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Jack Bebee Officially Selected as General Manager for Fallbrook Public Utility District

/in , /by /Fallbrook Public Utility District

Fallbrook, Calif. – After a nationwide search with a pool of 54 candidates, the Fallbrook Public Utility District has a new general manager at the helm. Jack Bebee has been the district’s acting general manager for months. Prior to that, he served as the district’s chief engineer and assistant general manager.

Bebee was selected by the board of directors in March but remained in the “acting general manager” role until his contract was approved at the Aug. 27 board meeting.

He replaces Brian Brady who retired in January after seven years with the district.

Bebee, 42, is a civil engineer with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Washington and Lee University. He also holds two master’s degrees: one in civil engineering from University of Illinois and another in business administration from Cal. State University San Marcos.

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OMWD Promotes Scholarship Opportunity to Area Students for Best Video Featuring Special Districts

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Encinitas, CA—Olivenhain Municipal Water District is encouraging local high school and college students to enter California Special Districts Association’s Districts Make the Difference video contest for a chance to win a scholarship of up to $2,000. Aspiring filmmakers can create a 60-second video telling the story of a special district, such as Olivenhain Municipal Water District, which increases public awareness and understanding of the services California’s special districts provide to residents.

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The East County Water Festival offers a variety of water-themed, interactive activities for adults and children on Sept. 8. Photo: Courtesy Padre Dam MWD.

Celebrate the Future of East County’s Water at Sept. 8 Water Festival

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Residents are invited to celebrate water at the East County Water Festival  from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Project Visitor Center in Santee.

This free, fun-filled, water-themed event takes place for the first time this year. Members of the East County community as well as other interested San Diegans are invited to participate in interactive activities for adults and children.

Among the Water Festival’s highlights:

Visitors to the East County Water Festival on Sept. 8 can t, tour the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility. Photo: Courtesy Padre Dam MWD

Visitors to the East County Water Festival on Sept. 8 can tour the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility. Photo: Courtesy Padre Dam MWD

  • Tour the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility to learn about the science of cleaning and purifying wastewater.
  • Enjoy free food and sample iced coffee using purified recycled water.
  • Participate in face-painting, take-home crafts and much more.

The event is hosted by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. The Advanced Water Purification Program is a regional partnership with Padre Dam, Helix Water District, City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego. To sign up to attend and for location details, go to www.EastCountyAWP.com.

Interactive displays will interest kids of all ages at the East County Water Festival on Sept. 8. Photo: Courtesy Padre Dam MWD

Interactive displays will interest kids of all ages at the East County Water Festival on Sept. 8. Photo: Courtesy Padre Dam MWD

About the East County Advanced Water Purification Program and Padre Dam Municipal Water District

The East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility treats recycled water to create 100,000 gallons of purified water each day. The facility uses the same state-of-the-art technology that provides water to Disneyland and more than 600,000 Orange County residents. The Advanced Water Purification Program could ultimately produce up to 30 percent of the drinking water for residents in the Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Helix Water District water service areas.

Padre Dam provides water, sewer, recycled water and recreation services to approximately 100,000 residents in East San Diego County, including Santee, El Cajon, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, Harbison Canyon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, Dehesa and Crest. The district currently imports 100 percent of its drinking water supply and treats two million gallons per day of wastewater at its Water Recycling Facility. Go to www.padredam.org for more information.

Follow Padrre Dam Municipal Water District on Facebook or on Twitter @EastCountyAWP

 

 

Agency managers challenge the ‘tax con job’

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Two water agency general managers in San Diego County have co-authored an opinion piece in the Escondido Times-Advocate that opposes a proposal in the state Legislature to add a “voluntary donation” to water bills. The new approach is designed to sidestep opposition to a water tax, which failed this summer to get necessary support in Sacramento.

“As proposed, the ‘Voluntary Donation’ will show up on your monthly water bill along with the normal charges, unless you take action to ‘Opt Out,’” said Greg Thomas, general manager of the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District, and Gary Arant, general manager of the Valley Center Municipal Water District.

“This will require agencies to reconfigure their bills and modify their billing system, change financial processing software/systems, administrative procedures, and customer service to accomplish this effort and then process and track customers wishing to ‘Opt out,’” they said. “This will necessarily translate into higher costs being passed on to ratepayers at a time when water affordability is already a critical issue in our state.”

Click here to read the full article.

Related story:

San Diego Coalition Remains Vigilant on Water Tax

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Sweetwater Authority Water Rate Increase Approved

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Chula Vista, Calif. – The SweeetwaterAuthority authorized new water rates and charges at a public hearing on August 20. Authority customers will see an increase in their water bill for the first time since 2015.

“The budget and rate study process supports the Authority’s commitment to transparency and delivers on its mission to provide safe and reliable water to its valued customers,” said Governing Board Chair Teresa “Terry” Thomas. “The creation and adoption of the Authority’s rate stabilization fund will minimize future rate increases for our customers.”

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Water Industry Journal Highlights ‘Brought To You By Water’ Outreach

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ACWA News, a publication of the Association of California Water Agencies, featured the San Diego County Water Authority’s “Brought To You By Water” campaign in its August 17 issue. The story, “San Diego Region Celebrates Water Reliability,” shares details about the successful partnership between the Water Authority and numerous business and community partners region to highlight the multi-billion dollar economic benefits of investments in safe and reliable water supplies for the San Diego region.

The feature story reports on outreach efforts planned by the Water Authority and its member agencies, including regional events for industry sectors, along with street fairs, farmers markets, and other opportunities to talk about water with residents. As a way to start conversations about water, the Water Authority is taking a giant beach ball — nearly 10 feet in diameter — branded with the Brought to You by Water logo that was signed by guests at the kickoff event for the outreach program in June.

Click here to read the full story.

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Water Service Shut-Off Bill Opposed by Water Authority

/in , /by by Water News Network staff Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A coalition of organizations, including the San Diego County Water Authority, is opposing proposed state legislation that would change existing water service shut-off procedures used by public water agencies when customers become significantly delinquent on water bill payments.

Senate Bill 998 by Senator Bill Dodd (Napa) would replace current shut-off processes, which are tailored by local water districts to meet the needs of their agency customers. Despite the absence of state data showing current policies create a significant problem in California, the bill would impose a new “one-size-fits-all” statewide program.

The bill, should it become law, would prevent service shut-offs for at least 60 days for delinquent customers; create a cap on reconnection fees that may or may not cover the associated costs; trigger Proposition 218 concerns for public water agencies; and expand authority of the State Water Resources Control Board and the Attorney General to enforce provisions of the bill.

SB 998 would effectively force agencies to subsidize the cost of providing service to delinquent customers. Agencies could be compelled to decrease their level of service to customers who have been paying in a timely manner by diverting resources to non-paying customers because the bill does not provide sufficient additional revenue to cover related costs.

While SB 998 is intended to assist residents with financial hardship, the bill fails to account for other disadvantaged customers, including seniors and the disabled, whose rates could increase as a result.

Another impact of SB 998 would be diverting resources from local health departments to preventing water service shut-offs, instead of the many critical services they currently provide to children, seniors and others. Despite its intent, SB 998 would harm ratepayers’ rights to safe and affordable drinking water – a violation of the “human right to water” adopted by the state.

The Water Authority’s Board of Directors is on record opposing SB 998 and its cost-shifting policies, as is the Association of California Water Agencies.

 

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Water Authority Board Conditionally Supports WaterFix Project in Bay Delta

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The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors today unanimously gave conditional support to current plants for California WaterFix, the state’s $17 billion proposal to address water supply constraints in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delt. The Board made its backing contigent on a project financing plan that treats San Diego County ratepayers fairly through the proper allocation of project costs by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the sole source of Bay-Delta water for the San Diego region.

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Transparency Certificate of Excellence Awarded to Sweetwater Authority

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Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority (Authority) received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance. The certificate was presented to the Governing Board at its August 8 meeting.

“This award is a testament to Sweetwater Authority’s commitment to open government,” said Teresa “Terry” Thomas, Governing Board Chair. “The entire district staff is to be commended for their contributions that empower the public with information and facilitate engagement and overnight.”

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Efficiencies Lower Long-Term Water Demand Forecast for San Diego Region

/in , /by by Water News Network Staff

Updated water-use projections for the San Diego region through 2040 are substantially lower than earlier forecasts due to efficiencies that have become standard practice at homes and businesses countywide.

That’s good news because it signals the potential for lower spending on water supply development and delivery in coming decades compared to previous forecasts.

The revised demand forecast by the San Diego County Water Authority also highlights how the region continues to align with state mandates for water-use efficiency even after nearly three decades of significant savings. Per capita potable water use in the Water Authority’s service area declined nearly 50 percent between fiscal years 1990 and 2017.

Changing Water-Use Habits Prompt ‘Reset’

Project water demands in San Diego County based on normal year conditions. Graphic: Water Authority

Project water demands in San Diego County based on normal-year conditions. Graphic: Water Authority

Revisions to the region’s water demand forecast were designed to align the Water Authority’s planning document with current water-use trends. Through the Urban Water Management Plan, the agency updates demand forecasts every five years, with the next comprehensive update in 2020.

However, emergency state regulations related to the 2012-2016 drought combined with the ongoing transformation of the landscaping market toward low-water-use designs and other factors significantly lowered water use between the formal five-year planning periods. That change prompted the interim demand “reset” by the region’s water wholesaler.

Instead of projecting 588,000 acre-feet of demand in 2020, the Water Authority now anticipates demand will be at 537,000 acre-feet – a reduction of approximately 9 percent. Projections through 2040 follow suit, so that annual demand is projected to be 655,000 acre-feet at the far end of the Water Authority’s planning horizon instead of 719,000 acre-feet.

“We wanted the forecast to reflect current conditions and demand levels, and we also wanted to have an inclusive process for receiving input from our member agencies,” said Tim Bombardier, principal water resources specialist for the Water Authority. “The net effect is that the interim demand forecast reset shifts the entire line down by about 60,000 acre-feet for the entire 2020 to 2040 planning horizon.”

The demand reset is intended as a provisional update, and a comprehensive update of the forecast will coincide with preparation of the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan. Decreased demands change the amount of supplies necessary in future years, an issue the Water Authority will assess in detail when developing the 2020 plan. That process will start in late 2018.