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2009 09-03 Board WorkshopSOUTH TAHOE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT "Basic Services for a Complex World" NOTICE OF BOARD WORKSHOP Thursday, September 3, 2009 1:00 - 2:00 P.M. District Boardroom 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe, California Richard Solbrig, General Managger Paul Sciuto, Assistant General Mana er Mary Lou Mosbacher, President James R. Jones, Director BOARD MEMBERS Dale Rise, Vice President Eric W. Schafer, Director Ernie Claudio, Director While a quorum of the South Tahoe Public Utility District Board of Directors may be attending this Workshop to discuss the following items, there will be no action taking place on their behalf. AGENDA 1. WATER METERING a. Public Outreach Letters b. Funding Sources c. Rate Study Assumptions d. Future Planning Formulation (i.e., 10, 15, 20 Year Plans) e. Sole Source Purchase of Meters 2. ADJOURNMENT Participation is encouraged. The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate participation of the disabled in all of the District's public meetings. If particular accommodations for the disabled are needed (i.e., hearing aids or other disability - related aids), please contact the Clerk of the Board at (530) 544 -6474, extension 6203, at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. South Tahoe Public Utility District • 1275 Meadow Crest Drive • South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 Phone 530.544.6474 • Facsimile 530.541.0614 • www.stpud.us September 7, 2009 RE: 2009 Water Meter Installation Project (3/4" Service) Dear Property Owner: On or about October 1, 2009, District contractors will begin construction on the 2009 Water Meter Installation Project. This project is part of the District's overall compliance plan with California state law regarding water meters. With all public works projects, there is a certain amount of disruption and inconvenience. The District will make every effort to minimize the impact of this project for our customers. Per TRPA requirements, work hours on this project will be Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. For any planned shut -offs you will be notified at least 24 hours prior to the event. For obvious reasons, unplanned emergency shut -offs cannot be anticipated and may occur. For this reason, the District suggests each household have at least five gallons of water available for such emergencies. Should you or a family member have a medical condition that makes an uninterrupted water supply a necessity, please notify the District so we can accommodate your needs. On September 29, 2004 Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law Assembly Bill 2572 that mandates all water systems in Califomia to be fully metered by 2025. As part of the District's compliance plan a water meter and water meter vault will be installed on your property, however you will not be billed based on actual usage and will continue to be billed on a flat rate basis until January 1, 2011. Installation of the new meter vault may require some disruption of landscaping on your property. The District's contractors will repair any damage to your landscaping as close as possible to its original condition. Water is a precious and finite resource in the Sierra. The District encourages you to practice efficient water use which will conserve water resources and minimize the cost of your water. On the reverse of this letter is a fact sheet regarding mandated water meters installation and the District's plans to comply with the law. Please feel free to call Dennis Cocking, Public Information Officer, at 530.543.6208 if you have any questions. If you have any questions regarding your water meter or billing issues, please feel free to call me at 530.543.6221. If you have questions or concerns regarding construction related issues, please call Jim Hoggatt, Construction Manager at 530.543.6206. Sincerely, Lisa Coyner Manager of Customer Service ** Turn over for more information ** South Tahoe Contact Information: Public Utility District Dennis Cocking Public Information Officer 530.543.6208 direct Public /Legislative Affairs Office 530.541.0614 fax 1275 Meadow Crest Drive 530.208.8540 cellular South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 www.stpud.us WATER METERS IN CALIFORNIA FACT SHEET • On September 29, 2004 Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law Assembly Bill 2752 authored by then Assembly Member Christine Kehoe. This bill was chaptered on the same day and is currently Chapter 884 of the California Code. The District sought a legislative exemption from the law, but was unsuccessful. Whether you agree or disagree with water meters and water conservation, it is a reality in California. • The bill requires an urban water supplier, as defined (any public water system with 3,000 or more connections), on or before January 1, 2025 to install water meters on all municipal and industrial water connections that are located within its service area. The District meets this definition and must comply with the law. • The bill also requires an urban water supplier, beginning on or before January 1, 2010 to charge each customer that has a service connection for which a water meter has been installed, based on the actual volume of deliveries, as measured by a water meter. • The bill provides an exception in order to provide customers with experience in volume - based water service charges. An urban water supplier that is subject to this law may delay, for the 2010 seasonal cycle of water use, the use of meter -based charges for service connections that are being converted from nonvolume -based billing to volume - based billing. That means, for most residential customers, volume -based billing will not begin until January 2011. From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010, residential customers with meters will receive their normal flat rate bill and additional information that will demonstrate what their bill would have been if billed volumetrically. • Finally, the bill authorizes a water purveyor to recover the cost of providing services related to the purchase, installation, and operation of a water meter from rates, fees, or charges. At this point, it is the District's intent to seek federal and state funding to cover as much of the costs of meter installation as possible. Where outside funding is not available, costs will be paid through the general rates incurred by all District customers. • The District has applied for and received a $4.387 million grant (no matching dollars) through the State Revolving Fund (SRF). These funds were provided via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. These funds will allow the installation of approximately 1,500 water meters on waterlines that have been replaced in recent years. Generally speaking, these projects are entirely within the City limits and in older neighborhoods (The Y, Gardner Mtn., Al Tahoe, and Stateline as that is where the oldest and smallest lines are located). • For additional information please contact Dennis Cocking, Public Information Officer at 543.6208 or visit the District's webpage at www.stpud.us. 1 Subject: Sole Brand/Sole Source for Water Meters and MXUs a Since 1992, the District has used Senus Technology meters exclusively due to their efficiency and longevity. Their technology was also superior to that of other manufactrers. Additionally, it would be difficult to use different Automated Meter Reading (AMR -MXU) systems, requiring the inspection and underground repair departments to carry different brands of reading equipment and maintain a stock of parts for each system. That is not practical nor is it fiscally efficient. Western Nevada Supply was used as the sole source of these meters as they have the capability to supply large quantities of Sensus meters whereas other suppliers cannot. The South Tahoe Public Utility District Board of Directors has previously approved sole brand and sole source vendor authorizations for Sensus meters and AMR systems.