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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-14-2018 Legislative Committee Meeting Agenda05/14/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Page 1 of 2 Orange County Sanitation District Meeting of the LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Monday, May 14, 2018 12:00 P.M. Administration Building 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 Any items withdrawn from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion will be considered in the regular order of business. 1.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 April 9, 2018. NON-CONSENT CALENDAR: 2. SUPPORT ASSEMBLY BILL 1933 (Bob Ghirelli) RECOMMENDATION: Approve letter of support for Assembly Bill 1933 – Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: recycling infrastructure projects (Maienschein). INFORMATION ITEMS: 3. LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS UPDATE (Rebecca Long) 4. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON MICROPLASTICS PRESENTATION (Jim Colston) 5. PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE (Jennifer Cabral) 05/14/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Page 2 of 2 OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY: ADJOURNMENT: The next Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 11, 2018 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 Klore@ocsd.com For any questions on the agenda, Committee members may contact staff at: General Manager James D. Herberg (714) 593-7300 jherberg@ocsd.com Assistant General Manager Bob Ghirelli (714) 593-7400 rghirelli@ocsd.com Assistant General Manager Rob Thompson (714) 593-7310 rthompson@ocsd.com Director of Environmental Services James Colston (714) 593-7450 jcolston@ocsd.com Public Affairs Supervisor Jennifer Cabral (714) 593-7581 jjcabral@ocsd.com Senior Public Affairs Specialist Rebecca Long (714) 593-7444 rlong@ocsd.com 04/09/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 1 of 5 MINUTES OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Orange County Sanitation District Monday, April 9, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. A meeting of the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee was called to order by Chair Sebourn on Monday, April 9, 2018 at 3:31 p.m. in the Administration Building of the Orange County Sanitation District. Board Chair Sebourn led the pledge of allegiance. A quorum was declared present, as follows: COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Greg Sebourn, Board Chair David Shawver, Board Vice-Chair Allan Bernstein, Member-At-Large Peter Kim, Member-At-Large Donald P. Wagner, Member-At-Large John Withers, Member-At-Large COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: Chad Wanke, Member-At-Large STAFF PRESENT: Jim Herberg, General Manager Bob Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager Rob Thompson, Assistant General Manager Celia Chandler, Director of Human Resources Jim Colston, Director of Environmental Services Ed Torres, Director of Operations & Maintenance Lorenzo Tyner, Director of Finance & Administrative Services Tina Knapp, Deputy Clerk of the Board Jennifer Cabral Tanya Chong Daisy Covarrubias Al Garcia Mark Kawamoto Rebecca Long Kelly Lore Mark Manzo Kelly Newell Roya Sohanaki Chris Stacklin OTHERS PRESENT: Kendra Carney, Assistant General Counsel Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources (via teleconference) Eric O’Donnell, Townsend Public Affairs Cori Williams, Townsend Public Affairs PUBLIC COMMENTS: None. ITEM NO. 1 04/09/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 2 of 5 REPORT OF COMMITTEE CHAIR: Board Chair Sebourn did not provide a report. REPORT OF GENERAL MANAGER: General Manager Jim Herberg reported that Public Affairs Supervisor Jennifer Cabral was recently appointed as Chairperson of the newly-formed California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) State Communications Committee. CONSENT CALENDAR: 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (Clerk of the Board) MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Approve minutes for the Committee meeting held on March 12, 2018. AYES: Bernstein, Kim, Sebourn, Shawver, and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wagner and Wanke 2. SUPPORT SENATE BILL 929 (Bob Ghirelli) MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Approve letter of support for Senate Bill 929 – Special districts: Internet Web sites (McGuire). AYES: Bernstein, Kim, Sebourn, Shawver, and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wagner and Wanke 3. SUPPORT, IF AMENDED, ASSEMBLY BILL 2379 (Bob Ghirelli) MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Approve letter of support, if amended, for Assembly Bill 2379 – Waste management: polyester microfiber (Bloom). AYES: Bernstein, Kim, Sebourn, Shawver, and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wagner and Wanke 04/09/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 3 of 5 4. SUPPORT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BILL 5127 (Bob Ghirelli) MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Approve letter of support for House of Representatives Bill 5127 – Water Recycling Investment and Improvement Act (Napolitano). AYES: Bernstein, Kim, Sebourn, Shawver, and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wagner and Wanke NON-CONSENT CALENDAR: 5. AB 967: DISPOSAL OF HUMAN REMAINS VIA WATER CREMATION (Jim Colston) Director of Environmental Services Jim Colston provided a presentation that gave an outline of this matter including a definition of water cremation and the components of same. Mr. Colston responded to a question regarding enforcement of the Ordinance indicating we could pursue legal action for violation. Mr. Colston also responded to questions pertaining to the disposal of pet remains and it was determined that this topic may need to be revisited by the GWRS Joint Steering Committee. MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Recommend to the Board of Directors to: Direct staff to prepare amendments to the Orange County Sanitation District’s (Sanitation District) Wastewater Discharge Regulations Ordinance No. OCSD-48 for consideration by the Board of Directors prohibiting the direct or indirect receipt of hydrolysate into the Sanitation District’s sewerage system. AYES: Bernstein, Kim, Sebourn, Shawver, and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wagner and Wanke Director Wagner arrived at 3:54 p.m. INFORMATION ITEMS: 6. LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS UPDATE (Rebecca Long) Rebecca Long, Senior Public Affairs Specialist, introduced Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources, who reported on the following items: infrastructure policy and appropriations and planned meetings during next week’s lobby days in Washington, DC, which fall during Water Week. Eric O’Donnell, Townsend Public Affairs (TPA), provided an informative PowerPoint presentation that began with reviewing the upcoming key dates of the 2018 04/09/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 4 of 5 legislative session and other general information pertaining to this legislative session including empty Assembly seats and assignments; an update on the California WaterFix plans; and an update on the current status of Assembly Bill (AB) 2379 – Waste management: polyester microfiber (Bloom). The Committee discussed AB 2379 in more detail and expressed concerns over the specifics of the legislation. Without objection, Board Chair Sebourn requested that Agenda Item No. 3 be reopened for further discussion. The Committee discussed alternatives as to what positions could be taken on the legislation. MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Take no position on Assembly Bill 2379 – Waste management: polyester microfiber (Bloom). AYES: Bernstein, Kim, Sebourn, Shawver, Wagner, and Withers NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Wagner and Wanke The Committee requested that a presentation on microplastics be provided at a future meeting and include information as to what microplastics are, what generates them, and OCSD’s position on same. Mr. O’Donnell continued the presentation with an update on the current status of Senate Bill 929 – Special districts: Internet Web sites (McGuire). Cori Williams, TPA, concluded the presentation by providing an update on Assembly Bill (AB) 2003 (Daly) which is the legislation sponsored by OCSD and indicating that the bill will be heard on May 9 by the Assembly Local Government Committee and that it will be tagged as non-fiscal. Ms. Williams indicated that it would be of value for an OCSD representative to attend the hearing to testify on behalf of the legislation. Advocacy for the legislation will continue up to May 9 and the Committee requested that staff continue to approach our member agencies for their support. Board Chair Sebourn indicated that a request was previously made to contact each Board Member so that he/she could coordinate their agency’s support of this legislation and that a reminder should be communicated. Board Chair Sebourn indicated that an OCSD staff member would be an excellent representative to attend the hearing on May 9. Ms. Long indicated that the State of the District event is scheduled for October 12 in the morning at Mile Square Park. 7. COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE STATE COLLEGE SEWER PROJECT IN ANAHEIM (Jennifer Cabral) Ms. Cabral provided an overview of this item and introduced Senior Staff Analyst Daisy Covarrubias who provided a PowerPoint presentation on this item that included a more in-depth overview of the project and staff answered questions to 04/09/2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Minutes Page 5 of 5 offer more information about the project. Ms. Covarrubias continued the presentation by reporting on community outreach conducted and preparation and mitigation for same, the community outreach program developed as a result of these activities, and recapped with an overview of the locations that will affected and the dates during which the locations will be affected. Board Chair Sebourn commended the team for the outreach conducted on the previous phase. Rob Thompson, Assistant General Manager, indicated that the lowest responsive, responsible bidder has been disqualified for the next phase of this project. Board Vice-Chair Shawver asked that staff focus on obtaining letters of support for AB 2003 (Daly) from the cities of Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine, and Huntington Beach. Director Withers departed the meeting at 4:30 p.m. 8. PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE (Jennifer Cabral) Ms. Cabral indicated that Earth Day is April 22 and OCSD will be working with a media company to release segments highlighting OCSD staff. Ms. Cabral also gave an overview of the recent tours provided to influential public. Ms. Cabral indicated that three public service announcements were selected as winners and the winners will be recognized at an upcoming Board meeting. Lastly, Ms. Cabral reported that the Honor Walk ceremony will be held May 23 at 4:00 p.m. and that one former Board Member has been nominated. OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY: None. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Sebourn declared the meeting adjourned at 4:34 p.m. to the next Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting, Monday, May 14, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. Submitted by: _____________________ Tina Knapp, CMC Clerk of the Board Page 1 of 2 LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Meeting Date 05/14/18 To Bd. of Dir. -- AGENDA REPORT Item Number 2 Item Number -- Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager Originator: Robert P. Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager SUBJECT: SUPPORT ASSEMBLY BILL 1933 GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Approve letter of support for Assembly Bill 1933 – Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: recycling infrastructure projects (Maienschein). BACKGROUND Assembly Bill (AB) 1933 authorizes the Legislature to appropriate up to $200 million from CalRecycle’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. If appropriated, this money will be used on organic waste and solid waste infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. RELEVANT STANDARDS • Maintain influential legislative advocacy and a public outreach program • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities PROBLEM The Orange County Sanitation District (Sanitation District) is a leader in wastewater, including the processing of biosolids and other recyclable materials. This funding will be important to the Sanitation District as we work to further our goals of sustainable recycling. PROPOSED SOLUTION Staff has drafted a letter of support for AB 1933 for the Committee’s consideration. TIMING CONCERNS It is important that the 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. Page 2 of 2 RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION The bill may not be signed into law. PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS N/A ATTACHMENT The following attachment(s) are included in hard copy and may also be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.com) with the complete agenda package: • Letter of Support for Assembly Bill 1933 • Assembly Bill 1933 May 14, 2018 The Honorable Brian Maienschein California State Assembly State Capitol Building, Room 4139 Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: Support AB 1933 (Maienschein) - Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: recycling infrastructure projects Dear Assembly Member Maienschein, On behalf of the Orange County Sanitation District, I am writing in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 1933 relating to waste diversion and recycling infrastructure. The Orange County Sanitation District is a leader in wastewater, including the processing of biosolids and other recyclable materials. This funding will be important to the Sanitation District as we work to further our goals of sustainable recycling. The recycling services that we provide the region are critical toward helping the State meet its organic recycling and greenhouse gas reduction benchmarks; however, further investment from the State is needed to expand existing infrastructures to meet the increase capacity demands on organics diversion and recycling. AB 1933 authorizes the Legislature to appropriate up to $200 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in the annual Budget Act to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). If appropriated, this money will be used on organic waste and solid waste infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to the authorization for appropriation, AB 1933 also states that if any additional funds will be appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to CalRecycle they must be appropriated for the in-state development of infrastructure, food waste prevention, or other projects to reduce organic waste or process organic and other recyclable materials. For these reasons, the Orange County Sanitation District supports AB 1933. Sincerely, Gregory C. Sebourn, PLS Board Chairman Orange County Sanitation District AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 17, 2018 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 2, 2018 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 15, 2018 california legislature—2017–18 regular session ASSEMBLY BILL No. 1933 Introduced by Assembly Member Maienschein (Coauthors: Assembly Members Baker, Mathis, McCarty, and Voepel) January 24, 2018 An act to add and repeal Section 39719.3 of the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Section 42999 of the Public Resources Code, relating to greenhouse gases, and making an appropriation therefor. gases. legislative counsel’s digest AB 1933, as amended, Maienschein. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: appropriations: recycling infrastructure projects. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by 2030. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms in implementing the act. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be 96 deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law makes a legislative declaration that it is the policy goal of the state that not less than 75% of solid waste generated be source reduced, recycled, or composted by 2020. This bill would appropriate explicitly authorize up to $200,000,000 to be appropriated in the annual Budget Act, without regard to fiscal year, from the fund to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for organic waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, with additional funs funds from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that may be appropriated to the department, to administer a grant program to provide financial assistance, in the form of grants, incentive payments, contracts, or other funding mechanisms, to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases by promoting in-state development of infrastructure, food waste prevention, or other projects to reduce organic waste or to process organic and other recyclable materials into new value-added products. Existing law requires these funding mechanisms to be provided for in-state infrastructure projects or for other projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions through activities that expand and improve waste diversion and recycling, including food waste prevention, among other things. Existing law specifies that eligible infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions include, but are not limited to, designing and constructing facilities for processing recyclable materials. This bill would specify that activities that expand and improve waste diversion and recycling include food rescue, waste prevention, and organic waste recycling. The bill would additionally specify that eligible infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions include the expansion of facilities for processing recyclable materials and projects to improve the quality of recycled materials. Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. The people of the State of California do enact as follows: line 1 SECTION 1. Section 39719.3 is added to the Health and Safety line 2 Code, to read: 96 — 2 —AB 1933 line 1 39719.3. (a)  The amount of Up to two hundred million dollars line 2 ($200,000,000) is hereby appropriated may be appropriated from line 3 the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, Fund in the annual Budget line 4 Act, without regard to fiscal year, to the Department of Resources line 5 Recycling and Recovery, to be allocated as follows: line 6 (1)  One Up to one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) for line 7 organic waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce line 8 greenhouse gas emissions, including, but not limited to, water line 9 treatment facilities, composting facilities, and facilities for the line 10 diversion of food waste. line 11 (2)  One Up to one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) for line 12 solid waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse line 13 gas emissions. line 14 (b)  This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2020, line 15 and as of that date is repealed. line 16 SEC. 2. Section 42999 of the Public Resources Code is line 17 amended to read: line 18 42999. (a)  Any additional funds appropriated by the line 19 Legislature from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established line 20 pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code, to the line 21 department shall be used to administer a grant program to provide line 22 financial assistance to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases line 23 by promoting in-state development of infrastructure, food waste line 24 prevention, or other projects to reduce organic waste or process line 25 organic and other recyclable materials into new, value-added line 26 products. The moneys shall be expended consistent with the line 27 requirements of Article 9.7 (commencing with Section 16428.8) line 28 of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government line 29 Code and Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 39710) of Part line 30 2 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code. line 31 (b)  From moneys appropriated for purposes of this section, the line 32 department shall provide grants, incentive payments, contracts, or line 33 other funding mechanisms to public and private entities for in-state line 34 infrastructure projects or other projects that reduce the emissions line 35 of greenhouse gases by any of the following: line 36 (1)  Organics composting. line 37 (2)  Organics in-vessel digestion. line 38 (3)  Recyclable material manufacturing. 96 AB 1933— 3 — line 1 (4)  Activities that expand and improve waste diversion and line 2 recycling, including, but not limited to, food rescue, waste line 3 prevention, and organic waste recycling. line 4 (c)  For purposes of this section, eligible infrastructure projects line 5 that reduce greenhouse gas emissions include, but are not limited line 6 to, any of the following: line 7 (1)  Capital investments in new facilities and increased line 8 throughput at existing facilities for activities, such as converting line 9 windrow composting to aerated-static-pile composting to use food line 10 waste as feedstock. line 11 (2)  Designing and constructing organics in-vessel digestion line 12 facilities to produce products, such as biofuels, bioenergy, and soil line 13 amendments. line 14 (3)  Designing and constructing, or expanding, facilities for line 15 processing recyclable materials. line 16 (4)  Projects to improve the quality of recycled materials. line 17 (d)  In awarding a grant for organics composting or anaerobic line 18 digestion pursuant to this section, the department shall consider line 19 all of the following: line 20 (1)  The amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions that line 21 may result from the project. line 22 (2)  The amount of organic material that may be diverted from line 23 landfills as a result of the project. line 24 (3)  If, and how, the project may benefit disadvantaged line 25 communities. line 26 (4)  For a grant awarded for an anaerobic digestion project, if, line 27 and how, the project maximizes resource recovery, including the line 28 production of clean energy or low-carbon or carbon negative line 29 transportation fuels. line 30 (5)  Project readiness and permitting that the project may require. line 31 (6)  Air and water quality benefits that the project may provide. line 32 (e)  To the degree that funds are available, the department may line 33 provide larger grant awards for large-scale regional integrated line 34 projects that provide cost-effective organic waste diversion and line 35 maximize environmental benefits. O 96 — 4 —AB 1933 Page 1 of 2 LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Meeting Date 05/14/18 To Bd. of Dir. -- AGENDA REPORT Item Number 3 Item Number -- 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 the Sanitation District’s legislative interests, sponsoring legislation (where appropriate), and seeking Federal/State funding for projects. Staff will provide an update on recent legislative activities. RELEVANT STANDARDS • Maintain influential legislative advocacy and a public outreach program • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities • Listen to and seriously consider community input on environmental concerns • Use all practical and effective means for resource recovery 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 percent 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 2 of 2 Sanitation District, the wastewater industry, and the community as a whole. 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. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION During the DC Lobby Days (April 18-20), Sanitation District Board Chairman and staff conducted numerous visits with Congressional staff, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Topics included permit term extensions (from five years to 10 years), financing options available to the Sanitation District, and the food waste to energy project. Additionally, invites were to made to all representatives and staff for the October 12 Sanitation District State of the District. ATTACHMENT The following attachment(s) are included in hard copy and may also be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.com) with the complete agenda package: • Federal Update & Legislative Matrix - ENS Resources • State Update & Legislative Matrix - Townsend Public Affairs • Grant Matrix M E M O R A N D U M TO: Rebecca Long FROM: Eric Sapirstein DATE: April 23, 2018 SUBJECT: Washington Update Enactment of the Fiscal Year 2018 spending bill, H.R. 1625, has now allowed Congress to turn attention to the development of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget that must be acted upon by the end of September to avoid either a shutdown or passage of a stopgap spending bill. If a stopgap measure is necessary, it would likely maintain federal spending through the mid-term elections. Over the past month, issues of interest to Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) focused on the ongoing effort to address infrastructure needs, approval and confirmation of senior political appointments, conducting hearings into agency budget requests for the coming fiscal year and meeting with OCSD’s congressional delegation and key Administration officials with jurisdiction over OCSD projects. The following summarize these issues. OCSD Meets with Congressional Delegation Members and Staff, and Senior Agency Officials During the past month, OCSD’s Chair and staff met in Washington to update the congressional delegation on the status of the District’s priorities. In meeting with the delegation, OCSD was informed that its efforts to address water supply reliability and water infrastructure needs was a shared priority. The District learned that its projects, including the Headworks Project, enjoy strong support from the delegation, including a willingness to transmit letters of support for any project assistance that the District may seek through competitive funding opportunities that federal agencies might publish. On this point, the delegation was very pleased to learn that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was preparing to release the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) funding assistance. OCSD’s award (one of three in the nation) should become available within the next several weeks. A separate discussion on Page 2 of 4 ENS Resources, Inc. 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 1005 Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone 202.466.3755/Telefax 202.466.3787 the value of extended permit terms to allow “good actors” to secure permits of up to 10 years in order to provide efficiency in the operations of clean water facilities was positively received with interest in supporting the effort. Finally, in a discussion on infrastructure, OCSD emphasized the importance of maintaining strong support for the clean water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program that is vital to provide low cost financing to agencies to meet federal water quality mandates. The delegation officials agreed with this position. In meetings with senior U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) officials, OCSD learned about the status of programs that could benefit the District. Specifically, OCSD was informed that its recent selection to receive federal assistance for the Headworks Project would not prevent further funding assistance under the WIIN program, suggesting that securing increased funding of the project remains an opportunity over the next budget cycle. At USEPA, the senior management of the low interest loan program, Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), provided a detailed briefing on the mechanics and benefits of WIFIA. The agency staff illustrated how OCSD might wish to consider utilizing this new funding program given its significant financing needs over the next five years. Of special note, these officials were intrigued with the fact that OCSD had the resources to self-fund. Presumably, this ability could allow USEPA to develop an attractive WIFIA financing package for OCSD to consider. USEPA will convene a webinar early next month that OCSD was encouraged to participate in to learn how it might be able to leverage such assistance and in turn reduce the impacts of project financings to its ratepayers. Agency Budgets for Fiscal Year 2018 in Place, But White House Plans to Cut Spending Creates Speculation on Funding for Fiscal Year 2019 The congressional and White House agreement on overall spending levels for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 was considered a breakthrough, eliminating endless budget debates for the next budget cycle. The agreement provided increased domestic spending of approximately $63 billion for FY 2018 that allowed Congress to approve a record SRF funding level of $1.7 billion to support clean water infrastructure needs. However, the president working with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is developing a package of budget cuts (rescissions) that is expected to be sent to Congress in early May at the latest. Speculation on the amount of any rescission centers on between $30 and $60 billion. It is unclear how such a cut would impact programs that support water infrastructure, because Congress strongly supported the increases in the SRF and other water infrastructure programs’ spending. It seems highly unlikely, if Congress considers a rescission request, that it would approve cuts to these programs. Page 3 of 4 ENS Resources, Inc. 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 1005 Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone 202.466.3755/Telefax 202.466.3787 In fact, the congressional response has been less than enthusiastic. Congressional budget leaders have informed the White House that such an effort would poison efforts to complete action on a fiscal year 2019 budget. If the budget cutting effort were to move forward, passage in either chamber is highly speculative. This is especially true in the 51-49 divided Senate where any number of Senators would likely object to program reductions identified under any rescission package the White House transmits to Congress. Adding to the challenges of moving a rescission request, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strongly signaled that any effort to seek cuts would be devastating to efforts to find common ground on the fiscal year 2019 budget that must be acted upon later this fall. In his blunt statement, the Majority Leader noted that the White House had been a party to the FY 2018 funding agreement and to seek to redo the agreement within weeks of passage was untenable. In the House, the all-important Committee on Appropriations leadership has, on a bipartisan basis, expressed strong opposition to the proposal. Congressional Budget Office Releases Budget Forecast with Implications for FY 2019 Spending and Infrastructure Legislation The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued its analysis of federal spending and the outlook for the federal debt over the next decade. CBO concluded that the recent tax cuts and the agreement to increase federal spending in FY 2018 and 2019 would result in annual federal deficit spending by $1 trillion dollars. Furthermore, it found that as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), spending would equal 100 percent by 2028. The analysis raises the prospect that the White House and fiscal deficit hawks can be expected to seek to eliminate the budget agreement to provide $67 billion in new spending authority as part of the FY 2019 budget with the potential of scaling back federal water quality infrastructure assistance programs like the SRF. The other consequence of the study may be to throw into doubt the ability of Congress and the White House to pass a new national infrastructure program because of opposition to commit the federal budget to new spending. Water Infrastructure Policy Expected to Receive Senate and House Reviews The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is expected to conduct a review of a bipartisan proposal to create a new WIFIA approach that would lead to $7 billion in leveraged assistance for California’s SRF program. Senator Dianne Feinstein is an original cosponsor of the SRF-WIN Act (S. 2364). If the legislation gains momentum and subsequently adopted, it would allow the state to secure funding from the U.S. Treasury to allow communities to finance water quality projects at low market rates over 35 years. According to committee staff, a hearing into the measure is possible in May at the earliest. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Confirmed by Senate Page 4 of 4 ENS Resources, Inc. 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 1005 Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone 202.466.3755/Telefax 202.466.3787 After months of delay, the U.S. Senate voted to approve the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to become the number two official at USEPA. Wheeler, who served as the Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and most recently as a lobbyist for industrial interests, enjoyed a bipartisan vote of approval. Wheeler will now assume the traditional role of managing the agency on day-to-day basis. With Wheeler’s confirmation, USEPA now has an almost complete roster of senior management officials in place to manage federal environmental policies, including the rewriting of Obama era rules like waters of the United States (WOTUS). OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R.1071 Paul Tonko (D-NY)Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2017. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to increase assistance for States, water systems, and disadvantaged communities; to encourage good financial and environmental management of water systems; to strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to enforce the requirements of the Act; and for other purposes. Introduced 2/13/17 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce 2/15/17 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 465 Bob Gibbs (R-OH)Water Quality Improvement Act. Amends the Clean Water Act to allow for integreated plan permits for CSO's and related wet weather compliance needs in association with traditional discharge mandates to allow for priority setting Introduced 1/12/2017 Referred to House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Mark- up likely in July Watch NACWA Supports/Could become vehicle for permit term extensions to ten years from five years H.R.1068 Frank Pallone (D-NJ)Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 2017. To enable needed drinking water standards, reduce lead in drinking water, plan for and address threats from climate change, terrorism, and source water contamination, invest in drinking water 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. Introduced in House 2/15/17, Referred to Subcommittee on Environment 2/17/17 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 1663 Robert Wittman (R-VA)Water Resources Research Amendments Act. Amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to reauthorize grants for and require applied water supply research regarding the water resources research and technology institutes established under that Act. Introduced 3/21/17 Referred to Committee on Natural Resources - 3/21/17 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD Proposed Federal Legislation 2017-2018 Priority OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 1579 Scott H. Peters (D-CA)Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act. To require drinking water systems to assess and address their vulnerabilities to climate change, source water degradation, and intentional acts to ensure secuity and resiliency. Introduced in House 3/16/17, referred to Committee on Energy and Commerce Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 434 Jeff Denham (R-CA)New WATER Act. Authorizes the Department of the Interior, for 15 years after this bill's enactment, to provide financial assistance, such as secured loans or loan guarantees, to entities that contract under federal reclamation law to carry out water 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. Introduced 1/11/17 Referred to Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans - 2/7/17 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 448 Jared Huffman (D-CA)Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for energy conservation subsidies provided by public utilities to exclude from 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. Introduced 1/11/2017 Referred to Committee on Ways and Means - 1/11/17 Support ACWA and CASA Support OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS S. 692 Deb Fischer (R-NE)Water infrastructure Flexibility Act provides for integrated plan permits, to establish an Office of the Municipal Ombudsman, to promote green infrastructure, and to require the revision of financial capability guidance. Approved by Senate without objection on Unanimous Consent on 10/10/17 and referred to House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Support NACWA Supports H.R. 1654 Tom McClintock (R-CA)Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate Federal and permitting processes related to the construction of new surface water storage projects on lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture and to designate the Bureau of Reclamation as the lead agency for permit processing, and for other purposes. Introduced 3/21/17 Referred to Committee on Natural Resources,ePassed House and referred to Senate 6/26/17 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R.998 Jason Smith (R-MO)SCRUB Act SCRUB would institutionalize a process to identify those regulations that are eligible to be repealed. Under the measure, a bipartisan review commission would examine rules fifteen years or older that are determined to be not necessary and should be repealed immediately, or given to the appropriate agency for the purposes of prioritizing the rule for repeal. Passed House 3/1/17 240-185, Received in Senate - referred to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Support No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 1653 Robert E. Latta (R-OH)Drinking Water Affordability Act amends certain provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act, and for other purposes. Introduced 3/21/2017 Referred to Subcommittee on Environment Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 1807 Louie Gohmert (R-TX) Public Water Supply Invasive Species Compliance Act of 2017 amends the Lacey Act and the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 by exempting certain water transfers between public water 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. Introduced 3/30/2017 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) 4/27/2017 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD S. 896 Richard Burr (R-NC)A bill to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This bill amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The greater of 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount or $10 million shall be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes. Introduced and referred to Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 4/07/2017 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 1971 Lloyd Smucker (R-PA)Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act to provide for integrated plan permits, to establish an Office of the Municipal Ombudsman, to promote green infrastructure, and to require the revision of financial capability guidance. Introduced and referred to Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment- 4/07/2017 Support NACWA Supports OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS S. 880 Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)Made In America Water Infrastructure Act to ensure the use of American iron and steel in public water systems, and for other purposes Introduced and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 4/07/2017 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 2116 Stephen Knight (R-CA) Perchlorate Reclamation and Water Replenishment Act 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. Introduced 4/25/2017 Referred to Committee on Natural Resources Watch NACWA Supports H.R. 1647 Earl Blumenauer (D- OR)Water Infrastructure Trust Fund Act of 2017 to establish a Water Infrastructure Trust Fund, and for other purposes Introduced 3/21/2017 Referred to Subcommittee on Environment Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 2510 Peter DeFazio (D-OR)Clean Water and Jobs Creation Act of 2017 to renew the Clean Water SRF Program and to provide grants to support resiliency needs Introduced 5/19/2017 Support CASA Supports S. 1137 Ben Cardin (D-MD)Clean Safe Reliable Water Infrastructure Act. Provides for a robust funding of SRF programs and to establish a WaterSense Program to promote water efficiency Introduced 5/16/2017 Referred to Committee on Environment and Public Works Watch No supporters of note for OCSD S. 21 Paul Rand (R-KY)Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2017. This bill will provide for congressional approval of regulations with impacts of $100 million or greater Reported to Senate from Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 3266 Michael Simpson (R-ID) Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018. This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for: the civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project; the Department of Energy (DOE); and several independent agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Reported to House without amendment 07/17/2017. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 163 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD S. 1696 Tom Udall (D-NM)Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act provides for language protecting against certification of technologies that migh impair water treatment or increase costs. Introduced 8/1/17 and referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Watch No supporters of note for OCSD but anticipate CASA and WateReuse will support H.R. 3275 Jerry McNerney (D-CA)Water and Energy Sustainability through Technology Act provides for assistance to support innovation in water treatment and water use efficiency. Introduced and referred to Committees on Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science Space and Technology, Agriculture 8/8/17 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 3354 Kenneth Calvert (R-CA) Department of the Interior, Envirnment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018. This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. The bill provides annual appropriations for most of the Department of the Interior, including: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Education. The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure on 7/21/17. Passed/agreed to in House on 9/14/17 Pending FY 18 Budget negotiations Watch No supporters of note for OCSD Clean Water SRF is funded at $1.3 billion (current level) S. 1609 Lamar Alexander (R- TN) Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018. This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for: the civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Introduced in the Senate on 7/20/17. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. Pending Budget Negotiations Watch No supporters of note for OCSD Strong funding for water recycling project assistance under Title XVI and WIIN S. 1622 Bob Menendez (D-NJ) Beach Act of 2017. This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise and reauthorize through FY2021 a grant program for monitoring, and notifying the public of, any pathogens in coastal recreation waters bordering public beaches. Senate - 07/24/2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 2755 Frank Pallone (D-NJ)Beach Act of 2017. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise and reauthorize through FY2021 a grant program for monitoring, and notifying the public of, any pathogens in coastal recreation waters bordering public beaches. House - 05/26/2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 2510 Peter DeFazio (D-OR)Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2017. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations for State water pollution control revolving funds, and for other purposes. House - 05/18/2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Watch No supporters of note for OCSD S. 1464 Dianne Feinstein (D- CA) Water Conservation Tax Parity Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for energy conservation subsidies provided by public utilities to exclude from gross income subsidies provided (directly or indirectly): (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. Senate - 6/28/2017 Referred to the Committee on Finance Watch WateReuse Supports S. 1700 Tom Udall (D-NM)Water Efficiency Improvement Act of 2017. Amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish a WaterSense program within the Enivronmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes. Senate - 8/2/2017 Referred to Committee on Environment and Public Works Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 2799 Jerry McNerney (D-CA)Western Water Recycling and Drought Relief Act. Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Department of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of recycled water system facilities in California. House - 6/7/2017 Referred to Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 3533 Salud Carbajal (D-CA)Coastal State Climate Preparedness Act of 2017. Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation preparedness and response program, and for other purposes. House - 7/28/2017 Referred to Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 3906 Denny Heck (D-WA)Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2017. Establishes centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure, and for other purposes. House - 10/2/2017 Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 4177 Matt Cartwright (D-PA)PREPARE Act of 2017. Enhances the Federal Government’s planning and preparation for extreme weather and the Federal Government’s dissemination of best practices to respond to extreme weather, thereby increasing resilience, improving regional coordination, and mitigating the financial risk to the Federal Government from such extreme weather, and for other purposes. Hosue - 10/31/2017 Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 4492 Brian Mast (R-FL)Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2017. Reauthorizes and amends the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014. House -11/30/2017 Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on Energy and Commerce Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 2917 Bob Gibbs (R-OH)Regulatory Certainty Act of 2017. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify when the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to prohibit the specification of a defined area, or deny or restrict the use of a defined area for specification, as a disposal site under section 404 of such Act, and for other purposes. House - 6/15/2017 Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Watch No supporters of note for OCSD S. 1996 Cory Booker (D-NJ)Environmental Justice Act of 2017. Requires Federal agencies to address environmental justice, to require consideration of cumulative impacts in certain permitting decisions, and for other purposes. Senate - 10/24/2017 Referred to Committee on Environment and Public Works Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 4114 Raul Ruiz (D-CA)Environmental Justice Act of 2017. Requires Federal agencies to address environmental justice, to require consideration of cumulative impacts in certain permitting decisions, and for other purposes. House - 10/24/2017 Referred to Committee on Energy and Commerce, Committee on Natural Resources, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Committee on Judiciary Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 1 Kevin Brady (R-TX) Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits, and deductions for individuals and businesses. House - 11/2/2017 Passed House, Became law 12/22/2017 Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 4397 Mimi Walters (R-CA)California Wildfire Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2017. Provides tax relief with respect to California wildfires. House - 11/15/2017 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 3131 Bill Hiuzenga (R-MI)Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act. Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to replace the current standard for awarding court costs, including attorney fees, in citizen suits with the federal judicial code standard for awarding costs to a prevailing party. House - 6/29/2017 Referred to Committee on Natural Resources and Committee on Judiciary Watch No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS H.R. 4460 Lou Barletta (R-PA)Disaster Recovery Reform Act. Improves the provision of disaster and mitigation assistance to eligible individuals and households and to eligible State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments and certain private nonprofit organizations, and for other purposes. House - 11/28/2017 Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on Financial Services Watch No supporters of note for OCSD S. 2364 John Boozman (R-AR)SRF WIN Act. Amends the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to provide to State infrastructure financing authorities additional opportunities to receive loans under that Act to support drinking water and clean water State revolving funds to deliver water infrastructure to communities across the United States, and for other purposes. Senate -1/30/18 Referred to Committee on Environment and Public Works Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 4902 John Katko (R-NY)SRF WIN Act. Amends the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to provide to State infrastructure financing authorities additional opportunities to receive loans under that Act to support drinking water and clean water State revolving funds to deliver water infrastructure to communities across the United States, and for other purposes. House - 1/30/18 Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on Energy and Commerce Watch No supporters of note for OCSD H.R. 5127 Grace Napolitano (D- CA)Water Recycling Investment and Improvement Act. To establish a grant program for the funding of water recycling and reuse projects, and for other purposes. House - 2/27/18 Referred to Committee on Natural Resources and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Support No supporters of note for OCSD OCSD Federal Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION OTHER POSITIONS S. 2563 Jeff Flake (R-AZ)A bill to improve the water supply and drought resilience of the United States, and for other purposes. Senate - 3/15/18 Referred to Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Watch No supporters of note for OCSD 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 ACWA- Association of California Water Agencies CSDA- California Special Districts Association To: From: Date: Subject: Orange County Sanitation District Townsend Public Affairs, Inc. April 23, 2018 Legislative and Public Affairs Agenda Report State Political Update For the past month, the Legislature focused on amending spot bills and passing all legislation out of policy committees. Additionally, the Legislature started their Spring Recess on March 22 and returned on April 2. The Legislature has until Friday, April 27 to pass several hundred bills out of policy committees before the deadline. Any bill passed before April 27 will either move on to appropriations committees or the Floor. In addition to the policy committee deadline, Legislators have been focused on hearing different funding proposals in their Budget subcommittees. Next month, the Governor will release his May Revise, an amended version of his January Budget that will consider updated data regarding actual tax revenues. The May Revise will be the new starting point for Budget negotiations before the Budget deadline on June 15. Below is a list of upcoming dates in the Legislature: •April 27 – Last day to pass fiscal bills out of their policy committees •May 11 – Last day to pass non-fiscal bills out of their policy committees On March 21, Senator Toni Atkins was sworn in as the new President Pro Tem of the California State Senate, the first woman to hold the Senate’s top position. Senator Atkins also served as Speaker in the State Assembly from 2014 to 2016. Pro Tem Atkins will take over the Senate from Senator Kevin de Leon in time to lead her caucus through the upcoming budget negotiations, as well as oversee the Senate Democratic Caucus through the 2018 primary and general elections. Pro Tem Atkins has not yet indicated what the top priorities will be for the remainder of the session; however, based on her past areas of interest, it is likely that she will want to focus on issues related to affordable housing and homelessness, as well as job creation and economic development. In the coming weeks, the new Pro Tem will put her leadership team into place, which may include changes in committee membership. 2018 Special Election Results **Denotes outright winner District: Primary Results – Top Two General Election Date: Assembly District 39 Luz Rivas (D) – 42.9% Ricardo Benitez (R) – 20.1% June 5, 2018 Assembly District 45 Jesse Gabriel (D) – 32.7% Justin Clark (R) – 25.1% June 5, 2018 Assembly District 54 **Sydney Kamlager (D) – 68.9% N/A April 2018 Report 2 Department of Finance State Economic Update In April, the Department of Finance reported that March tax revenues were roughly $706 million above what was projected in the Governor’s Budget forecast. This is a sharp difference from February, where the general fund revenue was $300 million below the Budget forecast, largely a result of new federal tax laws that passed in late 2017. The largest contributor to the increased general fund revenues was corporation tax receipts, which were $534 million above the month’s forecast. In total, the State has collected more than $3.3 billion above the forecast in the Governor’s January Budget. Although it is unclear how the enacted Budget will spend this budget surplus, it can be expected that the Brown Administration will continue to push for depositing the revenues into the Rainy-Day Fund as opposed to creating new general fund spending programs. Priority Legislation AB 1933 (Maienschein) – Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: recycling infrastructure projects AB 1933 would authorize the appropriation of $200 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to CalRecycle for organic waste diversion and recycling projects. Specifically, $100 million will be used for organic waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduces GHG emissions, including, but not limited to, water treatment facilities, composting facilities, and facilities for the diversion of food waste. Another $100 million will be allocated toward solid waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce GHG emissions. AB 1933 passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 2411 (McCarty) - Solid waste: use of compost: planning AB 2411 would require CalRecycle to develop and implement a plan to maximize the use of compost for slope stabilization and establishing vegetation. This bill also requires that CalRecycle work in partnership with the 12 Caltrans districts regarding the cost-effective use of compost along roadways and develop a plan to extend the identified best practices. AB 2411 is currently in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and will be heard on April 23. SB 831 (Wieckowski) - Land use: accessory dwelling units. SB 831 prohibits a local agency, school district, water district, etc. from charging impact fees, connection fees, capacity fees, or any other fees on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and prohibits ADUs from being considered new residential use. SB 831 also reduces the application approval timeframe to 60 days for local agencies, and automatically approves applications and permits for ADUs if local agencies have not acted on the submitted application and permits. SB 831 passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 17, is currently in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, and will be heard on April 25. SB 929 (McGuire) – Special districts: Internet Web sites SB 929 requires all independent special districts, with certain exceptions, to maintain a web site by January 1, 2020. SB 929 also requires that the web site conform to all existing requirements that local agency web sites are obligated to follow and gives exemptions to special districts that can prove significant hardship. SB 929 is currently on the Senate Floor. April 2018 Report 3 AB 2003 (Daly) – Public contracts: sanitation districts: notice AB 2003 has been given a hearing date of May 9 in the Assembly Local Government Committee. TPA will be traveling to Sacramento prior to the hearing date to meet with the offices of the members of the Assembly Local Government Committee to brief them about the bill and answer any questions they may have. Additionally, TPA will work with staff to develop testimony for OCSD to present at the May 9 hearing. TPA and staff have also continued to collect and solicit support from a wide variety of organizations and public agencies before the Committee hearing on May 9. OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS AB 869 Rubio [D]Sustainable water use and demand reduction: recycled water. Current law imposes various water use reduction requirements that apply to urban retail water suppliers, including a requirement that the state achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use by December 31, 2020. This bill would require long-term standards for urban water conservation and water use to include a credit for recycled water, as specified. Currently in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support measures that promote and provide for the use of reclaimed water ACC-OC - Support LOCC - Watch CASA - Support NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch AB 1250 Jones-Sawyer [D]Counties: contracts for personal services Would establish specific standards for the use of personal services contracts by counties. The bill would allow a county or county agency to contract for personal services currently or customarily performed by employees, as applicable, when specified conditions are met. The bill would exempt certain types of contracts from its provisions, and would exempt a city and county from its provisions. By placing new duties on local government agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill also would provide that its provisions are severable. This bill was amended to exclude cities, and does NOT apply to special districts. Held in the Senate Rules Committee Oppose Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that allow public agencies to procure goods and services in manners similar to private industry, thereby reducing overall costs of delivery ACC-OC - Removed Opposition LOCC - Removed Opposition CASA - Refer to Leg Committee NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch AB 1933 Maienschein [R]Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: appropriations: recycling infrastructure projects. Would appropriate $200,000,000 from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for organic waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste recycling infrastructure projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee's Suspense File Rec Support State Priorities: Support funding through grants and legislation for a Food Waste/Organic Co- Digestion facility at OCSD ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch Proposed Legislation 2017-2018 High Priority OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS AB 2003 Daly [D]Public contracts: sanitation districts: notice Current law authorizes a sanitation district to make and perform any agreement with a public or private corporation of any kind or a person for the joint construction, acquisition, disposition, or operation of any property or works of a kind that might be constructed, acquired, disposed of, or operated by the district. Current law requires a district, when an expenditure for work exceeds $35,000, to contract with the lowest responsible bidder after notice. Current law requires the notice to be published, as specified. This bill would instead require the notice to be published in a manner that the district board determines to be reasonable, which may include, but is not limited to, newspapers, Internet Web sites, radio, television, or other means of mass communication. Referred to the Assembly Local Government Committee. Will be heard on May 9 Sponsor Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that allow public agencies to procure goods and services in manners similar to private industry, thereby reducing overall costs of delivery ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - NYC CASA -Support NACWA - NYC CSDA - Support AB 2379 Bloom [D]Waste management: polyester microfiber. Would require that clothing made from fabric that is more than 50% polyester bear a conspicuous label stating that the garment sheds plastic microfibers when washed and recommending hand washing. The bill would prohibit a person, on and after January 1, 2020, from selling or offering for sale clothing made from fabric that is more than 50% polyester that does not bear that label. Currently on the Assembly Floor Watch State Priorities: Support legislation or regulations that restrict the use of microplastics in any product that is disposed of through the sewer system ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC SB 1263 Portantino [D]Ocean Protection Council Statewide Microplastics Strategy: SB 1263 directs the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) to develop, adopt and implement a Statewide Microplastics Strategy. The goal of the Microplastics Strategy is to increase the understanding of the scale and risks of microplastic materials on the marine environment, and identify potential solutions for dealing with microplastic pollution. Currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee Watch/Rec Support State Priorities: Support legislation or regulations that restrict the use of microplastics in any product that is disposed of through the sewer system ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - NYC CASA - Support NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS AB 2411 McCarthy [D]Solid waste: use of compost: planning. Would require the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, on or before December 31, 2019, to develop and implement a plan to maximize the use of compost for slope stabilization and establishing vegetation in the course of providing debris removal services following a fire and, in coordination with the Department of Transportation, to identify best practices of each of the Department of Transportation’s 12 districts regarding the cost-effective use of compost along roadways and develop a plan to expand the identified best practices to the other districts. Currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee Watch/Rec Support if Amended to include biosolids compost State Tactics: Development and implementation of a statewide biosolids land application management policy ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - Support CASA - Watch NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC SB 623 Monning [D]Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund Would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the State Treasury and would provide that moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the State Water Resources Control Board. The bill would require the board to administer the fund to secure access to safe drinking water for all Californians, while also ensuring the long-term sustainability of drinking water service and infrastructure. The bill would authorize the state board to provide for the deposit into the fund of federal contributions, voluntary contributions, gifts, grants, bequests, and settlements from parties responsible for contamination of drinking water supplies. The bill was amended on August 21 to include a public goods charge on water, identified as $0.95 per month fee for customers with water meters up to one inch or customers without water meters. The feees increase depending on the size of the water meter, up to $10 per month for customers with water meters greater than four inches. The policy and fees set forth by this bill have been included in the Governor's January Budget proposal. Held in the Assembly Rules Committee Watch State and Federal Tactics: Work with CASA in support of continued use of tax-exempt financing and feasibile innocating financing approaches ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - Oppose unless amended CASA - Watch Closely NACWA - NYC CSDA - Oppose unless amended OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS SB 831 Wieckowski [D]Land use: accessory dwelling units. Current law authorizes a local agency, special district, or water corporation to require a new or separate utility connection between the accessory dwelling unit and the utility and authorizes a fee to be charged, except as specified. Current law requires a local agency to submit an ordinance adopted for the creation of accessory dwelling units to the Department of Housing and Community Development and authorizes the department to review and comment on the ordinance. This bill would delete the requirement that the area be zoned to allow single-family or multifamily use. Currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Bill has been amended to remove the fee restrictions on capacity and connection fees Oppose Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Oppose measures that shift existing local revenue sources back to the state, including the special district share of property tax, sales tax, vehicle license fees, and rate payer fees ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - Oppose NACWA - NYC CSDA - Oppose SCA 4 Hertzberg [D]Water conservation. The California Constitution requires that the water resources of the state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of which they are capable and that the waste or unreasonable use or unreasonable method of use of water be prevented.This measure would declare the intent of the Legislature to amend the California Constitution to provide a program that would ensure that affordable water is available to all Californians and to ensure that water conservation is given a permanent role in California’s future. Currently in the Senate Rules Committee Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that necessitate the responsible use of water in residential, commercial, and industrial areas ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - Work with Author NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS AB 1654 Rubio [D]Water shortage: urban water management planning. AB 1654 would have required each urban retail water supplier to report annually by June 15 to the Department of Water Resources the status of its water supplies for that year and whether the supplies will be adequate to meet projected customer demand. The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee amended all language out of this bill all other related bills. The Committee and stakeholders negotiated a new urban water management plan (AB 1668), however they were unable to pass the bill. Currently on Senate Rules Committee Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that promote improved water use efficiency through state and federal assistance ACC-OC - Support LOCC - Support CASA - Watch NACWA - NYC CSDA - Support AB 1668 Friedman [D]Water management planning. Current law requires the state to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California by December 31, 2020. Current law requires each urban retail water supplier to develop urban water use targets and an interim urban water use target, as specified. This bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board, in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, to adopt long-term standards for the efficient use of water, as provided, and performance measures for commercial, industrial, and institutional water use on or before June 30, 2021. Draft amendments to this bill are available now. Companion bill with SB 606 (Skinner) Amendments have been included in the bill. Currently in the Senate Rules Committee Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that promote improved water use efficiency through state and federal assistance ACC-OC - Oppose LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - Oppose unless amended AB 1884 Calderon [D]Solid waste: single-use plastic straws. Would prohibit a food facility, as specified, where food may be consumed on the premises, from providing single-use plastic straws to consumers unless requested by the consumer. The bill would specify that the first and 2nd violations of these provisions would result in a warning and any subsequent violation would be an infraction punishable by a fine of $25 for each day the food facility is in violation. Currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee Watch State Priorities: Support legislation or regulations that restrict the use of microplastics in any product that is disposed of through the sewer system. ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC Additional Legislation OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS AB 1981 Limon [D]Organic waste: composting. Current law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Air Resources Board, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop and implement policies to aid in diverting organic waste from landfills by promoting the composting of specified organic waste and by promoting the appropriate use of that compost throughout the state. This bill would additionally include the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in the state agencies in coordination with which the California Environmental Protection Agency is required to develop and implement those policies. Currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee Watch State Priorities: Support funding through grants and legislation for a Food Waste/Organic Co- Digestion facility at OCSD ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - Watch NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC AB 1989 Mathis [R]Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant Program.Current law authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to establish the Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant Program, to the extent funding is made available, to provide funding to eligible applicants for specified purposes relating to drinking water and wastewater treatment.This bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the board for the program. Currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee's Suspense File Watch State Priorities: Where appropriate, pursue State funding for critical aging infrastructure, through funding sources made available through any agency including but not limited to the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Water Resources ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - Watch NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS AB 2065 Ting [D]Local agencies: surplus land. For purposes of the Surplus Land Act, AB 2065 expands the definition of “local agency” to additionally include a sewer, water, utility, and local and regional park district, joint powers authorities, successor agency to a former redevelopment agency, housing authority, or other political subdivision of the state and any instrumentality thereof that is empowered to acquire and hold real property, thereby expanding the entities required to comply with the Surplus Land Act. Expands the definition of “surplus land” to mean land owned by any local agency that is not necessary for the agency’s governmental operations, except property being held by the agency expressly for the purpose of exchange for another property necessary for its governmental operations. Currently in the Assembly Approopriations Committee's Suspense File Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Oppose further state regulations that adversely impact special district financing and operations ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - Oppose unless amended AB 2249 Cooley [D]Public contracts: local agencies: alternative procedure. Would authorize public projects of $60,000 or less to be performed by the employees of a public agency, authorize public projects of $200,000 or less to be let to contract by informal procedures, and require public projects of more than $200,000 to be let to contract by formal bidding procedures. These measures only apply to the public agency if their Board elects to participate in the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act. Currently in the Senate Rules Committee Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that allow public agencies to procure goods and services in manners similar to private industry, thereby reducing overall costs of delivery ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - NYC CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC AB 3062 Harper [R]Recycled water: recycling criteria. Spot bill regarding recycled water. More information to follow. Introduced February 16, 2018 Watch State Priorities: Support the inclusion of recycled water credits during the development of long-term water conservation legislation and regulations ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - NYC CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS SB 212 Jackson [D]Medical waste. Current law, the Medical Waste Management Act, administered by the State Department of Public Health, regulates the management and handling of medical waste, as defined.This bill add to the act a definition of “home-generated pharmaceutical waste” as a prescription or over-the-counter human or veterinary home-generated pharmaceutical that is waste and is derived from a household, including, but not limited to, a multifamily residence or household. This bill is a follow- up/cleanup bill for Senator Jackson's SB 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. Currently in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee Support State Priorities: Support legislation or regulations that would prevent the disposing of drugs down the drain ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - Watch NACWA - NYC CSDA - Support SB 606 Skinner [D]Water management planning Current law requires the state to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California by December 31, 2020. Current law requires each urban retail water supplier to develop urban water use targets and an interim urban water use target, as specified. The bill would require an urban retail water supplier to calculate an urban water use objective no later than July 1, 2022, and by July 1 every year thereafter, and its actual urban water use by those same dates. Currently on the Assembly Floor. Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support legislation and regulation that promote improved water use efficiency through state and federal assistance ACC-OC - NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch SB 929 McGuire [D] Special districts: Internet Web sites. The California Public Records Act requires a local agency to make public records available for inspection and allows a local agency to comply by posting the record on its Internet Web site and directing a member of the public to the Web site, as specified. This bill would, beginning on January 1, 2020, require every independent special district to maintain an Internet Web site that clearly lists contact information for the special district, except as provided. Because this bill would require local agencies to provide a new service, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Currently in the Assembly Local Government Watch State Priorities: Actively monitor the Little Hoover Commission hearings and reports related to climate change adaptation, special districts and other topics as it relates to OCSD ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch OCSD State Bills of Interest BILL AUTHOR SUMMARY LATEST ACTION OCSD POSITION LEGISLATIVE PLAN OTHER POSITIONS SB 966 Wiener [D]Onsite treated nonpotable water systems Would, on or before December 1, 2022, require the State Water Resources Control Board, in consultation with the California Building Standards Commission, to adopt regulations for risk-based water quality standards for the onsite treatment and reuse of nonpotable water, as provided. The bill would authorize the state board to contract with public or private entities regarding the content of the standards and would exempt those contracts from, among other provisions, review and approval of the Department of General Services. Currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee's Suspense File Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Support measures that promote and provide for the use of reclaimed water ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - Watch CASA - Work w/ author NACWA - NYC CSDA - Watch SB 1215 Hertzberg [D]Drinking water systems and sewer systems: consolidation and extension of service. This bill would authorize the state board to set timeline and performance measures to facilitate completion of extension of service of drinking water. This bill would authorize the state board to order consolidation with a receiving sewer system for, or extension of sewer service to, a disadvantaged community under specified circumstances. The bill would require the state board to take certain actions before ordering consolidation or extension of service that are similar to those required for the consolidation or extension of water systems and would additionally require the state board to find that at least 75% of the households in the community potentially subject to extension or consolidation of service have agreed to receive sewage service from the receiving sewer system. Currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee Watch Legislative and Regulatory Policies: Oppose legislation consolidating special districts that fail to address the concerns of cities affected by the proposed consolidation ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - NYC CASA - NYC NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC SB 1422 Portantino [D]California Safe Drinking Water Act: microplastics. Would require the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt regulations requiring annual testing for, and reporting of, the amount of microplastics in drinking water, including public disclosure of those results. Currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee Watch State Priorities: Support legislation or regulations that restrict the use of microplastics in any product that is disposed of through the sewer system ACC-OC -NYC LOCC - NYC CASA - Watch NACWA - NYC CSDA - NYC 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 ACWA - Association of California Water Agencies CSDA - California Special Districts Association Name of Grant/Loan Synopsis of Grant/Loan Amount of Grant/Loan Amount Applying for Applying Y/N Project/Program Reason Match Deadline Category Rcvd Grant/ Financing Y/N California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank CA0272 Infrastructure State Revolving Fund (ISRF) Program The purpose of this program is to provide accessible low-cost financing to eligible borrowers for a wide range of infrastructure and economic expansion projects. Eligible activities generally include designing, acquiring, planning, permitting, entitling, constructing, improving, extending, restoring, financing, and generally developing eligible facilities within the state of California. Program funding is available in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $25 million, with loan terms for the useful life of the project up to a maximum of 30 years. TBD Evaluating Multiple (possible projects). Evaluating the program.Might be for smaller projects.N/A, loan program Rolling Water/Energy/ Infrastructure TBD Cap and Trade Funding $1.25 billion from the Cap and Trade program (Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund) was proposed to be appropriated in the Governor's January Budget $20 million - Waste Diversion Projects. Specifics TBD TBD TBD TBD The Cap and Trade Expenditure Plan will need to go through the legislative process. It is uncertain how much funding will be available for the District's projets, or what the funding will be used for. TBD Unknown at this time Energy/Recycling TBD 2018 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program The Proposition 1 IRWM Grant Program, administered by DWR, provides funding for projects that help meet the long term water needs of the state, including: Assisting water infrastructure systems adapt to climate change;Providing incentives throughout each watershed to collaborate in managing the region's water resources and setting regional priorities for water infrastructure TBD TBD TBD TBD TPA and OCSD are monitoring the grant program development from the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA). Once the solicitation for bids is available, we can determine if an application is warranted. Yes. Details TBD Unknown at this time Water TBD 2018 Proposed Park Bond (Proposition 68) SB 5 (De Leon) included $290 million for Drought, Groundwater, and Water Recycling programs TBD TBD SB 5 passed the Legislature and will be on the ballot in June 2018 as Proposition 68 N/A If Proposition 68 is passed, TPA and OCSD will advocate for the inclusion of relevant funding in the final version of the Budget in June. If funding becomes available, TPA and staff will evaluate the opportunity. TBD TBD Water No The Water Infrastructure Improvements Act (S. 612/Public Law #114-322/WIIN) The enactment of the Water Infrastructure Improvements Act (S. 612/Public Law #114-322/WIIN) contained important assistance for water recycling and desalination. Senator Feinstein included $50 million to support construction of projects that have a final and deemed feasible study of a recycling project. In securing this new competitive grants program at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Senator Feinstein highlighted the identification of several water and wastewater agencies that would benefit from the assistance. OCSD is one of these agencies. $1.5 Million Yes Final Expansion of GWRS (planning, design and construction) Headworks The Sanitation District is applying for Headworks Segregation project that will help to bring more water to the GWRS. Title 16 will pay up to 25 percent of the available money 8/15/2017 Water/ Infrastructure Received notification of award on 11/27/17 for $1,325,000.00 The USEPA Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund The fund addresses petroleum releases from regulated underground storage tanks. The LUST program receives approximately $100 million annually to prevent, detect, and clean up releases. Assistance is provided through grants. Eligible activities include removal of tanks and cleanup of contaminated areas. TBD Evaluating Cleanup of contaminated soils at Plant No. 1 We will review the grant to determine if it is a fit for the project. TBD Infrastructure TBD US Department of Agriculture The U.S. Department of Agriculture through its health watersheds program offers public-owned wastewater agencies funding through collaboration with agricultural interests where funding would be provided to the agricultural entity that would contribute to efforts to protect the watershed and minimize regulatory burdens on the point source. A total of $100 million is funded annually and the opportunity to design a watershed program might offer OCSD with the chance to advance its priority to reduce regulatory burdens. TBD TBD Reviewing the funding opportunity to see if there is a fit for OCSD. (Restoration of beaches and estuaries) We will review the possible funding opportunity to determine if it is a fit for the Sanitation District. TBD Water TBD OCSD's Grant and Loan Funding Tracker 2017-2018 STATE FEDERAL Updated 4/24/2018 Name of Grant/Loan Synopsis of Grant/Loan Amount of Grant/Loan Amount Applying for Applying Y/N Project/Program Reason Match Deadline Category Rcvd Grant/ Financing Y/N OCSD's Grant and Loan Funding Tracker 2017-2018 The Department of Energy (DOE), USBR and USEPA The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency is likely to continue to be funded by Congress to support such efforts as biogas, biosolids and green energy. A minimum of $20 million to as much as $100 million based upon prior years’ budgets. USBR could receive as much as $130 million in support of the WaterSmart (due to increased funding under WIIN) during the next several years. USBR will issue solicitations for innovative approaches to managing water and water treatment through technology and processes. TBD TBD. We will monitor for possible funding opportunities Project Funding Opportunity: Energy production to reduce costs of recycled water through innovative technologies like Aquacritox, Innovative water monitoring technology that can produce efficient real time monitoring and data analysis, Biogas Management and Use Improvements. We will review the possible funding opportunity to determine if it is a fit for the Sanitation District. TBD Energy TBD Smart Cities and Security It is unclear how the incoming administration may revise existing programs that address energy and water efficiency needs. However, the effort to support communities develop approaches that improve the quality of life in communities might continue to receive funding. OCSD might be able to leverage such program assistance to support innovative approaches to security. Funding may also be available through Department of Homeland Security to assist communities to protect against cyber-threats. TBD TBD TBD. Based on the funding opportunities and OCSD's projects/needs. Project Funding Opportunity: SCADA System and Network Upgrades, Seismic Hazard Evaluation (FEMA Mitigation Assistance) If funding becomes available we will evaluate the opportunity.Unknown at this time Energy/Water TBD WIFIA The WIFIA program accelerates investment in our nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects. To qualify for funding assistance a project must cost at least $20 million. The USEPA has expressed an interest in projects that deliver multiple benefits that might capture water recycling as well as projects that address stormwater and other “large project” needs. $2 billion N/A No Possible projects: GWRS Final Expansion, District 6 Trunk Sewer Relief Project, Headworks Rehabilitation/Expansion Headquarters Complex, Site and Security/Entrance Realignment, Western Regional Sewers—Planning and design and construction The Sanitation District does not plan to borrow funds to complete projects. The Water District might qualify for these loans and OCSD will support them if they choose to do so. 4/10/2017 Water/ Infrastructure N/A Updated 4/24/2018 Page 1 of 2 LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Meeting Date 05/14/18 To Bd. of Dir. -- AGENDA REPORT Item Number 4 Item Number -- Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager Originator: James E. Colston, Director of Environmental Services SUBJECT: BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON MICROPLASTICS PRESENTATION GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Information Only. BACKGROUND The Orange County Sanitation District’s (Sanitation District) Legislative and Public Affairs Committee directed staff to provide background information on microplastics at the meeting of April 9, 2018 following discussion of Assembly Bill (AB) 2379 – Waste management of polyester microfiber (Bloom). AB 2379 (Bloom) stems from a growing concern about the hazards of plastic pollution in the marine environment. Plastics pose both physical threats (e.g., entanglement, gastrointestinal blockage, reef destruction) and chemical threats (e.g., bioaccumulation of the chemical ingredients of plastic or toxic chemicals sorbed to plastics) to wildlife and the marine ecosystem. The California Legislature has proposed three bills on microplastics in 2018: AB 2379 (Bloom), SB 1263 (Portantino), and SB 1422 (Portantino). Staff will provide a technical report on microplastics, which is included with this report. RELEVANT STANDARDS • Maintain influential legislative advocacy and a public outreach program • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Listen to and seriously consider community input on environmental concerns PROBLEM Wastewater effluent can be a pathway for microplastics to enter the aquatic environment, with microbeads from cosmetic products and polymer fibers from clothes that are likely to enter wastewater treatment plants. Microplastics degrade very slowly and are persistent and ubiquitous. Microfibers can take up to 500 years to degrade. There is evidence of bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms. About 9 percent of the plastics generated are recovered. Areas of accumulation of plastic Page 2 of 2 debris include beaches, enclosed basins, ocean gyres, and bottom sediments, including the deep ocean. PROPOSED SOLUTION Informational Only. TIMING CONCERNS California microplastics bills are currently in the legislative process and open for advocacy until August 2018 for the Governor to sign or veto by September 30, 2018. RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION N/A PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS April 2018 - Legislative and Public Affairs Committee took a “watch” position and requested additional information on microplastics. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION N/A CEQA N/A FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS N/A ATTACHMENTS The following attachment(s) are included in hard copy and may also be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.com) with the complete agenda package: • PowerPoint presentation Mark Kawamoto Eng. Sup., Environmental Services OCSD Microplastics Informational Update What Are Microplastics? •The vast majority of marine debris (60-80%) is plastic •Approximately 90% of the plastics in the marine environment are microplastics (less than 5 mm in diameter) Microplastics: What is it? •A subset of plastic trash •Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm (Thompson et al. 2009; Masura et al. 2015) •Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyamide (nylon), polyethylene terephthalate (PET or polyester), polyacrylonitrile (PAN or acrylic) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (Hidalgo-Ruiz et al. 2012) •Cellulose acetate (i.e., rayon), a non-plastic polymer, is also commonly observed (Andrady 2011) Where do microplastics come from? Primary Sources: •Resin pellets •Synthetic fibers •Abrasion and exfoliating beads •Paints •Beads used in furniture,insulation… •Medical products •Tire recycling Secondary Sources: •Fragments of larger plastic items Plastics Waste Management and Gyre Source: EPA 2014 MSW Advancing Sustainable Materials: Fact Sheet U.S. Plastics Generation and Recovery. Source: NOAA Pacific Ocean Gyre and Garbage Patches. Guardian graphic | Source: University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Anthropogenic contamination of tap water,beer, and sea salt, April 11, 2018. 159 tap water samples from cities and towns on five continents. 83% of those samples contained microscopic plastic fibers. Microplastics: Why are we concerned? Microplastics have been detected in tap waterMicroplastics are in the marine food chain Photo: Richard Kirby/Courtesy of Orb Media Planktonic arrow worm, Sagitta setosa, has eaten a blue plastic fibre about 3mm long. Plankton support the entire marine food chain. Turtle ingesting plastic. Impacts of plastics and microplastics Photo: Ron Prendergast, Melbourne Zoo Photo: Alexis Rosenfield, Science Photo Library Plastic bag and jellyfish. Photo: Facebook An albatross chick found on Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Two sperm whales lie dead on Germany’s North Sea coastline. Their stomachs were full of plastic. Photo: Chris Jordan Impacts of plastics and microplastics City Local SewerManhole PrivateLateral OCSDRegional Trunkline Ocean OutfallOCSDTreatmentPlants Manhole Microplastics: From clothing to environment to food chain Questions? Mark Kawamoto Eng. Sup., OCSD Environmental Services Department kawamoto@ocsd.com For more information, please visit www.ocsd.com. Page 1 of 3 LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Meeting Date 05/14/18 To Bd. of Dir. -- AGENDA REPORT Item Number 5 Item Number -- Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager Originator: Robert P. 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 • Maintain influential legislative advocacy and a public outreach program • Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders • Use all practical and effective means for resource recovery • Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities • 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 2 of 3 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 2018 Activity # # of Guests OCSD/OCWD Tours 6 110 OCSD Tours 13 236 Speaking Events 3 ~150 Outreach Events 2 ~125 Items of Interest for April: Industry Efforts – meetings were held with Mesa Water District and ACC-OC to discuss current industry business and outreach strategies moving forward. In addition, to further show the Sanitation District’s continued leadership at the state level, Public Affairs Supervisor Jennifer Cabral was named as the Chair of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies newly-formed communications committee. The communications committee serves as a resource to members throughout the state in the areas of public information, engagement, outreach, and communications. Awards – The Sanitation District received the following awards for the GWRS Outreach efforts: 1) Grand Prize for Environmental Communications for the Groundwater Replenishment System Bottled Water Communications Campaign from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, 2) Ragan’s 2017 PR Daily Honorable Mention in the Press Event or Media Tour category for “Purified Recycled Water Takes on Hollywood,” the GWRS bottled water launch (the Ragan Awards program is the most prestigious in organizational Public Relations and Communications), and 3) Platinum Hermes Award for the Advanced Purified Bottled Water Campaign in the category Public Relations/Communications/Strategic Programs/78c. PR Campaign. The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals that recognizes outstanding work in the industry. Only about 15 percent of entries win Platinum (out of 6,000 entries). Page 3 of 3 Internal Communications – The Sanitation District’s internal newsletter (Pipeline) and bulletin (Digester) were published and distributed. In addition, the Sanitation District’s internal intranet is being redesigned to be modernized. Staff presented a status update to executive management. The go-live date will be prior to July 1. A photo and video cataloging software was selected to assist in the archiving, storing, and searching for outreach efforts. Media Relations – In celebration of Earth Day, SoCal Safari interviewed and published a segment on the Sanitation District. The video can be viewed on the Sanitation District’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlCNKxRwGYo&t=286s. Public Service Announcement Contests – The Sanitation District’s PSA contest concluded with the winners being recognized at the April Board Meeting. 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.com) with the complete agenda package: • Outreach Calendar April 2018 • Media Clips April 2018 Date Time Organization/Event Location Purpose Attendee 4/2/2018 1300 - 1430 Plant Tour Boardroom City of Santa Ana Volunteers to tour P1. 20 guests Brian Bingman Tour Guide 4/3/2018 900 - 1200 Plant Tour Boardroom Beckman High School Tours. 50 guests 2 tours Brian Bingman Tour Guide 4/5/2018 900 - 1200 Plant Tour Boardroom Beckman High School Tours. 50 guests 2 tours Paula Zeller Tour Guide 4/5/2018 900 - 1200 Plant Tour Boardroom Chavez HS Coastkeepers Tours. 40 guests Paula and Belen Tour Guides 4/6/2018 1300 - 1430 Plant Tour Boardroom Fullerton College Tour 25 guests Brian Bingman Tour Guide 4/9/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Room C CSULB Nursing Tour. 15 guests Gina Tetsch Tour Guide 4/10/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom CSULB Nursing tour. 15 guests Gina Tetsch Tour Guide 4/10/2018 1200 - 1300 Speaking Engagement Society for Marketing Professionals Presentation Rob Thompson Speaker 4/12/2018 900 - 1200 Plant Tours Boardroom FVHS Tours 52 students Leyla Perez Tour Guide 4/14/2018 900 - 1100 Plant Tour Boardroom Plant 2 Neighbors Raul Cuellar Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott OCSD Outreach Report 4/30/2018 Contact Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott 4/30/2018 1:47:38 PM Date Time Organization/Event Location Purpose Attendee OCSD Outreach Report 4/30/2018 Contact 4/16/2018 1245 - 1415 Plant Tour Boardroom Hope University Tour. 26 guests Lisa Frigo Tour Guide 4/17/2018 1330 - 1500 Plant Tour Boardroom Goldenwest College tour. 30 guests Paula Zeller Tour Guide 4/18/2018 1000 - 1130 Plant Tour Room A El Toro HS Tour. 15 guests. Brian Bingman Tour Guide 4/19/2018 1330 - 1500 Plant Tour Boardroom Water ReUse to tour P1. Jim Colston Tour Guide 4/19/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom CSULB Nursing Tour. 15 guests Gina Tetsch Tour Guide 4/20/2018 1400 - 1530 Plant Tour Boardroom Girl Scout Troop Tour. 10 guests Belen Carrillo Tour Guide 4/23/2018 900 - 1200 Plant Tour Boardroom CSULB Tour. 50 guests Chris Cervellone and Dickie Fernandez Tour Guides 4/30/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom LA Tech College Tour 25 guests Paula Zeller Tour Guide 5/1/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom CSULB Nursing Tour. 15 guests Gina Tetsch Tour Guide 5/2/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom CSULB Nursing Tour. Gina Tetsch Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott 4/30/2018 1:47:38 PM Date Time Organization/Event Location Purpose Attendee OCSD Outreach Report 4/30/2018 Contact 5/3/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom Saddleback College Tour 26 guests Jeff Armstrong Tour Guide 5/4/2018 900 - 1030 Plant Tour Boardroom Costa Mesa Sanitation - Citizens Env. Protection Academy to tour P1. 25 Randy Kleinman Tour Guide 5/7/2018 1430 - 1600 Plant Tour Boardroom Society of Women Engineers Tour. Lisa Frigo Tour Guide Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott Cheryl Scott 4/30/2018 1:47:38 PM OCSD Public Affairs Office Monthly News Clippings April 2018 Table of Contents GWRS…………………………………………… ................................ PAGE 1 March 29, 2018 OC Water District’s Mike Wehner named Recycled Water Advocate of the Year California Water News Daily April 20, 2018 Orange County Water District Awarded for Leadership and Innovation Forester Daily News April 20, 2018 Epic water recycling record set in California By: Kristen Stephenson Guinness World Records HUMAN INTEREST…………………………………………… ................. PAGE 9 April 9, 2018 Sanitation District Expands Fountain Valley Holdings By: Mark Mueller Orange County Business Journal April 14, 2018 Delaying Day Zero Filtration News April 19, 2018 Canyon film students send messages By: Andrea Mills Orange County Register Table of Contents Continued HYDROGEN CELL…………………………………………… ................. PAGE 20 April 4, 2018 Toyota is an outspoken proponent of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles By: Stephen Edelstein The Drive TWITTER POSTINGS …………………………………………… ............. PAGE 21 FACEBOOK POSTINGS ……………………………………………………PAGE 33 1 OC Water District’s Mike Wehner named Recycled Water Advocate of the Year By California Water News Daily on March 29, 2018 With more than 40 years of experience and leadership in recycled water quality, Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) Assistant General Manager Michael (Mike) Wehner has been named Recycled Water Advocate of the Year by the WateReuse California Board and the 2018 California Annual Conference Awards Sub-Committee members. Wehner’s knowledge and expertise was key in the success of OCWD’s world-renowned recycling projects, the original Water Factory 21 and its successor the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS). GWRS is the world’s largest potable reuse project of its kind. “We have been privileged to work alongside Mike for the past 27 years,” said OCWD President Denis Bilodeau. “He played a critical role in helping OCWD build its recycled water program, which is a global model for water reliability. We are grateful to Mike for all that he has done for OCWD and for the industry at large. He not only is a brilliant and respected professional, but he is a humble, kind and hardworking man. We applaud him for helping shape OCWD’s tradition of innovation,” he added. Wehner has made significant contributions to the recycled water industry including his efforts in helping to establish the professional standard for scientific rigor and transparency that have instilled public confidence in potable reuse in Orange County and beyond. He has assisted other utilities, both domestically and internationally, with the implementation of potable reuse projects including the city of San Diego, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Monterey One Water (Monterey, CA), Thames Water in the United Kingdom, and the Singapore Public Utilities Board. At OCWD, Wehner leads OCWD’s recycled water and groundwater management programs which includes overseeing applied research, scientific investigations, water quality monitoring, and regulatory compliance. He was responsible for leading statewide stakeholder advisory groups organized by the Division of Drinking Water and its predecessors to incrementally update Draft Groundwater Recharge Reuse Project regulations and its final adoption of regulations in 2014. As part of the on-going education of stakeholders regarding California Water News Daily  March 29, 2018  2 water reuse and the GWRS, Wehner has provided hundreds of interviews, tours and presentations at OCWD. In his earlier career Wehner served as the Water Quality Program Chief at the Environmental Health Department of the County of Orange overseeing the regulation of non-potable reuse systems while ensuring sensible requirements and protecting local public health. His career has also included serving on numerous boards and committees supervising applied research for recycled water for the National Water Research Institute Board of Director; WateReuse Research Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee; and, the Water Research Foundation’s Tailored Collaboration Review Committee. In receiving the Recycled Water Advocate of the Year Wehner has met the WateReuse California Board’s criteria of “… an individual, interagency coalition, or private group who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of water recycling through the active support and promotion of recycled water on a local, regional, or state level. The recipient will have demonstrated outstanding leadership and dedication to the promotion and use of recycled water beyond what would be professionally expected.” 3 Orange County Water District Awarded For Leadership and Innovation in Research and Water Reuse Forester Media April 20, 2018 Today, the Orange County Water District (OCWD) was honored by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) at the 2018 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Awards Luncheon and Conference in Washington, D.C. OCWD received two awards that demonstrate its leadership and innovation in research and water reuse. It received the Honor Award for Research for work to evaluate a more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly method of analysis of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking water and recycled water that will improve public health protection. Together with the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), OCWD also received the Grand Prize for Environmental Communications for the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Bottled Water Campaign. The campaign sought to educate and increase awareness of water reuse projects like the GWRS and to break the stigma associated with these types of projects that are at times referred to as “toilet-to-tap.” The GWRS is a joint collaboration of OCWD and OCSD that has been online since 2008 and provides 100 million gallons of water a day to north and central Orange County. It takes highly treated wastewater that would otherwise be discharged to the Pacific Ocean and purifies it using a three-step process consisting of microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light with hydrogen peroxide. It is the world’s largest advanced water purification project for potable reuse and has been hailed as the global model. NDMA is an unintended byproduct of the chlorination of wastewater and drinking water at treatment plants that use chloramines for disinfection. It is a drinking water contaminant of concern because of its miscibility with water, as well as its toxicity. While not yet regulated federally, NDMA has a very low notification level in California of 10 nanograms per liter for drinking water and is regulated in permitting guidelines for potable reuse (recycled) projects in the state. Forester Daily News  April 20, 2018  4 “Monitoring for NDMA can be complicated due to the expensive and time-consuming laboratory methods currently in use,” said OCWD President Denis Bilodeau. “As a promising alternative, OCWD’s Research and Development (R&D) department has tested and validated a new method for NDMA analysis that was developed by OCWD’s project partners at Kagoshima University and Nagasaki University in Japan. In fact, the method was recently used to complete high-frequency monitoring of NDMA at the GWRS to ensure that only the highest quality of water was produced. The technology has even been adapted to function as an online, near real-time monitoring instrument, which has great potential for operational and regulatory use at water treatment facilities around the world.” Research to understand NDMA concentration and formation in recycled water, and how to alter water treatment to reduce concentrations, helps protect public health. Use of this method by potable reuse treatment plants would allow for improved monitoring and therefore better demonstration of the high quality of the water, allowing for greater acceptance and approval of reuse projects. “The Orange County Water District is also helping pave the way for greater acceptance of reuse projects through its GWRS bottled water campaign,” said Bilodeau. “In 2017, OCWD and OCSD began the campaign to educate general and targeted publics about the safety, quality and taste of reused water in efforts to help similar reuse projects gain community support and ultimately help California be water-secure during droughts. As global leaders we feel it’s our job to foster support for these types of projects and we truly take pride in operating our own facility for more than 10 years.” The campaign started in March 2017 with pre-kick-off industry and legislative events and culminated in a rousing Winter Fest celebration of the GWRS 10th anniversary and setting a Guinness World Records title for the most wastewater recycled to drinking water in 24 hours. Throughout the campaign traditional and social media were engaged, invited to attend events, interviewed staff/board, and shared their opinions about the water and the future of these projects. “We were proud to be a part of this educational outreach effort where staff and board members went out to established events to reach California masses such as the general public, students, water industry personnel, business and civic leaders, and legislators,” said OCSD Board Chairman Greg Sebourn. “OCSD and OCWD were the first in the Western Hemisphere to bottle advanced purified water for educational purposes and we were happy to share it with the community to demonstrate that the water is safe and reliable. We are committed to recycling every drop possible and Californians are seeing that recycling is the future of water.” Whether it is research or outreach, the Orange County Water District is dedicated to ensuring a safe, reliable and adequate water supply and to helping educate the public about how it accomplishes just that. 5 http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com Epic water recycling record set in California in bid to highlight extreme weather By Kristen Stephenson Published 20 April 2018 In one of the most environmentally-friendly records yet, Orange County Water District (OCWD) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) in California have succeeded in setting the Guinness World Records title for the Most wastewater recycled to drinking water in 24 hours. Guinness World Records  April 20, 2018  6 The attempt was inspired by the increase in extreme weather and droughts that the region had been experiencing. Organizers are hoping the achievement will raise awareness and understanding of the importance of water recycling in California and beyond. A total of 100,008 million gallons of clean drinking water was produced in one day thanks to the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), which is the one of the largest water purification facility of its kind. This achievement commemorates the 10th anniversary of the facility, a collaboration between the two districts. "This is a time to celebrate and learn about this proven technology that is so vital to sustaining our communities and our natural environment. We have the technology now to produce safe drinking water that ensures long-term reliability of local supplies," OCSD Board Chairman and GWRS Steering Committee Vice-Chair, Greg Sebourn. The record attempt began at 3:30 p.m. on 15 February and ended the following day where witnesses and official adjudicator Phillip Robertson observed the GWRS machine of the plant indicate the accumulated water that had passed through the facility and completed a cycle of the sanitisation process. 7 An expert representative with experience of World Health Organization was also present to ensure the water exceeded quality standards. Once verified, celebrations by organizers included a community toast with recycled water from the facility. "This was an incredible attempt that impacted the local community and environment. It provided perspective on the process of making water safe for consumption. We congratulate the efforts of Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District and welcome them into the Guinness World Records family," Philip Robertson. As of now, the GWRS produces 100 million gallons a day of recycled water to inject into the Orange County Groundwater Basin, managed by OCWD, to increase local drinking water supplies and to prevent seawater intrusion. 8 Work will soon be under way to expand its capacity to produce 130 million gallons a day of purified recycled water—enough for 1 million people. "For more than a century, California has relied on rivers like the Colorado and Sacramento for our water. Today, we demonstrated we have new rivers to utilize. It makes perfect sense to use the technology we have today to use the water we have right in our backyard and recycle it for drinking water," climate expert, Bill Patzert. 9 Sanitation District Expands Fountain Valley Holdings 2-STORY OFFICE NEXT TO SITE IT HAS FOR NEW HQ Sanitation District Expands Fountain Valley Holdings By Mark Mueller Monday, April 9, 2018 The Orange County Sanitation District has completed the purchase of an office building in Fountain Valley that it intends to use for expanding operations. The public agency, which provides sewer collection, treatment and disposal services for about 2.6 million people in central and northwest Orange County, completed the buy of 18350 Mount Langley St. last month. The two-story building sits just south of the San Diego (405) Freeway, a block from one of the sanitation district's two big sewer treatment facilities, which sits on 114 acres. It also has a location in Huntington Beach. The 44,213-square-foot property sold for just under $9.8 million, or $220 per square foot, according to the Irvine office of NAI Capital, whose Steven Hogberg represented the seller, an entity listed as K&A Investments LP. The buyers were represented by Kevin Turner and John Gallivan in the Irvine office of Cushman & Wakefield, according to public records. The district said in records related to the deal that it earmarked about $11 million to buy and renovate the office. The purchase had been in the works for several months. Orange County Business Journal  April 9, 2018    10 The building, part of the Fountain Valley Business Center, was 100% leased at the time of the sale to a variety of tenants. The new owner plans to eventually occupy it as space becomes available, according to a statement by NAI Capital. Irvine-based Muller Co. will provide property management services under the new ownership, according to the district. The "property was not for sale and the buyer approached us with an unsolicited offer," Hogberg said. "This was a long term asset for the client, and they will take their profits and redeploy them into another investment." It's unclear what, if any, effect the buy will have on the district's other proposed facility expansion plans in Fountain Valley. Late last year it announced plans to build about 155,000 square feet for a new headquarters complex on Ellis Avenue next to its main facilities in the city, "to house administrative, engineering and laboratory staff." Construction on the project, which would be next to the recently bought building, is tentatively scheduled for 2020, according to the district's website. Brokerage Scorecard OC's residential brokerage industry has experienced its third big ownership change since February. Late last month, Irvine-based First Team Real Estate, which calls itself Southern California's largest independent real estate brokerage, said it was adding Aliso Viejo-based Star Estates to its company. The deal on undisclosed terms adds Star Estates' 130 agents. First Team already had more than two dozen offices across Southern California and over 2,000 real estate agents. Star Estates had been owned and operated for 15 years by Michelle Williams Harrington, who'll take the role of vice president at First Team. Star Estates' Janet Montandon and Andrea Carpenter will be office managers in the combined companies' San Clemente and Mission Viejo offices, respectively. The deal comes a month after Tustin-based Seven Gables Real Estate announced a merger with Star Real Estate of Fountain Valley. Star Real Estate will rebrand as Seven Gables. 11 The transaction, also made on undisclosed terms, gives Seven Gables a bigger presence along the Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach coastlines, the brokerage said. The combined team of nearly 500 associates work on about $1.6 billion in deals annually. It now has offices in Huntington Beach, Anaheim Hills, Corona del Mar, Tustin, Orange and Fountain Valley. Also in February, San Diego-based Pacific Sotheby's International Realty completed its buy, on undisclosed terms, of Newport Beach-based HOM Sotheby's International Realty, which has about 300 agents and nine office locations in OC and the Coachella Valley. The acquired firm will operate as Pacific Sotheby's International Realty. It now has a combined 900 agents in 32 offices. HOM Sotheby's ended 2017 with sales volume of more than $2.1 billion. Management will continue to lead Pacific Sotheby's new OC office under the new ownership structure, the companies said in a statement. www.filtration-products.com Home Filtration News, Updates & Information Delaying Day Zero | Water & Wastes Digest Delaying Day Zero | Water & Wastes Digest April 14, 2018 admin Filtration News, Updates & Information 0 In Cape Town, South Africa, Day Zero is a moving target. What once was seen as an inevitable has been pushed later and later in the year. However, just by virtue of having such a date indicates a deadline for a startling thought; a day when water would not freely flow from the tap of residences in the coastal city. That such a day is possible has been a wake- up call, and it has stirred conversations about how communities in similarly drought-stricken regions of the world can fend off a similar fate. The News When news first broke, April 22, 2018 was the date the city’s reservoir would hit 13.75% capacity and running water would be shut off to residential homes. This was called Day Zero. Critical infrastructure, most notably hospitals, would continue to receive water, and citizens would be required to visit municipal water points throughout the city to receive a set amount of water at regular intervals. Since then, the date was pushed back to May, then June, then July, and now late August. Some projections accounting for a better rainy season have indicated Day Zero could be as late as November, and in a statement March 7, Ian Nelson, Cape Town executive deputy mayor and alderperson, was cautiously optimistic about the city’s water future for 2018. “As this date falls deep within the normal rainfall period, it is no longer appropriate to project the date without any consideration of rainfall. Thus, provided we continue our current water savings efforts, Day Zero can be avoided completely this year,” Nelson said in the news release. “I would therefore like to urge all Capetonians not to relax their water savings efforts. While we are feeling more confident of avoiding Day Zero this year, we cannot predict the volume of rainfall still to come. If winter rainfall this year is as low as last year, or even lower, we are still in danger of reaching Day Zero early next year.” As noted by Nelson, this looming deadline’s movement is due in part to the advent of rain, but also to stricter water use for agricultural facilities and tighter control over water for residents. In the face of all this, the biggest question is how Cape Town is battling back against water scarcity and what its plans are to stave off the imminent draw down of its reservoirs. Filtration News  April 14, 2018  12 13 The drought is Cape Town’s driest period on record since the 1930s. Weather pattern modeling from the University of Cape Town suggests 2017 could be among the driest period in the region’s history. Volatility of Volume Uncooperative weather patterns have instigated much of the situation in Cape Town. If it weren’t for a prolonged drought, the city may not have been making headlines for running out of water. Graham Symmonds, chief knowledge officer for Fathom, said the presumption of rainfall is not an anomaly for communities where rainfall replenishment is a critical part of the water system. Symmonds noted that similar scarcity concerns have occurred elsewhere. The assumption that rainfall will refill reservoirs have come into question. “It’s not so much a water scarcity issue as much as it is water volatility, where you can’t depend on the past as an indicator of the future,” Symmonds said. “We’re moving into patterns of climate that are impacting historic trends and all of our infrastructure has really been built on these historic trends, and when these trends get disrupted outside the range of the engineering boundaries, then we end up in these conditions where people are running out of water.” According to rainfall records analyzed by Dr. Piotr Wolski, a University of Cape Town Climate System Analysis Group researcher, 2012 to 2013 saw an uptick in rainfall before the drought began. Since 2013, rainfall has trended downward, with a small jump in 2016 before plummeting again in 2017. Rainfall numbers in charts posted by Dr. Wolski to GroundUp, a news agency created to distribute University of Cape Town research under Creative Commons licenses, used October as the end of the year as it marks the end of the rainy season. Wolski took averages for one, two, three and four year records, and determined the drought in 2017 had the lowest rainfall since 1981, a 36-year low. Further analysis, he noted, shows it is the driest period since 1933. Records only date as far back as 1920, and even then, only at one weather station, but those records suggest 2017 is still the driest year in recorded weather history. Using analysis models, Wolski noted the extent of this drought period could be even more rare than the recorded data can accurately depict. Banking on Desalination The most critical part of Cape Town’s plan for a long-term water source for its residents relies on desalination plants to treat salt water from the ocean to remove or reduce its saline content and make it potable. Tomer Efrat, process engineering manager for IDE Technologies, said the 10 desalination plants in South Africa have helped communities with similar challenges, but notes capacity is a greater issue. “The output from each of these plants is small and only provides enough water for municipalities in the immediate vacinity of the plants,” Efrat said. “The reliable and effective solution for Cape Town water needs would be increasing the production of its current 14 desalination plants, as well as promoting the installation of additional large-scale desalination plants to meet the growing water demands of the city.” In Cape Town, there are four desalination projects in different stages of construction with delays ranging from financial backing to community stake in construction and operation of the finished facilities. The V&A Waterfront plant was set to come on line in the second half of March 2018 with a projected 2 million liters of water per day to be treated and used as the municipal water supply. As of the beginning of March, it was the only plant on schedule. The Strandfontein desalination plant also was projected to start moving water in late March at 2 million liters per day, but ran into delays. That initial flow was expected to increase to 7 million liters per day in May. The third plant, Monwabisi, is also intended to reach 7 million liters per day. The Strandfontein plant is a temporary installation with a 24-month contract. If there is no renewal at the end of the contract, the desalination equipment will be removed by the contractor and the area will be rehabilitated to resemble the natural area it was prior to the temporary construction. Additionally, there are two groundwater projects—Cape Flats and Atlantis—and a recycled water project—Zandvilet—in the works, but those three have also run behind schedule. Several other desalination projects, including barges and ships, and reclamation and aquifer programs are also listed among those for a long-term solution, but they are still in development and planning stages, according to Cape Town’s records. Concerns from citizens have also arisen as to the nature of discharge from desalination plants back into the sea and the potential effects it may have on public safety and human health. Efrat said releasing brine back into the ocean could have an impact, but noted many desalination facilities treat the brine in some way before discharge. “The brine outflow of the Claude ‘Bud’ Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, the largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere, is blended with water discharged from the Encina Power Plant for dilution to a final salt concentration of about only 20% higher than the raw seawater salinity,” Efrat said. “Other methods, such as innovated brine diffusers may be used for ensuring efficient bring mixing with seawater.” Learning From the West The U.S. Southwest and California have been the poster child for water scarcity in the western world. California has seen its longest and most brutal drought since 2012, which has led to wildfires that have torn apart residences and set off mudslides. Californians have been especially water conscious since as early as the 1970s and 1980s, and that trend has only continued in the face of greater water scarcity. Even in early 2018, the state is considering rules and regulations on wasteful water use as permanent additions to its initial 2014 resolution for drought emergency conservation 15 regulations. These new proposals are at the behest of an executive order signed by California Gov. Edmund G. Brown, and contain proposals affecting residents, government organizations and private businesses (See sidebar, page 17). Conservation and water has a storied history in the U.S. Southwest where companies first developed zero liquid discharge to protect waterways from power plant discharge, particularly the Colorado River that serves seven states and Mexico. Protections of that river and rights to its water have been crucial in ensuring communities not only were served, but had the means to grow. California has also led the charge in recycled wastewater or, as it is more commonly called, potable reuse. Orange County Water District has pioneered this approach since 2008 when the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) was made operational. The GWRS is the world’s largest advanced water purification system for potable reuse. It treats wastewater to replenish the Orange County Water Basin, the primary groundwater source for Orange County, rather than discharge the wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. What started as a 70 million gal per day (mgd) facility was expanded to 100 mgd in 2015 with potential capacity of 130 mgd. The Sunshine State is also home to the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant which first became operational in December 2015. This plant, which had been in the works for many years, has successfully provided potable water to residents. It has been recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies and the Design-Build Institute of America for its successes (See sidebar, page 18). Efrat said it has established itself as a piece of the water scarcity puzzle in San Diego County, Calif. “San Diego County in California is a successful case of how desalination can serve as part of a mix of solutions to meet growing water demands,” Efrat said. “The Carlsbad Desalination Plant provides fresh drinking water to about 300,000 people and generates more than $50 million annually to the regional economy.” The benefits of these projects and policies are clear, but Symmonds noted that it has also resulted in an interesting problem for the state, an issue also noted by Meagan Mauter, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Because consumption has reduced, utility revenues have also dipped. “Overall, the state did quite well of meeting the mandate of 25% reduction in consumption,” Symmonds said. “[This] was a great boon for water resources. Interestingly, it put a huge hole in utility revenue. There’s a bit of a conservation conundrum in many utilities. How do you incentivize conservation without destroying revenue?” Symmonds said during the consumption mandate imposed by the California governor, affected utilities lost between $500 and $600 million in revenue collectively. That financial drop is difficult to swallow and creates tension with customers when the utility has to raise rates to balance its checkbook. 16 Financing a Solution The successes of California’s water conservation projects have come at the cost of serious investment. The first phase of the GWRS construction cost $481 million and the Carlsbad Desalination Plant was estimated at $1 billion. Finding the money to complete desalination projects in Cape Town has been one of the stumbling blocks to getting projects finished. “Building supply side stuff, it looks like it’s a good idea, but it really does put a tremendous amount of pressure, going forward, on your O&M with debt service,” Symmonds said. “They have half a dozen desal plants in construction right now [in Cape Town]. How is that going to affect the rates?” Mauter said investment must take three things into account: cost, resilience and sustainability. By measuring them, Mauter said investors can find creative ways to finance projects and make them economically viable. “Windhoek [Namibia] has a wastewater recycling plant that produced very high quality potable water for drinking and it is mixed in with other freshwater sources and delivered to customers,” Mauter said. “That technology for wastewater reuse already exists. The technology for sea water desalination already exists.” Infrastructure investments are known for costly upfront capital expenses. Mauter said public policies can drive creative financing models to overcome the economic hurdles. Israel has wastewater reuse and sea water desalination plants in place, and to get the necessary investments, the plants guarantee a certain amount of water to investors. When assessing the options for financing these large-scale projects, Mauter said the cost, resilience and sustainability of the project must all be measured by investors. While there may be a sweet spot where a project can hit all three, more often those factors are at odds with one another. “There are trade offs between those three objectives,” Mauter said. “If you want it to be low cost, you’re going to rely much more heavily on water efficiency investments. If you want it to be resilient and make sure you never run out of water, you’re probably going to invest in seawater desalination. And if you want it to be sustainable, which is to say, not very energy intensive, you want it to not have a lot of air emission externalities associated with running seawater RO plants, for instance, or unsustainable groundwater withdrawal practices that would draw down the aquifers and make those groundwater resources not available in the future. You are going to have to look at a strategy that pursues sustainability tradeoffs.” Looking Beyond Desalination In addition to desalination construction, Cape Town has implemented emergency water policies similar to California. Residents are allotted 50 liters per day and the city has worked with private entities to reduce water consumption, as well. Mauter said these are effective tools. 17 “Certainly, the technology for water conservation, whether that’s mandating low flush toilets or whether that’s constraining the days in which you are using water or are allowed to use water for certain activities, that is a source,” Mauter said. “Right now, that is the extra source they are trying to tap, but given these uncertain climate futures and variability, that source isn’t enough to ensure resiliency of their water supply.” Membrane-based reverse osmosis systems using high pressure to push water across the membrane are the standard option for treatment, Mauter said. High purity water in this system is found on the permeate side and a brine concentration can be found on the other. Because it uses such high pressure pumps, electricity consumption and its cost are a barrier to the technology’s use. Mauter said she and her colleagues have been looking at ways to improve efficiencies in this regard, particularly by changing the energy input or improving efficiency of recovery and disposal. “If you have the reject from a seawater RO plant or the reject from a brackish groundwater plant, then you would need to concentrate that brine if you weren’t near the coast,” Mauter said. “There may be brackish groundwater sources that would be less costly to treat than seawater. Then you have questions about brine disposal and high recovery. So we look for new technologies that would look for higher recovery and lower energy brine disposal.” Charl Myburgh, managing director of Tydan Control Valve and Singer Valve sales representative for South Africa, said other small efficiencies could also add up, especially by finding, fixing and reducing leakage rates. “The easiest, most cost effective way to do this is through advanced pressure management,” Myburgh said. “Pressure management is a scope of work that can be implemented under the wider water demand management strategy. With leakage figures ranging from 22% to 40% of total unaccounted water, pressure management can have an immediate impact on water savings by reducing leakage.” Options for this approach include dual stage pressure reducing valves also known as smart pressure reducing valves. Advancements in valves—like the single rolling diaphragm and anti-cavitation trim—could be put to use in Cape Town and other water scarce regions to reduce unaccounted water loss and save water. Whatever the solutions needed to stave off Cape Town’s Day Zero, the industry is getting an education on true water scarcity and how projects big and small can affect a grander solution. “It’s obviously an awful thing for Cape Town to go through, but the worse thing would be not to learn from it,” Symmonds said. 18 By Andrea Mills | OCSchoolNews@aol.com | In Our Schools PUBLISHED: April 19, 2018 at 1:23 pm | UPDATED: April 25, 2018 at 3:25 pm Canyon film students send messages Talented Canyon High School film students, under the direction of Alex Graham, have collected awards and cash from local and state entities for their public service announcement entries. Locally, Comanche Abigail Reese won $1,000 for her PSA for the Elks Club Drug Awareness Video Competition. Mana Javadi won first place and $1,000 for her PSA for an Orange County Sanitation District contest, educating consumers about the importance of wastewater treatment. Fellow Comanche Carter Audet Marrero took second place in the contest, and $500. Their videos will be used as educational PSAs throughout Orange County. In the California Directing Change contest, teams were challenged to create 60-second PSAs to prevent suicide or help change attitudes about the stigma of mental health issues. Creston Brown took first place for his film, “First Steps,” in the Mental Health Matter category in Region 1. Creston won $500, and his film will advance to statewide judging. Hallie Conrad’s film, “Proud to Be Me,” was selected as the second place winner in the Through the Lens of Culture category; she will receive a prize of $500. The third place film in the Suicide Prevention Category in Region 1 was “I Am,” created by Megan Beehler; she will earn $250. Another film, also titled “I Am,” was submitted by the team of Colette Grob, Nick Sherman, Max Furtek and Luke Fisher. It won second place and $250 in the Mental Health Matters regional category. “Don’t Be Afraid to Ask,” a film created by Isaac Resurreccion, Matthew Bachor and Lance Hahn was the Team Pick in the Suicide Prevention category and the second place winner in the Suicide Prevention Region 1 category. The team will receive a $250 prize. “Hear the Orange County Register  April 25, 2018    19 Music, ”a film submitted by Victoria Neller was the Team Pick in the Mental Health Matters category, and received an honorable mention in the Mental Health Matters regional category. Additional CHS student films receiving honorable mentions were “Talk About More” by Tiffany Le, and “What Will the People Think?” by Mana Javadi, both in the Through the Lens of Culture category. The film “#StatusOfMind,” by Camille Celifie, took honorable mention in the Mental Health Matters category for the region. 20 By: Stephen Edelstein April 4. 2018 Toyota is an outspoken proponent of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but its efforts have been stymied by lack of fueling infrastructure to support those vehicles. That's a problem Toyota is now trying to tackle in a big way. At the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota announced plans for a large-scale generating station in California that will produce both hydrogen and electricity from a renewable source. Called Tri-Gen, the station will produce approximately 2.35 megawatts of electricity and 1.2 tons of hydrogen per day, according to Toyota. That's enough to power the equivalent of 2,350 averaged-sized homes, and meet the daily-driving needs of nearly 1,500 vehicles, the automaker said. The electricity and hydrogen will be generated using bio-waste from agricultural sources. Electricity will be used to power the Toyota Logistics Services facility at the Port of Long Beach, making it the first of the automaker's U.S. facilities to run on 100 percent renewable energy. Hydrogen will be used in Toyota's Project Portal fuel-cell semi-truck, which is currently being tested at the Port of Long Beach, as well as Toyota Mirai sedans. The generating station was developed in concert with FuelCell Energy and is based on research conducted by the University of California at Irvine. The project is also backed by a host of government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy, California Air Resources Board, and the local South Coast Air Quality Management District and Orange County Sanitation District. Hydrogen fueling infrastructure has developed at a slower pace than charging infrastructure for battery-electric cars. That's not surprising, given that electric cars can rely on existing grid infrastructure for their electricity. But despite the challenges (and plans to build its own battery- powered car) Toyota remains committed to fuel cells. This big new fueling-station project is clear evidence of that. The Drive  April 4, 2018    21 Twitter Posts for March and April 2018 Tweeted 30 times and Retweeted 3 times OC Sewers @OCSewers 12s12 seconds ago Our interns went out and informed residents of @newportbeachgov last week about some local maintenance on a nearby pump station. For more information call our office at (714) 962-2411 or visit our website http://ocsd.com . OC Sewers @OCSewers 1m1 minute ago "We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action." - Dr. Henry Link #MotivationMonday OC Sewers @OCSewers 12h12 hours ago Looking to gain valuable experience to boost your resume? Look no further! Head over to http://ocsd.com/about-us/job to apply for our Intern position in Civil Engineering! #JobOpening Twitter Posts  April 2018    22 OC Sewers @OCSewers 21h21 hours ago Today is Earth Day! In honor of today, OCSD was recently interviewed by http://SoCalSafari.com for an Earth Day Special. Take a moment to check out the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlCNKxRwGYo&t=12s … Orange County Water @OCWDWaterNews 22h22 hours ago The crowd is loving #GWRS advanced purified recycled H20 on this warm SoCal day! Happy #earthday. @disneylandtoday @OCSewers OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 20 Congratulations to @CWEAMembers on your 90 years in business! What an accomplishment. Thank you also for highlighting our OCSD employees! #90years #wow #honored 23 OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 20 Last night OCSD along with @OCWDWaterNews won the Grand Prize for Environmental Communications for the #GWRS Bottled Water Campaign from the @AAEESdotORG . Click link to view the press release. https://www.ocsd.com/home/showdocument?id=24659 … CA Clean Water Pros @CWEAMembers Apr 20 CA Clean Water Pros Retweeted Nathan Chase That @OCWDWaterNews drinking water was delicious!! Thx #OCWD and @OCSewers for donating the drinking water for Thursday's conference #WaterReuse CA Clean Water Pros added, 24 Nathan Chase @everythingwater Enjoyed my first day at #cweaac and even got to meet Niles the Crocodile! Also, very excited to get a bottle of OCSD GWRS advanced purified #water! OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 20 This week, OCSD's Board Chairman & Dir. of Environmental Services were in Washington D.C. talking w/Congressional members about the GWRS Final Expansion, our Food Waste to Energy Production and the extension of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. 25 OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 20 Every Friday, we’re sharing photos of OCSD employees hard at work and we're calling it #OCSDatWork. In this picture Rick Mirolla (Instrumentation Tech II) is replacing transmitters to enhance maintenance activities at our Plant No. 2 Central Generation facility. Mark Johnson @fvsdsupt Apr 19 Had the pleasure of listening to a presentation by the @OCSewers. Super interesting to learn about all of the work that happens behind the scenes. OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 17 Posters highlighting the upcoming construction of the Western Regional Sewers Program were dropped off at @City_of_Cypress Civic Center to be displayed at various locations. Thanks Nick Mangkalakiri & Kamran Dadbeh from Cypress Public Works Dept. for helping us spread the word. 26 OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 16 Do you care about the #environment & #InformationTechnology? Then apply for our Senior Information Tech Analyst at http://ocsd.com/about-us/job . This position will be responsible for the analysis, evaluation, design, development, and testing of software. Sound like you? Check it out! OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 16 "You Learn More From Failure Than From Success. Don’t Let It Stop You. Failure Builds Character." - Author Unknown #MotivationMonday OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 16 Attention all LATTC Students, this one is for you! We have 3 openings for our 2018 Vocational Internship Program! Ready to jumpstart your #career? Then check it out at http://ocsd.com/jobs #Hiring OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 12 27 This week is Occupational Health Nurses Week! Occupational & environmental health nurses promote the health, safety and well-being of workers and their families. OCSD is fortunate to have our own Occupational Health Nurse. Nurse Gina Tetsch helps keep our workers healthy & safe! OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 12 Do you love #science and the #environment? Then check out our opening for a Principal Environmental Specialist! Your responsibilities will include a wide range of both administrative and laboratory activities! Interested? Head over to http://ocsd.com/about-us/job for more information! OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 11 Tonight, OCSD's Administration Committee meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in Fountain Valley. To view the agenda click on the link below. https://www.ocsd.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=24601 … 28 OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 10 OC Sewers Retweeted Orange County Water What a milestone indeed! We are honored to be partners with you guys! OC Sewers added, Orange County Water @OCWDWaterNews The #GWRS has produced more than 250 billion gallons of advanced purified water. What a milestone! #makinghistroy #waterreuse #getoverit @OCSewers https://www.ocwd.com/gwrs OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 9 Want to know more about the work that we do? Come take a tour. You'll be glad that you did! http://www.ocsd.com/residents/tours #What2Flush OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 9 OCSD's Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting will be taking place today at 3:30 p.m. in Fountain Valley. To view the agenda click on the link below. https://www.ocsd.com/Ho …/Components/Calendar/Event/1586/193… OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 9 OCSD is ready to help you advance your #career by developing and honing new skills! We are seeking an individual who is ready to learn and grow as an Operator-in-Training! This position performs a variety of tasks in operation & maintenance. http://ocsd.com/about-us/job 29 OC Sewers @OCSewers Apr 6 Calling all college students this one is for you! @CASA_CleanWater is offering a scholarship to those who are interested in serving the clean water community! The deadline to apply is 4/28. Interested? Head over to CASA Education Foundation for more info! #OCSD #scholarship View Tweet activity OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 30 Dont Flush Fish: http://youtu.be/UCnNAKAaOSQ?a via @YouTube OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 30 Thank you @ValenciaHeights and @LaPuenteWater for touring the OC Sanitation District and #GWRS today! 30 OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 29 Another fun day at the Children's Water Festival! The kids loved learning about OCSD and #What2flush! OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 28 We're excited to be here at the Children's Water Festival today! Can't wait to talk to the kids about #What2Flush! OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 26 This Wednesday, OCSD’s Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for @ 6 p.m., in #FountainValley. To view the agenda, visit: https://www.ocsd.com/Ho …/Components/Calendar/Event/1575/193… 31 OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 26 OCSD’s Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28 @ 5 p.m., in #FountainValley. To view the agenda, visit: https://www.ocsd.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=24557 … View Tweet activity OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 26 "If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards." - Paul Bryant #MotivationalMonday OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 24 We're at the Westminster Spring Festival until 3pm today! Come stop by and get your free #swag! 32 OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 23 Have any plans this weekend? Come visit us tomorrow at the Westminster Spring Festival held at their Civic Center. The event will be from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Hope to see you there! OC Sewers @OCSewers Mar 22 What a wonderful day to celebrate World Water Day! This year's theme is: The Answer is in Nature. Coincidence? We think not. #happyrainday #Worldwaterday2018 33 Facebook Posts for March and April 2018 Posted 36 times Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · 24 mins · Our interns went out and informed residents of Newport last week about some local maintenance on a nearby pump station. For more information call our office at (714) 962-2411 or visit our website ocsd.com. ______________________________________________________________________________ Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · 1 hr · "We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action." - Dr. Henry Link #MotivationMonday Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · Yesterday at 9:00am · Today is Earth Day! In honor of today, OCSD was recently interviewed by SoCalSafari.com for an Earth Day Special. Take a moment to check out the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlCNKxRwGYo&t=12s Facebook Posts  April 2018    34 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 21 at 12:00pm · Looking to gain valuable experience to boost your resume? Look no further! Head over to ocsd.com/about-us/job to apply for our Intern position in Civil Engineering! #JobOpening | Orange County Sanitation District The page you are looking for,http://www.ocsd.com/about-us/job, may have been removed, renamed, entered wrong, or is temporarily unavailable. OCSD.COM ______________________________________________________________________________ Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 20 at 3:34pm · Congratulations to California Water Environment Association on your 90 years in business! What an accomplishment. Thank you also for highlighting our OCSD employees! #90years #wow #honored ______________________________________________________________________________ Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 20 at 1:44pm · Last night OCSD along with the #OrangeCountyWaterDistrict won the Grand Prize for Environmental Communications for the #GWRS Bottled Water Campaign from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. Click on the link to view the press release. 35 https://www.ocsd.com/home/showdocument?id=24659 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 20 at 9:00am · Every Friday, we’re sharing photos of OCSD employees hard at work and we're calling it #OCSDatWork. In this picture Rick Mirolla (Instrumentation Tech II) is replacing transmitters to enhance maintenance activities at our Plant No. 2 Central Generation facility. Orange County Sanitation District Published by Jennifer Cabral · April 19 at 3:35pm · Today, OCSD's Board Chairman and Director of Environmental Services are in Washington D.C. talking with Congressional members about the GWRS Final Expansion, our Food Waste to Energy Production and the extension of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. 36 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 17 at 12:00pm · Keeping our communities informed. Posters highlighting the upcoming construction of the Western Regional Sewers Program were dropped off at Cypress Civic Center to be displayed at various locations throughout the city. Here we have Nick Mangkalakiri and Kamran Dadbeh from the Cypress Public Works Department ready to spread the word. Thank you Cypress for helping us keep the community aware of the upcoming projects. For more information on the program please visit www.ocsd.com/western. Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 16 at 12:00pm · Do you care about the #environment and #InformationTechnology? Then apply now for our Senior Information Technology Analyst at ocsd.com/about-us/job. This position will be responsible for the analysis, evaluation, design, development, and testing of software and hardware programs. Sounds like you? Then check it out! #Hiring | Orange County Sanitation District 37 The page you are looking for,http://www.ocsd.com/about-us/job, may have been removed, renamed, entered wrong, or is temporarily unavailable. OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 16 at 9:00am · "You Learn More From Failure Than From Success. Don’t Let It Stop You. Failure Builds Character." - Author Unknown #MotivationMonday Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 13 at 12:00pm · Cool picture of what OCSD's maintenance shop buildings looked like in the 1940’s. #Flashbackfriday Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 13 at 9:00am · Attention all LATTC Students, this one is for you! We have 3 openings for our 2018 Vocational Internship Program! Ready to jumpstart your #career? Then check it out at ocsd.com/jobs #Hiring Jobs | Orange County Sanitation District OCSD.COM 38 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 12 at 3:58pm · This week is Occupational Health Nurses Week! Occupational and environmental health nurses promote the health, safety and well-being of workers and their families while developing programs that enable healthy, engaged and productive employees. OCSD is fortunate to have our own Occupational Health Nurse. Nurse Gina Tetsch helps keep our workers healthy and safe! Thank you Gina for all that you do! Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 12 at 10:31am · Do you love #science and the #environment? Then check out our opening for a Principal Environmental Specialist! Your responsibilities will include a wide range of both administrative and laboratory activities! Interested? Head over to ocsd.com/about-us/job for more information! | Orange County Sanitation District The page you are looking for,http://www.ocsd.com/about-us/job, may have been removed, renamed, entered wrong, or is temporarily unavailable. OCSD.COM 39 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 11 at 2:57pm · OCSD's Administration Committee meeting will be taking place on tonight at 5 p.m. in Fountain Valley. To view the agenda click on the link below. https://www.ocsd.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=24601 www.ocsd.com OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 10 at 12:00pm · Attention all individuals who thrive off of providing professional level support to management! OCSD has a Maintenance Specialist Contract Management position ready to be filled! This position is dynamic as it requires oversight related to a variety of contract procedures, developing policies, and performing maintenance services. For more information as well as how to apply then head toocsd.com/about- us/job #Hiring | Orange County Sanitation District The page you are looking for,http://www.ocsd.com/about-us/job, may have been removed, renamed, entered wrong, or is temporarily unavailable. OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 9 at 11:44am · “One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.” -Michelle Obama #MotivationMonday Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 7 at 12:00pm · Orange County Sanitation District is ready to help you advance your #careerby developing and honing new skills! We are seeking an individual who is ready to learn and grow as an Operator-in-Training! 40 This position performs a variety of tasks in operation and maintenance. If this position sounds like a great fit for you, then head on over toocsd.com/about-us/job for more information as well as how to apply!#JobOpening | Orange County Sanitation District The page you are looking for,http://www.ocsd.com/about-us/job, may have been removed, renamed, entered wrong, or is temporarily unavailable. OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 6 at 12:00pm · OCSD's Legislative and Public Affairs Committee meeting will be taking place on Monday, April 9 at 3:30 p.m. in Fountain Valley. To view the agenda click on the link below. https://www.ocsd.com/Ho…/Components/Calendar/Event/1586/193… Orange County Sanitation District Published by Jennifer Cabral · April 6 at 7:16am · Calling all college students this one is for you! Are you interested in the #environment and serving the clean water community? Then @CASACleanWater has a scholarship for you! The application deadline is April 28, 2018. For more information as well as how to apply head over to CASA Education Foundation. #OCSD #scholarship Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 5 at 12:00pm · As part of the What 2 Flush campaign, we always ask people if they know what 3 things go down the toilet and they all start with the letter P! 41 The three Ps: - Pee - Poop... See More Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 3 at 12:00pm · Do you enjoy performing a wide variety of complex engineering duties? Then look no further! We're currently looking to fill the role of an Engineer at Plant No. 1. If you think this might be for you, check out the listing at ocsd.com/about-us/job #JobOpening #Hiring | Orange County Sanitation District The page you are looking for,http://www.ocsd.com/about-us/job, may have been removed, renamed, entered wrong, or is temporarily unavailable. OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 2 at 12:00pm · OCSD's Operations Committee is taking place on Wednesday, April 4 at 5 p.m. in #FountainValley. To view the agenda click the link below. https://www.ocsd.com/Ho…/Components/Calendar/Event/1586/193… www.ocsd.com OCSD.COM 42 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 2 at 10:00am · "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John F. Kennedy #MotivationMonday Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · April 1 at 9:00am · Happy Easter from the Orange County Sanitation District! Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 31 at 9:00am · Want to know more about the work that we do? Come take a tour. You'll be glad that you did! http://www.ocsd.com/residents/tours Flush2What# Come join us on a tour! | Orange County Sanitation District 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 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Rebecca Gorelick Long · March 30 at 2:34pm · Thank you @ValenciaHeights and @LaPuenteWater for touring the OC Sanitation District and #GWRS today! 43 ______________________________________________________________________________ Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 29 at 1:05pm · Another awesome day here at Children's Water Education Festival! The kids had a blast learning about OCSD and knowing #What2flush! Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 28 at 9:39am · We're excited to be here at the Children's Water Festival today! Can't wait to talk to the kids about #What2Flush! 44 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 26 at 3:00pm · OCSD’s Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28 @ 5 p.m., in #FountainValley. To view the agenda, visit: https://www.ocsd.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=24557 www.ocsd.com OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 26 at 12:00pm · This Wednesday, OCSD’s Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for @ 6 p.m., in #FountainValley. To view the agenda, visit: https://www.ocsd.com/Ho…/Components/Calendar/Event/1575/193… Board of Directors Meeting OCSD.COM Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 26 at 9:00am · "If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards." - Paul Bryant #MotivationalMonday 45 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 24 at 10:31am · Today we're at the Westminster Spring Festival! Come stop by our booth and get some free #swag! We're here until 3pm! Orange County Sanitation District Published by Kelly Newell · March 23 · Have any plans this weekend? Come visit us tomorrow at the Westminster Spring Festival held at their Civic Center. The event will be from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Hope to see you there! 46 Orange County Sanitation District Published by Rebecca Gorelick Long · March 22 · What a wonderful day to celebrate World Water Day! This year's theme is: The Answer is in Nature. Coincidence? We think not. #happyrainday#Worldwaterday2018 ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT COMMON ACRONYMS ACWA Association of California Water Agencies LAFCO Local Agency Formation Commission SARFPA Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency APWA American Public Works Association LOS Level Of Service SARI Santa Ana River Interceptor AQMD Air Quality Management District MGD Million Gallons Per Day SARWQCB Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers MOU Memorandum of Understanding SAWPA Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand NACWA National Association of Clean Water Agencies SCADA Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition CARB California Air Resources Board NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations SCAP Southern California Alliance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works CASA California Association of Sanitation Agencies NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District CCTV Closed Circuit Television NWRI National Water Research Institute SOCWA South Orange County Wastewater Authority CEQA California Environmental Quality Act O & M Operations & Maintenance SRF Clean Water State Revolving Fund CIP Capital Improvement Program OCCOG Orange County Council of Governments SSMP Sewer System Management Plan CRWQCB California Regional Water Quality Control Board OCHCA Orange County Health Care Agency SSO Sanitary Sewer Overflow CWA Clean Water Act OCSD Orange County Sanitation District SWRCB State Water Resources Control Board CWEA California Water Environment Association OCWD Orange County Water District TDS Total Dissolved Solids EIR Environmental Impact Report OOBS Ocean Outfall Booster Station TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load EMT Executive Management Team OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration TSS Total Suspended Solids EPA US Environmental Protection Agency PCSA Professional Consultant/Construction Services Agreement WDR Waste Discharge Requirements FOG Fats, Oils, and Grease PDSA Professional Design Services Agreement WEF Water Environment Federation gpd gallons per day POTW Publicly Owned Treatment Works WERF Water Environment & Reuse Foundation GWRS Groundwater Replenishment System ppm parts per million WIFIA Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act ICS Incident Command System PSA Professional Services Agreement WIIN Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act IERP Integrated Emergency Response Plan RFP Request For Proposal WRDA Water Resources Development Act JPA Joint Powers Authority RWQCB Regional Water Quality Control Board ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT GLOSSARY OF TERMS 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 farmland or further processed as an earth-like product for commercial and home gardens to improve and maintain fertile soil and stimulate plant growth. 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. coli 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 (D/T) – The dilution at which the majority of people detect the odor becomes the D/T for that air sample. GREENHOUSE GASES (GHG) – 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 SYSTEM (GWRS) – 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 per day of drinking quality water to replenish the local groundwater supply. LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS) – Goals to support environmental and public expectations for performance. N-NITROSODIMETHYLAMINE (NDMA) – A N-nitrosamine 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 and Water Environment Federation, with advisory support from the US Environmental Protection Agency. NBP is committed to developing and advancing environmentally sound and sustainable biosolids management practices that go beyond regulatory compliance and promote public participation 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) – A 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 runoff. 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. The Orange County Sanitation District’s service area is in the Santa Ana River Watershed.