Jan 23, 2025 Utilities Commission

[00:00:01]

WELCOME THE MEETING'S.

CALL

[CALL TO ORDER]

I CALL ON TYING FOR THE PLEDGE

[PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]

[ROLL CALL]

THANK YOU.

OKAY, WE'LL HAVE THE ROLL CALL, VOTE NOW.

DINA PLEDGE.

PRESIDENT MCGUIRE.

PRESENT VICE PRESIDENT SCOTT PRESENT.

SECRETARY CORDERO.

HERE.

COMMISSIONER SHANNON.

COMMISSIONER

[1. 25-54120 Recommendation to approve the January 9, 2025 Board meeting minutes.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

COMMISSIONER RAINEY.

YOU HAVE A QUORUM.

THANK YOU.

GREAT, THANK YOU.

ON OUR REGULAR AGENDA, UH, NUMBER ONE, ITEM NUMBER ONE IS TO APPROVE THE JANUARY 9TH, 2025 BOARD MEETING MINUTES.

ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? SEEING NONE, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND,

[2. 25-54121 Recommendation to adopt Specifications UD-25-219 and authorize the General Manager to execute an agreement, and any necessary amendments with Ferguson Enterprises LLC., to furnish and deliver miscellaneous water works materials and bronze products in an annual amount not to exceed $715,000 for a period of one (1) year, and authorize the General Manager to exercise the option to renew for two additional one-year periods, subject to a maximum annual increase of 7.5 percent.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

THANK YOU.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU.

ITEM NUMBER TWO IS TO ADOPT SPECIFICATIONS UD 25 DASH TWO 19 AND AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH FERGUSON ENTERPRISES LLC TO FURNISH AND DELIVER MISCELLANEOUS WATERWORKS MATERIALS AND BRONZE PRODUCTS.

I CALL ON MIKE SOLAS.

HEY, HEY.

DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PRESENTATION OR ELSE MIKE'S GONNA GET REALLY TRIPPED UP.

THAT'S OKAY.

MIKE, I, YOU COULD DO THE PRESENTATION FOR ME.

I, I BELIEVE YOU COULD DO IT.

THEY HAD THE WRONG ONE UP.

IS THAT BETTER PART OF NORMAL OPERATIONS? WE INSTALL AND REPAIR NUMEROUS SMALL TO MEDIUM WATER SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

UH, FOR THIS WE USE A VARIETY OF FITTINGS TO CONNECT TO THE WATER SERVICES, TO THE WATER MAIN AND TO THE WATER METER.

SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS ARE PRESENTED HERE ON THE LEFT, YOU CAN SEE A SADDLE INCORPORATION STOP.

THEY'RE USED TO CONNECT THE WATER SERVICE TO THE WATER MAIN.

ON THE RIGHT YOU CAN SEE AN ANGLE METER STOP AND A METER BUSHING THAT CONNECT TO THE WATER METER FROM THE SERVICE AND LEAD.

NOW THE WATER METER IS A METER COUPLING THAT ALLOWS THE CUSTOMER TO CONNECT TO US ON THIS CONTRACTOR.

ALSO, ITEMS USED FOR REPAIRING THE WATER PIPELINES DURING EMERGENCIES WHEN MAIN BREAKS HAPPEN, WE EITHER USE A FULL CIRCLE REPAIR CLAMP SING ON THE LEFT, OR WE MAY HAVE TO CUT OUT A SPLIT SECTION OF PIPE AND USE LARGE COMPRESSION TYPE COUPLINGS TO REPLACE THE PIPE.

SENE IS THE PICTURE ON YOUR RIGHT TO GET THE MAIN BACKEND SERVICE, WE WENT OUT TO BID FOR THE SPECIFICATIONS WE POSTED ON LONG BEACH BUYS.

LONG BEACH BUYS 17 PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS WERE NOTIFIED, SIX OF WHICH WERE LONG BEACH VENDORS.

OF THOSE NOTIFIED ONLY THREE, ONE OF WHICH WAS ALSO A LONG BEACH VENDOR DOWNLOADED THE SPECIFICATIONS IN THIS CASE.

AT THE TIME.

IN CLOSING, WE RECEIVED THREE BIDS WITH FERGUSON WATERWORKS OR FERGUSON ENTERPRISE BEING THE LOWEST RESPONSIVE BIDDER.

WITH THAT STAFF WILL REQUEST THAT YOU APPROVE AND ADOPT THE SPECIFICATION AND AWARD TO FERGUSON ENTERPRISES FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE OR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, STAFF REQUESTS THE BOARD ADOPT SPECIFICATIONS UD 25 19 AND AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT IN ANY NECESSARY AMENDMENTS WITH FERGUSON ENTERPRISES LLC TO FURNISH AND DELIVER MISCELLANEOUS WATERWORKS MATERIALS AND BRONZE PRODUCT ANNUAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $715,000 FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR.

AND AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXERCISE THE OPTION TO RENEW FOR TWO ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR PERIODS, SUBJECT TO A MAXIMUM ANNUAL INCREASE OF 7.5%.

WITH THAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

OKAY, MIKE, THANK YOU.

SHORT AND SWEET.

ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? ANY COMMISSIONER COMMENT? COMMISSIONER, EXCUSE ME.

I'M, I'M OBVIOUSLY, I'M MISSING SOMETHING.

THE AMOUNT THAT THEY BID WAS 4 640 6,000.

THERE'S SEVEN 50.

THERE'S A SMALL CONTINGENCY IN THERE FOR EMERGENCY STUFF, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME LINE ITEMS ON THERE BECAUSE OF THE NUMEROUS SADDLES AND TAPPING SLEEVES AND REPAIR CLAMPS THAT WE WOULD NEED.

WE BID THOSE AS A GENERAL DISCOUNT TO LINE ITEMS TO, UH, PUBLISHED, PUBLISHED PRICE SHEETS.

YEAH, IT WAS IT, SORRY TO JUMP IN.

SO IT WAS AN INVITATION TO BID AS OPPOSED TO

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DO YOU WANNA CLARIFY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE INVITATION TO BID WORKS TO GET THESE AMOUNTS AS OPPOSED TO THE CONTRACT AMOUNT? ALRIGHT, SO FOR THIS INVITATION TO BID, WE LOOKED AT WHAT WE HAVE HISTORICALLY ORDERED OVER A YEAR'S PERIOD.

AND SO WE PUT THOSE AS THE LIST OF LINE ITEMS THAT WE WOULD COMPARE TO PRICING AGAINST.

AND WHAT THEY CAME OUT TO WAS 649 OR $650,000.

AND SO WITH THE ACTUAL CONTRACT REQUEST, WE'RE ASKING FOR THE 650 PLUS A 10% CONTINGENCY.

SO THEN THAT TAKE IT FROM 650,000 TO 715,000.

WHEN, WHEN WE ADDED THE CONTINGENCY.

THAT'S JUST FOR LIKE WHAT MIKE WAS SAYING WAS ANY, ANY ITEMS AND ANY ISSUES THAT COME UP THAT WE LIKE HISTORICALLY HAVE NOT HAD TO DEAL WITH.

UM, WE JUST HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BUFFER AND IF WE EXCEED THAT, WE'LL OBVIOUSLY COME BACK TO BOARD TO ASK FOR MORE FUNDING AUTHORIZATION.

HAVE YOU DEALT WITH FERGUSON BEFORE? YES, THEY HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE SUPPLIERS FOR US FOR A LONG TIME.

OH, I'M, I'M STILL NOT GETTING IT.

THESE, THESE THREE BIDS ARE VERY CLOSE.

THE, THE FIRST TWO BIDS ARE VERY CLOSE.

UM, AND YOU, YOU PURPORT TO GIVE IT TO FERGUSON BECAUSE THERE'S A, THEY'RE THE LOW BIDDER.

DO WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE LOW SINCE, SINCE WE'RE GIVING THEM 750,000, 15,000 BASED ON, BASED ON THE, THE LINE ITEMS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT WE WILL PURCHASE OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, THEY, IF WE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THOSE LINE ITEMS AND BASED ON THE PRICING THEY PROVIDED THE UNIT PRICING, THEY WOULD BE THE LOW BIDDER.

WELL, I'VE JUST RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED TO MAKE THAT A LITTLE CLEARER.

YEAH, I MEAN WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO POINT OUT IN TERMS OF PROCUREMENT METHODS, THE ASPECT OF HOW AN INVITATION TO BID WORKS AND HOW THERE HAS TO BE AN ESTIMATE OF OFF OF WHICH EVERYBODY CAN FAIRLY BID WHAT THEIR PRICES ARE GOING TO BE.

AND THEN GOING FORWARD, WE HAVE THE BUDGET THAT WE SET AND WE HAVE EXPECTATIONS OF HOW TO MANAGE THAT BUDGET.

AND THEN THAT IS THE CONTRACT GOING FORWARD.

BUT FOR CONSISTENCY SAKE AND TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A FAIR SHOT AT QUANTIFYING HOW THEY WILL PRICE THEIR ITEMS, WE USE THE PREVIOUS, UH, HISTORY.

SO, SO LET ME, LET ME FURTHER CLARIFY.

IF YOU'LL, UM, SO THERE WAS OVER 150 LINE ITEMS OF MATERIALS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF MATERIAL WE BOUGHT, WHETHER IT'S A ONE INCH COUPLING OR INCH AND A HALF COUPLING OR EIGHT INCH FULL CIRCLE CLAP.

SO WE WOULD LIST ALL THE ITEMS THAT WE WOULD POTENTIALLY BUY AND THE QUANTITIES THAT WE WOULD BUY ON EACH OF THOSE ITEMS. SO THE BIDDERS ARE GIVEN THIS LIST WITH QUANTITIES AND THEN THEY WOULD SAY, OKAY, FOR THIS ITEM WE WOULD BID $15 AND 25 CENTS FOR THIS ITEM WOULD BE $625.

AND THEN WE MULTIPLY THAT AGAINST THE QUANTITY AND THEN WE GET A TOTAL PRICING.

SO EVERYBODY GETS THE SAME BID LIST, UM, OF ITEMS THAT WE WOULD POTENTIALLY BUY AND THEN EVERYBODY WOULD SUBMIT A PRICE FOR THAT BID LIST.

AND THEN USING THAT BID LIST IN THE TOTAL PRICING, UM, FERGUSON WAS 650 AND THE LOWEST OF THAT, OF THE THREE BIDDERS.

WELL, DID YOU HAVE, DID YOU HAVE THE BID LIST, UH, DURING THIS PROCESS? YOU SAID PRIOR HISTORY.

DID PRIOR HISTORY ENTER INTO THIS AT ALL? YES.

SO, SO THE BILL LIST IS GENERATED FROM PRIOR PURCHASES OR PRICE PRIOR USAGE RATES? YOU MEAN PRIOR HISTORY WITH FERGUSON? NO, JUST PRIOR HISTORY.

UH, WHAT WE, WE, WHAT WE WOULD USE.

DOES THE CITY ATTORNEY HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS PROCESS? NO.

OKAY.

ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER COMMENT? YES.

UH, DOES THIS INCLUDE FIRE HYDRANTS THIS BID? NO, IT DOES NOT.

FIRE HYDRANTS ARE A SEPARATE CONTRACT.

THANK YOU.

[3. 25-54122 Recommendation to authorize the General Manager to execute an agreement, and any necessary documents and subsequent amendments, with Woodard & Curran, Inc., a Maine corporation, to provide professional consulting services to develop a 2025 Water Resources Plan, in an amount not to exceed $674,245.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

SEEING NONE, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION? THANK YOU.

HAVE A SECOND AS WELL.

THANK YOU.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIES.

THANKS, MIKE.

ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH WOODWARD AND KERN INCORPORATED A MAIN CORPORATION TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES TO DEVELOP A 2025 WATER RESOURCES PLAN, I CALL ON DEAN WANG.

HI, DEAN.

GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS.

UH, SO THIS ITEM BEFORE THE BOARD IS FOR A, UH, PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES CONTRACT TO PERFORM, UH, AN ANALYSIS FOR OUR WATER RESOURCES PLAN FOR 2025 TO GIVE THE BOARD A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT, UH, EACH FIVE YEARS REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

THIS IS THE NEXT PRESENTATION, SO NO, NO POWERPOINT FOR THIS ITEM.

THAT WOULD BE FOR THE NEXT ONE.

UH, BUT, UH, EACH FIVE YEARS THE STATE REQUIRES US TO PROVIDE, UH, URBAN

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AND SO AS PART OF, UH, THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, UH, GOES INTO, UH, THAT REPORT, OUR DEMAND ANALYSIS, THE SUPPLY RELIABILITY ANALYSIS, UM, AND ALSO, UH, FORECASTING THROUGH THE YEAR 2050.

AND SO A LOT OF THAT TECHNICAL, TECHNICAL ANALYSIS IS GOING TO BE PERFORMED THROUGH THIS WATER RESOURCES PLAN.

WHAT THE WATER RESOURCES PLAN ALLOWS US TO DO AHEAD OF THE URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN IS FOR THE BOARD AND OUR GENERAL PUBLIC TO, UH, PROVIDE INPUT AND FEEDBACK INTO THE WAYS, UH, THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL, UH, PURSUE OUR DIFFERENT WATER SUPPLY OPTIONS.

AND SO THAT, UH, ALLOWS THE BOARD TO WEIGH IN ON OUR DIFFERENT PRIORITIES AND VALUES AS COMMUNITY, UH, BY THAT INPUT INTO OUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

AND SO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THE WATER, RE WATER RESOURCES PLAN PROCESS, THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF BOARD WORKSHOPS.

UH, AND SO I DO WANNA TIE THIS TO THE NEXT TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.

SO LEADING UP TO THESE WORKSHOPS FOR THE WATER RESOURCES PLAN, UM, TODAY WE HAVE A WATER SUPPLY UPDATE.

UH, AND AS I PROMISED IN THE LAST WATER SUPPLY UPDATE WILL BE, UH, MONTHLY HAVING DIFFERENT EXPERTS ACROSS OUR DIFFERENT WATER SUPPLIES COME AND PRESENT.

SO TODAY WE HAVE A PRESENTER FROM, UH, WATER REPLENISHMENT DISTRICT TO HELP EDUCATE THE BOARD ON THE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WE FACE IN OUR GROUNDWATER.

UH, AND SUBSEQUENT PRESENTATIONS, YOU'LL, UH, HEAR PRESENTATIONS ON OUR DIFFERENT WATER SUPPLIES.

AND SO ALL OF THAT WILL HELP YOU TO, UH, BE MORE INFORMED AND PROVIDE BETTER INPUT TOWARDS THE WATER RESOURCES PLANNING PROCESS THAT WILL HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT.

UH, AND SO ALL OF THAT ALSO HELPS TO, UH, INFORM AND EDUCATE YOU LEADING UP TO THE BOARD RETREAT, WHICH ANTO WILL PRESENT ON LATER AS WELL.

SO A LOT OF WATER RESOURCES INFORMATION WILL BE COMING AT YOU GUYS IN THE NEXT MONTH.

UH, SO BE PREPARED.

UH, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO, TO PIECE IT, UH, UH, PARCEL IT OUT SO IT'S NOT TOO MUCH INFORMATION ALL AT ONCE.

AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, I, I'M SURE YOU WILL ASK, BUT, UM, I I'M TRYING TO KEEP THIS HIGH LEVEL ENOUGH AND SHORT ENOUGH, UH, CONTENT TO MAKE IT MANAGEABLE.

SO , WE WILL GO VERY, VERY, UH, DETAILED AND HIGH LEVEL FOR YOU.

UM, SO, SO BACK TO THE WATER RESOURCES PLAN.

UH, WE, WE ISSUED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS IN AUGUST 20, UH, AUGUST 9TH, 2024.

SIX PROPOSALS WERE RECEIVED.

WE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH, UH, THREE OF THE, UH, PROPOSAL PROPOSERS AND, UH, ENDED UP SELECTING WOOD AND CURRENT BASED ON THE CRITERIA IN THE RFP.

AND SO WITH THAT, THE RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD IS TO, UH, AUTHORIZE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE, UH, AN AGREEMENT WITH WOOD AND CURRENT, AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $674,245.

I WOULD LIKE TO, TO NOTE THAT, UH, WE DID RECEIVE A GRANT FROM THE US BUREAU OF RECLAMATION FOR $300,000 TO HELP OFFSET THE COST OF THIS PROJECT.

THAT I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD.

GREAT.

THAT'S AMAZING.

WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF THAT , BUT EDUCATION, UH, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? ANY COMMISSIONER COMMENT? YES.

SO, UM, THREE SEVEN, CORRECT.

UP TO

[4. 25-54124 Receive verbal presentation – Water Supply Update.       Suggested Action: Receive verbal report. ]

GREAT QUESTION.

, ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? OKAY, SOUNDS GOOD.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO, MOVE.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SANON SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER RAINEY.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU.

OKAY, YOU'VE STAYED IN PLACE .

UM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR, TO RECEIVE A VERBAL PRESENTATION FROM DEAN WANG ON WATER SUPPLY UPDATE.

HEY, GOOD MORNING AGAIN.

SO, UH, I, I BRING UP THIS, UH, TIMELINE JUST TO, TO REMIND THE BOARD, UH, BACK IN DECEMBER WAS OUR FIRST WATER SUPPLY UPDATE OF THIS WATER YEAR.

UH, SO HERE WE ARE IN JANUARY WITH THE SECOND WATER SUPPLY UPDATE, AND WE WILL CONTINUE THESE, UH, LIKELY THROUGH MAY, UH, WHICH IS WHEN, UH, WE ANTICIPATE GETTING THE FINAL STATE WATER PROJECT ALLOCATION.

UH, SO AGAIN, AS A REMINDER, UH, ON, ON THE RIGHT ARE LISTED, UH, THE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT WATER SOURCES THAT, UH, LONG BEACH HAS ACCESS TO, UH, TODAY.

UH, JUST IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A GUEST PRESENTER, I'M GONNA KEEP IT BRIEF AND JUST TO THE, THE KEY HIGHLIGHT FOR THIS MONTH, WHICH I BELIEVE WOULD BE THE STATE WATER PROJECT.

UH, AND THEN FOR GROUNDWATER, I'LL BE PASSING IT OVER TO OUR, OUR GUEST PRESENTER.

SO JUST A QUICK NOTE ON

[00:15:01]

UH, JUST TO TRACK, UH, LAST MONTH I PRESENTED AND WE WERE TRACKING, UH, PRETTY CLOSE TO THE AVERAGE HYDROLOGY.

UM, THE STATE WATER PROJECT ALLOCATION HAD COME OUT INITIALLY, UH, QUITE LOW BECAUSE, UH, SOME OF THE DECEMBER STORMS HAD NOT BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR YET.

AND SO THIS GRAPH IS JUST TO SHOW THAT THE TRACKING OF THE, THE, UM, PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTHERN SIERRA, UH, AREA.

AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE DECI DECEMBER PRECIPITATION, WHICH HAS BEEN NOW FACTORED INTO THE UPDATED STATE WATER PROJECT ALLOCATION, WHICH IS 15% IN JANUARY.

AND SO, UH, JUST AS A, UH, FOR CONTEXT, UH, 15% AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, UH, IT, IT IS NOT NECESSARILY GOOD OR BAD.

UH, AND SO JUST TO, TO GIVE A LITTLE BRIEF LOOK BACK AT HISTORY BACK IN 2023, THE INITIAL ALLOCATION WAS THE SAME DECEMBER, UH, ALLOCATION OF 5%, AND WE ENDED UP AT THE YEAR AT A HUNDRED PERCENT.

AND SO THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND HOW THE RAINFALL COMES IN CAN REALLY, UH, SHIFT THE FINAL ALLOCATION.

UH, AND SO JUST AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE, IN 2021, WE ACTUALLY STARTED A HIGHER ALLOCATION OF 10% AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY DRY YEAR FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, AND WE ENDED UP AT, UH, A 5% ALLOCATION AT THE END OF THE WATER YEAR.

SO REALLY AT THIS POINT, IT'S, IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL.

WE HAVE TO SEE HOW THE PRECIPITATION FOR THE REST OF THE, THE, UH, RAINY SEASON COMES OUT.

BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE QUICK UPDATE.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL BE PASSING OVER THIS NEXT, UH, PRESENTATION TO OUR GUEST PRESENTER.

I HAVE HERE, UH, BRIAN PARTINGTON.

HE'S OUR, UH, MANAGER OF HYDROGEOLOGY, I, I SHOULDN'T SAY OURS.

HE'S, UH, OUR WATER REPLENISHMENT DISTRICT'S MANAGER OF HYDROGEOLOGY, UH, EXPERT, TECHNICAL EXPERT THAT WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS MUCH, UH, DETAILED AND MUCH HIGHER LEVEL THAN I WOULD BE ABLE TO.

SO, UH, COMMISSIONER SHANNON, FEEL FREE TO ASK HIM VERY HARD QUESTIONS.

, I CAN GO AS HIGH AND LOW AS YOU WANT.

AND, UH, YEAH, I AM KIND OF AN EMPLOYEE OF YOURS BECAUSE, UH, YOU GUYS PAY FOR OUR REPLENISHMENT, WHICH, SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITE, UH, COMMISSIONERS.

UH, TODAY I WAS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A, A HISTORY LESSON, UM, WHERE THE GROUNDWATER BASIN WAS AND WHY OUR AGENCY WAS FORMED, AND THEN WRAP IT UP WITH SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE WANT TO DO AND MAKE US LOCALLY SUSTAINABLE.

I THINK THAT'S KIND OF LEADING INTO A LOT OF THE STUFF THAT ANNA TOLD GONNA TALK HERE.

SO, UH, VERY HIGH LEVEL.

SO, UH, THE WATER REPLENISHMENT DISTRICT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING TWO ADJUDICATED BASINS.

ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE SHOWS THE SERVICE AREA THAT WE HAVE ON, UH, TWO DIFFERENT BASINS, THE CENTRAL BASIN AND THE WEST COAST BASIN.

UH, YOU GUYS HAPPEN TO PULL MOST OF YOUR WATER, MOST OF YOUR ADJUDICATED RIGHTS ARE IN THE CENTRAL BASIN, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT OF RIGHTS IN THE WEST COAST BASIN, SO YOU'RE STRADDLING BOTH OF THEM.

NOW, ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE YEARS IS THAT THE JUDGMENTS HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES, UH, AND THE MOST RECENT CHANGE, UH, FINALLY ALLOWED US TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE STORAGE SPACE IN THE BASIN.

SO JUST IMAGINE A PLACE WHERE WE COULD PARK A BUNCH OF WATER SO THAT WE COULD PULL IT OUT LATER.

AND WHAT THAT HAPPENS, WHAT THAT HELPS US WITH IS HOW WE CAN MANAGE THE BASIN OVERALL AND EVENTUALLY LEAD US TOWARDS LOCALLY SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLIES.

NOT FOR JUST LONG BEACH, BUT FOR EVERYBODY IN OUR REGION.

SO OUR SERVICE AREA IS ABOUT 420 SQUARE MILES.

WE REPRESENT 43 CITIES, INCLUDING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, AND WE HAVE ABOUT 4 MILLION RESIDENTS.

SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE USE QUITE A BIT OF WATER EVERY YEAR.

IT'S ABOUT 550,000 ACRE FEET PER YEAR.

AND JUST TO PUT THAT IN THE CONTEXT, I ALWAYS THINK OF AN ACRE, FEET OF WATER AS A FOOTBALL FIELD WITH A FOOT OF WATER ON TOP.

THAT GIVES YOU A GOOD VISUAL OF THAT.

WE USE 550,000.

NOW WE'RE FORTUNATE BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME EXTENSIVE GROUNDWATER BASINS THROUGHOUT OUR AREA, AND WE'RE ABLE TO PULL A LOT OF THAT WATER HERE LOCALLY.

AND LONG BEACH IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST PUMPER IN OUR BASIN.

SO IF WE GO BACK TO, UH, THE EARLY PART OF THE 19 HUNDREDS, UH, WE WOULD HAVE THIS MAP FROM MENDEN HALL OF 1904.

AND WHAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT IS THAT WATER WAS EXTREMELY PLENTIFUL IN OUR BASIN IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 19 HUNDREDS IN THIS AREA THAT I'M SHOWING ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, THIS IS AN AREA WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THAT WE'RE SLOWING ARTESIAN CONDITIONS.

SO WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN YOU DRILL A WELL AND YOU GET DOWN INTO THE AFER AND YOU SCREEN THAT, THAT WATER WILL COME TO THE SURFACE NATURALLY JUST 'CAUSE IT'S UNDER THE PRESSURE.

SO WHAT HAPPENS, JUST LIKE IN THIS FIGURE FROM THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS, YOU PULL OUT THE CASING AND ALL SUDDEN WATER JUST FLOWS TO THE SURFACE.

AND THIS WAS THE CASE FOR A LOT OF OUR BASIN.

IN FACT, A LOT OF THE CITIES ARE NAMED AFTER THAT ARTESIA, LAKEWOOD, JUST UP THE STREET, THE BRUIN, WELL, WHEN THEY DRILLED THAT, IT FLOWED FREELY FOR MONTHS AND IT CREATED THE LAKE THAT'S AT THE LAKEWOOD, UH, COUNTRY CLUB.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY THERE.

SO ON THE FAR LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE WATER LEVELS FOR THESE TWO KEY WELLS, UH, WERE FAIRLY HIGH IN THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS.

[00:20:01]

AND IN FACT, THE PUMPING WITHIN THE BASIN WAS DOUBLE THE NATURAL SAFE YIELD.

THAT MEANS THAT MOTHER NATURE JUST COULDN'T KEEP UP WITH US.

SO THEY NEEDED A SOLUTION TO BE ABLE TO RECTIFY THIS, WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OVERDRAFT THAT EVENTUALLY LED TO WELLS RUNNING DRY.

WE HAD SALT WATER INTRUDING INTO THE BASIN, SO THE OCEAN WAS MOVING INTERIOR AND SHUTTING DOWN WATER SUPPLIES FOR THAT.

SO IT WAS A PRETTY BIG PROBLEM IN THE 1950S.

AND SO THE MANAGEMENT LOOSENED TO ADDRESS THESE DECLINING WATER LEVELS WAS FIRST YOU NEEDED TO CONTROL THE PUMPING.

THEY USED TO PUMP SOMEWHERE NORTH OF 300,000 ACRE FEET PER YEAR.

THEY ENDED UP CONTROLLING THAT THROUGH THE ADJUDICATION.

IT'S ABOUT 281,835 ACRE FEET.

THAT'S THE CEILING OF WHAT WE CAN PUMP IN OUR BASIN LEGALLY.

THEY ALSO INSTALLED SEAWATER INTRUSION BARRIERS ALONG THE COAST TO STOP THE SEAWATER FROM COMING IN.

SO 16 MILES OF WELLS THAT WE INJECT WATER IN THERE WITH THE PRESSURE GRADIENT AND THEN KEEPS OUT THE SALT WATER INTRUSION LA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS, OR AT THAT TIME WAS THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT DID THAT.

AND THEN THEY VOTED BY, UH, THE PEOPLE IN 1959 TO FORM OUR AGENCY.

AND WHAT WE ESSENTIALLY DO IS WE JUST ARTIFICIALLY, UH, PUT WATER INTO THE BASIN SO THAT WE CONTINUE TO KEEP ON PUMPING IN THE BASIN.

AND THAT WATER THAT WE PUT INTO THE BASIN IS TYPICALLY IMPORTED WATER OR RECYCLED WATER.

AND NOW WE'VE BEEN USING ADVANCED TREATED WATER TO PUT THAT INTO THE BASIN.

AND SO WITH THAT, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO ADDRESS A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS. NOW I'M A GEOLOGIST AND SO I LIKE LOOKING AT PRETTY PICTURES.

I CUT CROSS SECTIONS ALL THE TIME AND IT HELPS ME TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT'S BELOW OUR FEET.

AND SO, AND THIS IS SHOWING THE CUS UH, CROSS SECTION THROUGH THE BASIN.

SO IF I GO FROM THE VERY RIGHT HAND SIDE, THIS IS GOING FROM SAN GABRIEL THROUGH THE WHITTIER NARROWS, AND THEN ON OUT TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN GROUNDWATER FLOWS FROM THIS SIDE OF THE FIGURE TO THAT SIDE OF THE FIGURE.

AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT COLORS HERE ON THE MAP.

AND SO OUR BASIN IS BASICALLY ALTERNATING LAYERS OF FINE GRAIN MATERIAL AND COARSE GRAIN MATERIAL.

SO THE FINE GRAIN MATERIAL IS TYPICALLY SILTS AND CLAYS.

THIS IS STUFF THAT IF I PUT WATER THROUGH IT, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE WATER TO MOVE THROUGH THAT MATERIAL.

AND SO WE CALL THOSE COMBINING LAYERS.

IT PREVENTS WATER FROM EASILY MOVING THROUGH THOSE LAYERS.

AND THEN IN THESE BLUE LAYERS, THIS IS WHERE THE, THE COARSE GRAIN MATERIAL IS.

THIS IS THE SANDS AND GRAVELS, AND THIS IS WHEN YOU PUT IN A WATER SUPPLY, WELL, THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE ACTUALLY PULLING WATER FROM.

SO THIS IS THE WATER SUPPLY WELL, AND THIS WATER IS COMING UP TO THE SURFACE FOR YOU GUYS TO USE.

SO WE'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO REPLENISH THE BASIN SO THAT WE CAN BALANCE THINGS IN THE BASIN.

THE WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS THROUGH THE INJECTION WELLS, WHICH I TALKED ABOUT.

WE CAN PUT WATER OVER HERE AND THEN WE CAN ALSO PUT, UH, WATER UP IN THE SPREADING GROUNDS.

BUT THERE'S REALLY NOTHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS.

AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THE FUTURE IS DOING MORE INLAND INJECTION WELLS.

IT'S BASICALLY TAKING THIS CONCEPT THAT WE'VE USED ALONG THE SEAWATER BARRIER, AND THEN WE'RE PUTTING WELLS INTERIOR TO THE BASIN.

WE RECENTLY JUST COMPLETED ONE JUST UP DOWN THE ROAD HERE AT OUR LEO J VLI FACILITY.

YOU'LL NOTICE THAT HIS NAME'S UP ON THIS PLAQUE HERE AND THAT FACILITY, WE'RE ABLE TO USE OUR ADVANCED TREATED WATER, AND WE'RE GONNA PUT THAT INTO THE INJECTION WATER.

SO IT'S CALLED INLAND BECAUSE IT'S A WAVE FROM, UH, THE COAST.

UH, OTHER BASINS ARE DOING THIS TO FIND A WAY TO PUT MORE WATER IN THE BASIN.

AND AS YOU'LL FIND WITH SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT IT MIGHT BE COMING ON IN THE NEXT DECADE OR SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO FIND A PLACE TO PUT THAT WATER.

SO REAL QUICK, THE REPLENISHMENT, UH, WITHIN THE SPREADING GROUNDS.

SO WATER FILLS INTO THESE BASINS AND THEN IT MIGRATES DOWN INTO THE LOWER AQUIFERS SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN PUMP YOUR WELLS.

THAT'S COVERED BY THE RIO HON AND THE SAN GABRIEL.

AND YOU SEE THE PICTURES ON THE RIGHT HAND, LEFT HAND SIDE.

THERE'S BASICALLY THESE BIG BASINS THAT WE FILL UP WITH WATER.

WE STORM WATER IN THERE.

WE PUT , RETREATED, RECYCLED WATER IN THERE, AND NOW WE'RE PUTTING ADVANCED TREATED WATER IN THERE.

SO THAT'S AN EASY WAY TO GET WATER INTO THE BASIN.

THE NEXT ONE IS SEAWATER INTRUSION.

SO THE LEFT HAND SIDE IS THE PACIFIC COAST, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THIS RED WEDGE THAT COMES IN.

THAT'S THE SALT WATER THAT INTRUDED INTO THE BASIN LA COUNTY PUT IN THESE WELLS.

WE THEN PUT WATER INSIDE THOSE WELL IN ORDER TO PRESSURE AND OVERCOME THE SEAWATER INTRUSION.

AND THEN AS WE'VE BEEN ADDING WATER IN THERE THE LAST 60 YEARS, THAT WATER THEN NATURALLY FLOWS INTO THE BASIN BECAUSE YOU'RE EXTRACTING OVER HERE.

WELL NATURALLY PULL THE WATER THIS WAY SO WE CAN GET WATER IN THOSE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND THIS JUST GIVES YOU A GENERAL IDEA AS TO WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE.

UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT ALL THE PUMPING, WELL, I'M SURE YOU GUYS HAVE A PRETTY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY WELLS YOU GUYS HAVE, WHICH IS A LOT.

AND YOU GUYS ARE LOCATED KIND OF DOWN IN THIS AREA.

UH, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER DOTS IN THE BASIN.

AND SO THE DARK BLUE REPRESENTS, UH, ACTIVE WELLS.

THERE'S A WELLS THAT HAVE PUMPED IN

[00:25:01]

THEY'RE JUST NOT PUMPING FROM.

SO IF I JUST LOOK AT THE TOTAL DOWN HERE, WE'VE GOT 330 ACTIVE WELLS.

WE PUMPED ABOUT 200,000 ACRE FEET.

AND I TOLD YOU EARLIER, THE ADJUDICATIONS ABOUT A HUNDRED, THE 281,000 ACRE FEET.

SO THAT LEAVES 81,000 ACRE FEET ROUGHLY EACH YEAR ON THE TABLE.

NOW, THEY COULD DO SOME ACCOUNTING FUNCTIONS THROUGH THE WATER MASTER, BUT THERE'S A BIG CHUNK OF WATER THAT'S GOING UNUSED EACH YEAR.

AND IT'S THAT ONE PIECE THAT WE REALLY WANNA START TO TAP IN IF WE'RE GONNA BE BECOME LOCALLY SUSTAINABLE.

AND AGAIN, YOU GUYS ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST PUMPERS THAT WE HAVE IS ABOUT 27 TO 28,000, WHICH IS A BIG NUMBER.

AND SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT.

UM, AND SO WHAT'S HAPPENED, UH, THROUGH THOSE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER THE WATER LEVELS IN THE BASIN AND THEY'VE STAYED FAIRLY CONSISTENT FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

NOW YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEAKS AND A LOT OF VALLEYS.

UH, WE ARE NOT GONNA GET AWAY FROM BEING IN THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES.

OKAY? WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THESE REOCCURRING DROUGHTS, BUT THROUGH THE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE, WE PURCHASE ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF WATER EVERY YEAR AND PUT IT INTO THE BASIN.

AND WE ALLOW THAT BASIN TO DROP AND RISE WITH THE NATURAL FLOW OF WATER THAT COMES TO US, WHETHER IT'S DRY OR IT'S WET.

AND WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS THAT EVEN IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, WHICH WAS THE WORST RECORD THAT WE'VE WORST DROUGHT THAT WE'VE HAD ON RECORD, AND AT LEAST THE LAST THOUSAND YEARS, OUR MANAGEMENT SOLUTION OVER SAY A 20 YEAR PERIOD, WE WILL CATCH UP, OUR BASIN WILL JUST DRAW DOWN, AND THEN EVENTUALLY THERE'LL BE A VENT THAT BRINGS THE WATER BACK UP.

WE HAD TWO OF THE WETTEST RAIN SEASONS ON RECORD, AND THAT HELPED TO BRING US BACK.

SO WE HAD A LOT OF DRAW DOWN AND A LOT OF WATER COME BACK IN.

SO IT CAN BALANCE ITSELF OVER THE LONG TERM IF YOU PLAN OVER A LONG HORIZON.

AND THEN LASTLY, JUST A FEW SLIDES ABOUT, UH, WHAT DOES THE PATH LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD? SO WE'VE GOT TWO DOCUMENTS TO HELP GUIDE A LOT OF THE DECISIONS.

WE'VE GOT STRATEGIC GOALS LIKE MOST OF US DO, BUT I, AS A HYDRO HYDROGEOLOGIST, I FOCUS ON THESE TWO TOP ONES.

AND I THINK I WANT TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND THE REPLENISHMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

I WANT TO GET MORE WATER IN THE BASIN, AND THEN I WANT TO EXPAND THE EXTRACTION CAPACITY.

I WANT TO USE THAT 80 PLUS THOUSAND ACRE FEET PER YEAR, AND I WANT TO GET MYSELF OFF OF IMPORTED WATER BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER TO GET YOUR WATER HERE.

SO FOR DECADES, WE WERE WORKING ON THIS WIND PROGRAM, WHICH WAS WATER INDEPENDENCE NOW, AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY JUST TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO UTILIZE MORE OF THE RESOURCES HERE LOCALLY AND THEN ALSO TO GET US OFF OF THE IMPORTED WATER, PURCHASING IMPORTED WATER FOR THE SPREADING GROUNDS.

SO ONCE WE FINISHED BUILDING OUR ARC FACILITY, THE ALBERT ROBLES FACILITY IN PICO RIVERA, IT'S AN ADVANCED TRADE, ADVANCED WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT THAT TREATS RECYCLED WATER.

NOW WE'RE ABLE TO PUT MORE WATER INTO THE SPREADING GROUND.

AND SO WITH THE COMPLETION OF THAT, WE'RE NOW MOVING TOWARDS WIND FOR ALL.

AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY JUST REALLY TRYING TO SQUEEZE THE LAST BIT OF THE SUPPLIES OUT, MORE STRONG WATER CAPTURE, AND THEN ALSO TIED WITH MORE RECYCLED WATER.

AND THEN TALKING ABOUT THE STORAGE SPACE IN THE BASIN, WELL, IT'S ABOUT 450,000 ACRE FEET OF AVAILABLE STORAGE SPACE.

WE GOT A LOT OF AREA TO BE ABLE TO PARK A LOT OF WATER.

AND SO IF YOU ADD ALL THAT TOGETHER, WE COULD BECOME LOCALLY SUSTAINABLE IN THIS REGION.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE BASIN.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF ARROWS AND A LOT OF THINGS, BUT THE TWO BIG ONES, WHICH I'M SURE YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH, ARE THE PURE WATER PROJECTS.

WE HAVE TWO VERY LARGE WATER PROJECTS, BOTH THE, UH, LOS ANGELES PURE WATER LOS ANGELES WAS L-A-D-W-P USING THE HYPERION WATER ADVANCED TREATING THAT, AND THEN FINDING A USE FOR THAT.

ONE OPTION MIGHT BE TO PUT WATER UP IN THE LA FOUR BAY UP HERE.

ANOTHER ONE, WHICH IS CLOSER TO HOME HERE IS PURE WATER, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THAT'S MET AND THE LA COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT.

AND THAT'S TAKING WATER FROM THE AK WARREN FACILITY ADVANCED TREATING THAT AND FIND FINDING PLACES TO PUT THAT WATER.

IF YOU ADD THOSE TWO TOGETHER, THAT'S HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER AVAILABLE EVERY DAY OF HIGHLY PURIFIED WATER THAT WE CAN PUT INTO OUR BASIN SO THAT WE CAN FULLY UTILIZE THE ADJUDICATED RIGHTS AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WEAN OURSELVES OFF OF IMPORTED WATER.

AND IN FACT, WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH YOUR FOLKS HERE AT LONG BEACH, UH, THROUGH A LONG BEACH AUGMENTATION PROGRAM.

AND THAT'S LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO PUT THAT PURE WATER IN THIS AREA SO THAT AS YOU'RE EXTRACTING YOUR WELLS AND YOU'RE DRAWING THE WATER DOWN, UH, THAT WATER THEN GETS PULLED FROM A VERY LARGE AREA.

WE WANT TO BALANCE THAT PUMPING, RIGHT.

WE WANT TO AVOID THAT EARLIER GRAPH WHERE WATER LEVELS GO DOWN.

WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO BALANCE IT.

I THINK WITH THAT, I'LL SAY

[00:30:01]

AND UM, FEEL FREE TO ASK.

THANK YOU, BRIAN.

THANK YOU.

THAT WAS PRETTY AMAZING, .

THAT'S A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION.

SO MUCH GOING ON UNDERGROUND.

THOSE GOALS ARE AMAZING, YOU KNOW.

ANYWAY, UM, SORRY FOR THAT.

IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO HEAR .

UM, OKAY.

SO ARE THERE ANY, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS? ANY COMMISSIONER COMMENT? THAT WAS A VERY INTERESTING PRESENTATION.

IT REALLY WAS.

AND IF I'M TOO FAR OFF THE SUBJECT, JUST LET ME KNOW IF IT TAKES TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN.

WHERE DOES THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES FALL IN ALL OF THIS, UM, IN TERMS OF THE WATER THAT THEY EXTRACT? YEAH, SO, UH, THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES CAN PUMP A LOT OF WATER.

THEY'VE GOT DECENT WATER RIGHTS, OR THEY CAN NOT PUMP ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY HAVE OTHER SOURCES OF WATER.

SO IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THEY HAD LENTIL FULL WATER SUPPLY COMING FROM OWENS ALLEY, SO THEY DIDN'T NEED TO PUMP AS MUCH WATER.

THEY WERE GETTING FREE WATER FOR THERE THAT WOULD JUST DRAIN INTO LA.

UM, BUT THEY KNOW THAT, UM, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR USING WATER HERE LOCALLY.

THEY HAVE THEIR MISSION OF GETTING COMPLETELY OFF THE IMPORTED WATER USING ALL THEIR RECYCLED WATER THEY POSSIBLY CAN.

AND THAT'LL COME OUT OF THE HIGH PRE IMPLANT.

SO THAT'LL BE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY THAT, UM, WE'VE DONE SOME STUDIES TO BE ABLE TO PARK SOME OF THAT WATER IN THE LA FOUR BAY AREA.

THEY HAVE, UH, THEIR MANHATTAN WELL FIELD, THEIR 99TH STREET WELL FIELD, AND THEY'LL LOOK AND PUT IN ANOTHER WELL FIELD.

SO THEY'LL DRAW WATER OUT DOWN, WHICH THEN WE WILL HAVE TO PURCHASE WATER AS THE REPLENISHMENT AGENCY, PUT THAT WATER BACK IN THERE BECAUSE YOU NEED TO BALANCE THOSE OUT.

YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.

THEY'RE PART OF THE TEAM.

THEY'RE TOTALLY PART OF THE TEAM.

AND JUST, JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY, HOW YOU SAID THINGS WERE GOING SO WELL AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, HOW DID MULHOLLAND SEE THAT WE WERE GOING TO NEED WATER FROM THE OWENS VALLEY IF WE WERE DOING SO WELL? WELL, LA WAS GROWING, RIGHT? UM, I THINK THEY WERE, UH, AWARE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO EXPLODE THE POPULATION THAT WE WOULD NEED WATER, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT, RIGHT? UH, SO THEY HAD TO FIND WATER FROM SOMEWHERE, RIGHT? EARLY PART OF THE 19 HUNDREDS.

UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE PUMPING GROUNDWATER, BUT NOT MUCH, RIGHT? AND SO THE, THEIR VISION WAS TO GO AND FIND A SOURCE OUTSIDE OF THE BASIN.

BUT AS YOU KNOW, TIME WENT ON, UH, TECHNOLOGY GOT BETTER PUMPS, THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL WATER HERE LOCALLY.

SO THEY HAVE A PRETTY DIVERSE WATER PORTFOLIO.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, GOOD QUESTION, BOB.

ANY OTHER COMMENT? COMMISSIONER? YES.

JUST QUICK CLARIFICATION.

UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT WEANING OURSELF, UH, OFF OF IMPORTED WATER.

UH, IS THAT WHAT, WHAT SORT OF TIMEFRAME? THAT WEANING PROCESS? DECADES, RIGHT? YEAH, I IMAGINE, YEAH.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW, UH, CHALLENGING IT WOULD BE TO BUILD A RATHER LARGE PROJECT.

YOU KNOW, TAKE A ARC FACILITY, FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, THAT PROBABLY TOOK FIVE TO 10 YEARS, JUST GETTING EVERYBODY'S SUPPORT FOR THAT PROJECT, LAYING OUT THE AGREEMENTS, THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES.

AND THEN IT TOOK US, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY FIVE YEARS TO PROCURE AND BUILD THAT FACILITY.

UM, BUT ONCE IT'S BEEN ONLINE, UH, WE HAVEN'T PURCHASED IMPORTED WATER FOR SPREADING IN THAT AREA.

UH, AND THAT'S PROBABLY BEEN FOUR OR FIVE YEARS NOW THAT I CAN THINK.

UH, SO THAT'S ONE GOOD EXAMPLE OF, YEAH, IF YOU PUT THE VISION OUT THERE AND YOU'RE ABLE TO GET EVERYBODY ON BOARD, UM, YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN IN THAT, YOU KNOW, 10 TO 15 ISH TIMEFRAME FOR KIND OF A SMALLER PROJECT.

UH, BUT PURE WATER HAS BEEN DISCUSSED FOR A LONG TIME, SO THEY'RE GETTING A LOT CLOSER.

UH, AND WE'LL SEE WHERE IT TAKES US, BUT, UM, I THINK THE VISION DOESN'T CHANGE, RIGHT? WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY, UH, TO BETTER UTILIZE OUR LOCAL RESOURCES.

UM, AND THEN TO ME, IT'S JUST, I HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, A MOLECULE WATER IS GONNA COME FROM HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY AT AN EXPENSE THAT'S HIGHER THAN PULLING WATER OUT OF THE BASIN.

HERE, OUR REPLENISHMENT ASSESSMENT IS IN THE $400 RANGE.

UM, IMPORTED WATER IS SOMEWHERE NORTH OF A THOUSAND DOLLARS, RIGHT?

[00:35:01]

AND, UH, WE HAVE THE AVAILABLE WATER IN THE BASIN.

WE ALSO HAVE THE SPACE AVAILABLE IN THE BASIN, WHICH WAS A HUGE MONUMENTAL SHIFT FOR US IS GETTING ACCESS TO THAT.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT BEFORE, SO NOW WE HAVE A WAY TO PUT WATER INTO THE BASIN.

SO MOVING AWAY FROM IMPORTED WATER SEEMS TO BE, UH, THE RIGHT WAY.

SO COMMISSIONER SCOTT, ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT I'LL ASK BRIAN TO TAG TEAM WITH ME ON THIS.

SO FOR THE GROUNDWATER BASIN, THE ADJUDICATION HISTORY, WHAT LEGALLY ESTABLISHED THESE PUMPING RIGHTS WAS TO BRIAN'S COMMENT ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY WAS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NATURAL REPLENISHMENT, THE NATURAL FLOWS IN THE SAN GABRIEL AND LOS ANGELES RIVERS WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO REPLENISH THE BASEMENT FOR THE 280,000 PUMPING RIGHTS.

THAT WAS ONLY DONE IF YOU COULD IMPORT WATER.

SO IN TERMS OF WIND FOR ALL AND IMPORT WATER, THERE IS A COMPONENT THAT THAT MEANS IMPORT WATER TO REPLENISH THE BASIN OR THE EXISTING PUMPING.

SO THAT'S ONE FUNCTION.

THE OTHER ELEMENT IS TO AUGMENT YOUR PRODUCTION, TO AUGMENT THE WATER THAT YOU'RE DRINKING NOW, TO OFFSET THE IMPORTED WATER THAT YOU DRINK THAT IS IN ADDITION TO THE WATER FOR REPLENISHMENT.

IN MANY WAYS, THE WATER THAT IS BEING USED THROUGH THESE ADVANCED TREATMENT FACILITIES IS BY DRINKING IMPORTED WATER FIRST AND THEN PURIFYING THAT AND MAKING IT AVAILABLE.

SO THERE'S TWO DYNAMICS.

THERE'S INDEPENDENCE OF IMPORTED WATER TO REPLENISH THE GROUNDWATER BASIN, AND THERE'S AN ENTIRE OTHER ASPECT OF A RESOURCE GOAL, WHICH IS WHAT IS YOUR DEPENDENT SETTING PORT OF WATER TO DRINK THAT WATER BOTH AND THEN GO HAND IN HAND.

THE OTHER ELEMENT THAT IS PART OF WHAT WATER REPLENISHMENT IS DOING, AND IT'S AT THE FOREFRONT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, HAS BEEN CONTAMINANT REMOVAL.

SO PFAS AND ANY VARIATION OF THAT ACRONYM IS ONE SERIOUS CONTAMINANT THAT HAS OCCURRED ACROSS THE NATION.

IT, IT HAS A VERY DETAILED HISTORY IN THAT REGARD, BUT ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE GROUNDWATER BASINS AND THE GROUNDWATER BASIN AGENCIES, IN OUR CASE LIKE WATER REPLENISHMENT DISTRICT, THERE IS AN ACTIVE COMMITMENT OF INVESTMENT TO PUT THE TREATMENT IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES, WHICH IS UP IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE BASIN.

AND TO HAVE THOSE COMMUNITIES GO THROUGH THAT TREATMENT PROCESS TO HAVE CLEAN DRINKING WATER, BUT UNDER THE SAME CONCEPT OF US AS METROPOLITAN

[5. 25-54125 Receive and file Board Agenda Planning Report: Business Plan, Retreat, Budget and Rates.       Suggested Action: Receive and file. ]

THAT'S WHY WE MAKE THOSE INVESTMENTS FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE THOSE TREATMENT FACILITIES IN PLACE.

MOST DEFINITELY.

YEAH.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY, THIS, UH, THANK YOU BRIAN.

VERY ENLIGHTENING.

THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING.

UM, THIS IS FOR, UH, INFORMATION ONLY, NO ACTION IS REQUIRED.

SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE TO RECEIVE AND FILE BOARD THE BOARD AGENDA, PLANNING REPORT, BUSINESS PLAN, RETREAT, BUDGET AND RATES.

AND I CALL ON ANATO.

THANK YOU PRESIDENT MCGUIRE.

UM, IT'S JUST A, A BRIEF PRESENTATION.

I MENTIONED TO THIS IN MY COMMENTS TO YOU AT THE LAST MEETING.

IT WAS MY INTENTION TO BRING YOU A SERIES OF SLIDES TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH SOME OF MY COMMENTS AND KIND OF HAVE A CHANCE FOR A MORE EXPANDED DISCUSSION AND TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE AS WE TAKE THIS ON.

SO NEXT SLIDE.

I WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT AND UPDATE YOU ON THE BUSINESS PLAN.

I HAD MENTIONED TO YOU IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS THAT THERE WAS THIS ELEMENT TO THE BUSINESS PLAN WHERE IT'S AN EXISTING STRUCTURE AND CONCEPT.

IT'S NOT THE MOST IDEAL SITUATION, BUT I WANTED TO ALREADY TRY TO PUT THAT IN PLACE WITH THE EXISTING BUDGET.

BUDGET WASN'T CREATED WITH THAT BUSINESS PLAN IN MIND.

SO WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING BACK AND TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU, WITH PUBLIC AND WITH OTHERS.

WHAT ARE OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE CURRENT BUDGET? HOW ARE WE DOING, UH, HAVE SOME METRICS AND PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH IT AND BE ABLE TO WALK YOU THROUGH AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE CURRENT BUDGET, DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN.

SO USING THE PREVIOUS, THE, THE STRUCTURE, ALIGNING IT BOTH AND TRYING TO, MY GOAL IS HOPEFULLY IN THE QUARTERLY REPORTING THAT WE DO GOING FORWARD, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO USE THESE ELEMENTS TO COMMUNICATE TO YOU EXPENDITURES TO DATE RELEVANT METRICS.

AND

[00:40:01]

NEXT SLIDE.

THAT SETS THE STAGE FOR SOMETHING THAT I HOPE IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, WHICH IS WITH THE BUDGET AND RATES LYING AHEAD FOR THE BOARD IN MAY AND APRIL, WELL KNOWN IN MAY PREDOMINANTLY, THAT THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY THEN FOR US AND THE EXECUTIVE TEAM THAT WE WOULD BE ACTUALLY CREATING THE BUSINESS PLAN IN PARALLEL WITH THE BUDGET.

WE WOULD BE GETTING INPUT AND REFINING THE STRUCTURE, THE OBJECTIVES, AND THE INITIATIVES TO TRULY HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN THAT GOES HAND IN HAND WITH THE BUDGET THAT YOU'RE SEEING AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE INTEND TO ACCOMPLISH AND DO AT THE SAME TIME.

SO DOING THAT IN PARALLEL IS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE BUSINESS PLAN GOING FORWARD IN THE APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE TIMEFRAME.

NEXT SLIDE.

FOCUSING BACK NOW ON THE BOARD RETREAT, I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPED A PROCESS AND WORKING WITH YOU ON INFORMATION SESSIONS IN ORDER TO DO THOSE INFORMATION SESSIONS, WHICH ARE IDEALLY ESTABLISHED AS A 90 MINUTE SEGMENT WITHIN THE BOARD MEETINGS, ONE OF THEM FOCUSING ON WATER AND SEWER, THE OTHER ONE FOCUSING ON GAS.

WE'VE BEEN GATHERING INFORMATION AND INPUT.

WE'VE RETAINED TWO CONSULTANTS.

ONE OF THEM IS ED MEANS CONSULTING ON THE WATER SIDE WITH EXPERIENCE IN BOTH WATER AND SEWER.

AND THEN DWGP WHO YOU JUST AUTHORIZED THE CONTRACT FOR IN TERMS OF ADVICE ON THE GAS SIDE, WORKING WITH THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, WORKING WITH ME, AND THEN MEETING WITH YOU ALL INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO PROVIDE INPUT ON WHAT'S TOP OF MIND FOR YOU, GIVEN SOME EXPERTISE AND BACKGROUND ON THE SECTOR.

AND WE TAKE ALL OF THAT INPUT AND USE THAT TO SHAPE THE ACTUAL 90 MINUTE SESSION WITH YOU ON WATER AND SEWER AND GAS.

AND CERTAINLY IN THOSE SESSIONS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DIALOGUE WITH BOTH THE CONSULTANT AND THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, PROVIDE FURTHER INPUT AND THAT KIND OF SETS THE STAGE FOR THE RETREAT.

THEN.

SO WITH INPUT FROM ALL THOSE SESSIONS, WE'LL BE WORKING TO ORGANIZE THE RETREAT ITSELF.

THAT MEANS THAT WITH THE RETREAT, WE CAN SPEND THE DEDICATED TIME AT THAT MOMENT WHERE WE'RE TOGETHER TO PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR THE CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE BELIEVE COLLECTIVELY HAVE BEEN GATHERED FROM ALL OUR INPUT MAJOR PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE CAN SYNTHESIZE GOING FORWARD ON A CONSENSUS BASIS.

AND IN THAT CONTEXT, WITH THE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE AND THE DIALOGUE THAT HAS HAPPENED, WE CAN BEGIN TO DISCUSS THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE BOARD DECISION MAKING THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY THE PATH FORWARD AS TO HOW CERTAIN ITEMS WILL COME TO YOU FOR DECISIONS.

AND YOU HAVE THE PROPER CONTEXT FOR WHEN THOSE DECISIONS COME TO YOU, HOW THEY'RE PART OF SOME BIGGER PROCESS AND WHERE ARE WE HEADED.

INDEED DOING THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO PROVIDE MORE LONGER TERM PLANNING FOR BOARD ACTIONS THAT YOU SEE FOCUSED AROUND THESE MAJOR PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVES.