ana River Watershed.