Board of Public Utilities

Council Chamber City of Santa Rosa 100 Santa Rosa Avenue Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting Minutes - Final Thursday, October 19, 2023 1:30 PM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Galvin called the meeting to order at 1:31 p.m. Present 6 - Chair Daniel Galvin III, Vice Chair William Arnone Jr., Board Member Lisa Badenfort, Board Member Robin Bartholow, Board Member Mark Walsh, and Board Member Glen Wright 2. STATEMENTS OF ABSTENTION BY BOARD MEMBERS Board Member Bartholow recused herself from Items 5.1 and 5.2 due to her employment with the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. 3. STUDY SESSION None. 4. MINUTES APPROVAL October 5, 2023 - Regular Meeting Minutes - DRAFT The October 5, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes were approved as submitted. 5. STAFF BRIEFINGS Board Member Bartholow left Council Chamber at 1:32 p.m. 5.1 RECYCLED WATER SUPPLY UPDATE Staff will update the Board on recycled water supply issues. The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff. Andrew Romero, Wastewater Reclamation Superintendent, presented. 5.2 UPDATE ON RUSSIAN RIVER WATER FORUM AND POTTER VALLEY PROJECT Staff will provide an update on the Russian River Water Forum, which is a grant funded collaborative effort to identify water supply resiliency City of Santa Rosa Regular Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 6 Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting Minutes - Final October 19, 2023 solutions in response to the planned license surrender and decommissioning of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E’s) Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, as well as the recent proposal to PG&E from the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, the Round Valley Indian Tribes, and the Sonoma County Water Agency, to create a regional entity that would advance a regional solution for preserving flows in the Russian River and improving Eel River fisheries. The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff. This item was originally continued from the August 17, 2023 Board of Public Utilities meeting. Chair Galvin reordered the agenda so that Item 5.5 will be heard after item 5.2. Jennifer Burke, Director - Santa Rosa Water, presented and answered Board Member questions. Board Member Bartholow entered Council Chamber at 1:51 p.m. 5.3 WATER SUPPLY UPDATE Staff will update the Board on water supply issues. The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff. Peter Martin, Deputy Director - Water Resources, presented and answered Board Member questions. 5.4 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF OPERATING THE SANTA ROSA GEYSERS RECHARGE PROJECT In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project, staff will provide a brief history of the project and plans to highlight its continued benefits to the region. The award-winning, nationally recognized, project was completed in 2003 and is a partnership between Santa Rosa Water and the Calpine Corporation to deliver Santa Rosa's recycled water, via a 41-mile-long pipeline, to Calpine's geothermal operations to recharge the steamfields and produce clean and renewable energy for the region. The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff. Board Member Walsh left Council Chamber at 2:30 p.m. City of Santa Rosa Regular Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 6 Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting Minutes - Final October 19, 2023 Elise Miller, Communications Coordinator, presented. 5.5 CALIFORNIA STORMWATER QUALITY ASSOCIATION AWARD PRESENTATION The California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) will present the City of Santa Rosa with awards for the City's outstanding efforts to protect our community’s waterways from pollutants, including: (1) the 2023 Outstanding Public Outreach Project Award, to the Storm Water and Creek's Team for their Streets to Creeks education campaign; (2) the 2023 Best Management Practice Implementation Project Award, to the City's IT Department, who partnered with Storm Water and Creeks to develop an in-house Low Impact Development software program and database; and (3) the 2023 Outstanding Stormwater Science Project or Program - Student, to Claudia Mayo (Storm Water and Creeks Intern) and Sonoma State University, for analysis of water quality near areas of homeless activity on Santa Rosa Creek and Russel Creek. The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff. Claire Myers, Storm Water and Creeks Manager, and Karen Cowen, Executive Director - California Stormwater Quality Association presented. Board Members gave the award winners, and the Santa Rosa Water team, congratulations. 6. CONSENT ITEMS A motion was made by Board Member Wright, seconded by Board Member Bartholow, to approve Consent Item 6.1. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5 - Chair Galvin III, Vice Chair Arnone Jr., Board Member Badenfort, Board Member Bartholow and Board Member Wright Absent: 1 - Board Member Walsh 6.1 MOTION - APPROVAL - F002525 FIRST AMENDMENT FOR BIOSOLIDS HAULING SERVICES City of Santa Rosa Regular Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6 Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting Minutes - Final October 19, 2023 RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water and the Finance Department that the Board of Public Utilities, by motion, approve the First Amendment to General Services Agreement F002525 for a one-year extension and increase in compensation for biosolids hauling services with Poncia Fertilizer, Inc., Cotati, CA in the amount of $745,035, for a total cumulative amount not to exceed $1,470,430. This Consent - Motion was approved. 7. REPORT ITEMS None. 8. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS None. 9. REFERRALS None. 10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (AND POSSIBLE BOARD DISCUSSION) None. 11. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS None. 12. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Vice Chair Arnone spoke about Water Professionals Week. 13. DIRECTORS REPORTS Director Burke reported: The Local Operations Leak crew responded Saturday, October 7th, to repair a 6” ACP main break on Rivera Dr. Although the crew was able to make the repair quickly, and get the impacted residents quickly supplied with water, there was a 15-foot section of street that was damaged from the flowing water. The Leak Crew was able to make a temporary repair to the street to get traffic flowing and the Transportation and Public Works Patch Crew was tasked with the final asphalt repair.The residents in the surrounding area were very happy with the completed repair and the short time frame they were out of water. We received multiple City of Santa Rosa Regular Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 6 Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting Minutes - Final October 19, 2023 emails thanking the crew for their quick response and great customer service. The Water Department has partnered with GHD to develop the Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) which began in June. A SAMP which is a critical tool for organizations to proactively manage their assets in a way that supports their strategic objectives, ensures efficient and effective asset utilization, and minimizes risks and costs. It provides a structured approach to asset management that helps organizations optimize their resources and make informed, data-driven decisions. Since June, the City and GHD, have worked to establish the current state of the asset management program, an essential step in identifying areas where the program needs improvement. The next steps in the project will define what is important to Santa Rosa Water and develop an achievable 5-year roadmap for improvement of the program. The final SAMP is expected to be completed in February of 2024. Update on Santa Rosa Water’s direct install program: At this point, over 1,300 toilets have been approved for installation by the five qualified plumbing contractors. Of those 1,300 approved, about 1,000 have already been invoiced to the City as being installed. Water Use Efficiency staff are processing those invoices at a very rapid rate which is good news for the timeline for the first phase of the program implementation. Santa Rosa Water is anticipating the second round of funding from the US Bureau of Reclamation via the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership, which will become available in fall 2024, which will allow the program to install approximately 2,000 additional toilets. A waitlist is open and accepting customers for the next round of installations. Staff will return to the Board with an update regarding this funding once formal agreements are circulated. Staff have likely remedied an electrical issue affecting Mayacamas Pumps 4 and 5 on the Geysers system, which constitutes restoration of full system flow capacity. The system is running stable City of Santa Rosa Regular Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 6 Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting Minutes - Final October 19, 2023 and, if it continues to over the next few weeks, we will consider the problem resolved. Director Burke answered Board Member questions. 14. ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING Chair Galvin adjourned the meeting at 2:45 p.m. The next Board of Public Utilities meeting is scheduled for November 2, 2023. Approved on: November 2, 2023 ___/S/_________________________ Michelle Montoya Recording Secretary