Citizens' Advisory Committee
Water Subcommittee

MINUTES

February 27, 2008
1155 Market Street, San Francisco
4th Floor Conference Room
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Members:  Jennifer Clary – Chair; Tim Colen, David Dawdy, Richard Hansen, Lurilla Harris, Art Jensen, Robert Varni

Staff: Paula Kehoe, Barbara Palacios, Jon Loiacono, Michael Carlin, Michele Liapes

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Roll Call:
Present:  Clary, Colen, Dawdy, Varni,
Absent:  Hansen, Harris, Jensen     

1.  Call to Order

The Meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m.

2. Approval of Minutes

Motion to approve minutes of January 23, 2008
Approved:  Unanimous

3.  Announcements by members and reports on other meetings

Chair Clary recounted her report on CAC activities at the PUC Commission meeting. She added that, in discussion about grant opportunities, it was clarified that the grant writer was not working only on water enterprise projects.

Member Colen recounted the progress of the Lake Merced Task Force on the watershed master plan process.  In response to a question about opportunities for CAC input, he suggested that the issue of how the PUC manages its properties might be relevant.  

4.  Public comment—matters within Subcommittee’s scope, not on today’s agenda

No members of the public were present.

5. Staff Presentations

a. Recycled Water Program

Paula Kehoe and Barbara Palacios delivered a presentation on the SFPUC Recycled Water Program, consisting of three projects and designed to compensate for regional water system vulnerabilities to drought, global warming, and seismic events.

The proposed Pacifica Recycled Water Project would use recycled water produced by the North San Mateo Coast Sanitary District’s Calera Creek recycling plant to irrigate Sharp Park Golf Course, Sharp Park Beach Promenade, Fair Way Park, Highway 1 landscaping, and two school playing fields. Components would include a storage tank, pipelines, and a pump station. Environmental review is complete, construction is scheduled for 2008-2009, and recycled water delivery is expected in 2009. 

The proposed Harding Park Project, a partnership of the SFPUC and Daly City, would supply recycled water to Harding Park and Fleming golf courses.  Major components would include a pump station and storage tank at Harding Park Maintenance Yard, a transmission line along Lake Merced Boulevard, and system controls at Harding Park Maintenance Yard.  Environmental review is scheduled for 2009, construction for 2010, and recycled water delivery for 2011.  

The proposed Westside Project Recycled Water Project would provide irrigation water to Golden Gate Park, Lincoln Park and Lincoln Park Golf Course, the San Francisco Zoo, selected street medians, and other landscaped areas. The project would produce disinfected tertiary water from Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant effluent.  The recommended site is the West Gate Berm at the Oceanside Plant; the berm and vegetation would be restored after construction.  It was pointed out that the Oceanside site was proposed in response to community concerns about a previously proposed site on Harding Park Road. Another advantage to the current site is that the project will be able to share resources with the existing Oceanside Plant. In addition to the treatment plant at Oceanside, project components would include  three new or expanded reservoirs, pump stations, and distribution pipelines.  Environmental review is scheduled to begin in spring 2008, and construction is scheduled for November 2010 to March 2013. 

In discussion, member questions addressed:
• storage of the groundwater currently used for irrigation of  Golden Gate Park
• the capacity of the proposed  Westside project 
• salinity monitoring
• the previous controversy over the Sharp Park facility
• the future of Sharp Park
• comparisons of recycled water costs and 2015 system water costs
• public health concerns about pharmaceuticals
• the role of the Recreation and Park department and the relationship between that department and the SFPUC.

Staff answers included the following points: 
• plans are under way  to add groundwater to the drinking water system once recycled water is available for irrigation
• annual average capacity of the Westside project would be 2 mgd, with a maximum peak capacity of 5 mgd
• in reference to salinity, an assessment will be done to see if changes are needed
• the controversy over the facility at Sharp Park was resolved by moving the tank, previously designated for inside the park, up the hill
• if, in the future, Sharp Park is no longer a golf course, it will still be used for some form of recreation, so that irrigation would still be required
• though the cost for the Westside project would probably be higher than the 2015 rate, a comparison is more complex since all three projects are blended together
• research is being done on the issue of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupters
• the relationship with the Recreation and Park Department could be restructured if Sharp Park were sold to Pacifica.  

Ms. Kehoe also informed the members that informational open houses about the Westside project were being scheduled for this coming April, prior to scoping.     

It was decided that member Colen would craft a resolution in support of the Recycled Water program for consideration at next month’s subcommittee meeting.

Chair Clary volunteered to get an update on the golf course study for the April meeting.

b. Bayside Water Reclamation Project

John Loiacono delivered a brief presentation on the proposed Bayside Water Reclamation Project, which would serve the Central Basin on the east side of the city.  The project calls for a new plant, with a microfilter reverse osmosis setup for water reuse, across the street from the Southeast Plant on Evans Avenue. The timeline is 10 to 15 years, and customers would include Mission Bay and property owners along Cargo Way. Uses would also include dual plumbing in addition to irrigation.

6.  Consideration and possible action on proposed protocol for agenda items to enhance the Subcommittee’s effectiveness.

Motion to approve proposed protocol for agenda items to enhance the Subcommittee’s effectiveness

Approved:  Unanimous 

7. Discussion about future agenda items

At the request of subcommittee members, Michael Carlin, Associate General Manager, Water Enterprise, remained at the meeting to discuss potential issues of interest and ways in which the subcommittee might be constructive. Topics of discussion included global warming, the business plan – a draft of which is scheduled to be done in late May, plans for diversification of the water supply, financial accountability, maintaining the financial health of the enterprise, the upcoming new water sale agreement with the wholesale customers, and earthquake preparedness, an update on the implementation and potential expansion of the purple piping ordinance and a resolution in support of the recycled water program.

Chair Clary asked members to write up future agenda items for consideration in accord with the protocol for agenda item preparation approved under item 6.

Member Colen departed at 7 p.m., and there was no longer a quorum.