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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Water Services Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 11/4/2015 Water Services Advisory GLENI/E Commission Oasis Water Campus 7070 W.Northern Avenue November 4,2015,6:00 P.M. FINAL MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER—6:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners John Sipple, Ruth Faulls, Ron Short, Robin Berryhill, Robert Gehl,Vice-chair Roger Schwierjohn,and Chair Jonathan Liebman Absent: None Staff: Craig Johnson, Dr. Doug Kupel, Amanda McKeever, Dan Hatch, Mark Fortkamp, Mark Smith, Sam Garza, Rocco Pontrelli, Drew Swieczkowski, Thomas Relucio, Anthony Weathersby, and Sally Melling,Recording Secretary III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS Approval of the Final Minutes, October 7, 2015 meeting - Motion for approval made by Comm. Faulls, seconded by Comm. Sipple. APPROVED 7-0 IV. DIRECTOR'S REPORT—Craig Johnson,P.E.,Water Services Director Mr. Johnson provided updates on the Council Item of Special Interest requested by Councilmember Sherwood regarding the Service Line Warranty Program, which was presented to Council at a Workshop on October 20, 2015. At the Workshop, Mr. Johnson and Deputy Water Services Director John Henny provided information to and answered questions from Council regarding warranty programs. Mr. Johnson stated that many of the Council's concerns involving the use of the city logo, which were the same concerns voiced by the Commission. Due to the interest level and number of questions, a follow-up presentation will be made. It is anticipated to be made at the December 1,2015 Council Workshop. Mr.Johnson provided an update on a repair list of 16 items submitted by Mr. Carl Dietzman. Of the sixteen items, six have been completed, quotes are being collected on four, one is under construction(55th and Myrtle), and five are berm repairs. Eight major repairs have been completed since September. Vice-chair Schwierjohn asked what happens if a customer does not make required berm repairs, and Mr. Johnson replied that water delivery will be stopped until repairs are completed. He further explained that in addition to being more pro-active with berm repairs, the department has added requirements and penalties into the new contract request that will go out for bids in the coming months to address water flowing into the streets. Chairman Liebman asked how long homeowners have to make berm repairs. Mr. Mark Fortkamp, Water Services Operations City of Glendale Water Services Department•7070 West Northern Avenue•Glendale,AZ 85303•(623)930-4100 November 4,2015 Water Services Advisory Commission Final Minutes Page 2 Superintendent, explained that it is based on how badly the water flow is but homeowners are advised that water delivery would be suspended until repairs are made if needed. Ms. Amanda McKeever, Water Services Administrator, explained to the Commission that only questions requesting clarifying information should be asked since Urban Irrigation was not on the agenda. Comm. Sipple asked what percentage five berms equate to out of the total system count. Mr. Fortkamp replied it is a very small number since there are 336 active users currently. Comm. Berryhill asked who would be doing the inspections. Mr. Fortkamp replied that it would be the city. Mr.Johnson then moved on to briefly explain for the Commission the Urban Irrigation presentation that will be made to Council on November 17,2015 at 1:30 p.m. The Summary Minutes of May 6, 2015 were provided to the Commission for reference. Mr. Johnson explained that Chairman Liebman will be at the table with staff to make the presentation and the motions will be presented to Council exactly as worded by the WSAC. Mr. Johnson stated the department feels that motions #1, #2, and #3 are a restatement and affirmation of current city policy under Ordinance 27 and Resolution 588 and thus are likely un- needed. The department supports Motion #4 as it is the logical first step to shifting to a cost-per- service rate borne by the customers. The department supports Motion #5 related to a 50% cost recovery rate over a 5-year period (2010-2014), and suggested a five-year phase-in period. The department does not support the roll-forward feature. The department wishes to provide customer stability by establishing a"cost certain"rate amount. Mr. Johnson stated the department does not support Motion #6, as financial information has been presented on numerous occasions and all documentation is available to show what information was presented to those who requested it. Mr. Johnson explained every request has been met even if the same information was requested by numerous times. Mr. Johnson stated that the department is not in support of Motion #7 as it would add significant expenses to the Urban Irrigation program. He explained the additional cost could be well over $100,000 which could be better spent on either developing a reserve fund or instituting some capital improvement charge to improve the system infrastructure. He stated that a sinking fund is an important tool and stressed that the city does not own the system. This finding was determined by the City Attorney's Office. Mr. Johnson further explained that an update will be provided at the WSAC December meeting on the Workshop outcome. Comm. Berryhill stated that Urban Irrigation should have been listed as an agenda item and not as an update topic under the Director's Report so that discussion and public input could have been obtained. Mr. Johnson thanked Comm. Berryhill for her comments and explained that this was a brief courtesy update to the Commission on what would be presented at the coming Workshop. Action: No action required,information only November 4,2015 Water Services Advisory Commission Final Minutes Page 3 V. SECURITY PRESENTATION Mr. Mark Smith, Water Services Safety-Security Coordinator, presented information to the Commission. Mr. Smith explained that Water Services is classified as "critical infrastructure" under Presidential Order and Homeland Security designations. The department's Security Monitoring Center(SMC) currently manages over 200 security cameras in use at Water Services site in the city with expansion planned in the future. The SMC operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He explained security procedures that all department staff is trained on. Mr. Smith provided detail on some of the security measures in place. Security assessments, which are normally scheduled every five years, were done in 2014 throughout the Oasis Water Campus and the site rated very high. Comm. Short asked if similar plans are in place for Public Works, City Hall, etc. Mr. Smith explained that Water Services is well ahead of other areas in the city and while certain plans are city-wide, individual departmental security plans are at different stages and different levels of upgrades. Both Comm. Short and Mr. Smith agreed that Water Services is the "gold standard" in security preparedness. Comm. Berryhill expressed concern over drones that have been in the news recently. Mr. Smith informed the Commission that a Drone Ordinance is currently being developed by the City Attorney's Office. He did share that a small toy drone with no camera was found inside one of the plant grounds. Comm. Berryhill asked if drones could be identified and traced if seen by security cameras over a site. Mr. Smith replied it would depend on the altitude since there are height limits on the cameras in place currently. Mr. Smith explained that a representative is stationed in Tucson, Arizona when Comm. Sipple asked if Homeland Security maintains a representative in the local area. Mr. Smith explained that contingency plans are always being developed and refined by the city to deal with possible situations. Comm. Sipple expressed concern about earthquakes and if anything can be done to protect against them. Mr. Johnson answered that the seismic zone each facility is located in are taken into account when built to ensure structural integrity and adhere to seismic zone design standards. Comm. Faulls asked how fence types are chosen and if Concertina or other type of barb wire is placed at the top of site fences to prevent climb-overs. Mr. Smith agreed that some fences do not have this preventive feature since the department must adhere to specific design standards established by the city, even with security measures. Mr. Johnson added that it also is done on a case by case basis and depends on the location, visibility, and possible public accessibility of the sites. Chairman Liebman asked if the SMC and water treatment systems are tied together. Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson jointly explained that the city's Information Technology Department monitors the safety of the technology used to produce water. Chairman Liebman sought information on staff annual training. Mr. Johnson assured him that it is a department policy to have staff trained and a Safety Coordinator is on staff. Comm. Sipple asked about water delivery route safety and security. Mr. Johnson explained that Salt River Project and Central Arizona Project have their own security for raw water delivery and November 4,2015 Water Services Advisory Commission Final Minutes Page 4 water sampling locations, in addition to the city having sampling locations along the route for raw water delivery. Plant operators monitor raw water as it enters a plant and ensures the quality of the water for treatment once inside. An interesting and low-tech safeguard used at each plant is a goldfish swimming in a tank of raw water; Mr. Johnson likened it to a "canary in the mine shaft" early warning system. Comm. Sipple asked if there is a method to keep bad water separated should it enter a plant. Mr. Johnson explained that raw water is at all times kept completely separate from treated safe-drinking water in a plant. The Commission recessed at this point to tour the Security Monitoring Center which was only open to Commission members. The Commission reconvened with great praise for the work performed by the Security Monitoring Center. Action: No action required,information only VI. CALL TO THE AUDIENCE No audience members addressed the Commission. VII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Grey Water Low Impact Development Comm.Berryhill asked if de-salinization would be discussed. Dr.Kupel explained that it would be addressed at the December 2016 agenda as part of the Water Resources Portfolio. VIII.NEXT MEETING: December 2, 2015, 6 p.m. IX. ADJOURNMENT — Motion to adjourn was made by Vice-chair Schwierjohn, seconded by Comm.Berryhill. MOTION APPROVED by voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, // // Sally mg,Recording S:etary