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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-14-18 Agenda Packet THE FULL PACKET IS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE www.mwmcpartners.org MWMC MEETING AGENDA Friday, December 14, 2018 @ 7:30 a.m. Water Pollution Control Facility, Willamette Meeting Room 410 River Ave., Eugene, OR 97404 Turn off cell phones before the meeting begins. 7:30 – 7:35 I. ROLL CALL 7:35 – 7:40 II. CONSENT CALENDAR a. MWMC 11/09/18 Minutes Action Requested: By motion, approve the Consent Calendar 7:40 – 7:45 III. PUBLIC COMMENT Request to speak slips are available at the sign-in desk. Please present request slips to the MWMC Secretary before the meeting starts. 7:45 – 8:15 IV. EXECUTIVE SESSION – BIOGAS: NW INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Denmark/ Josh Newman Action Requested: The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission will now meet in Executive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) for the purpose of consulting with legal counsel about information or records exempt from public disclosure because they are subject to attorney-client privilege. Adjourn Executive Session and convene Regular Session Note: Memos presented in Executive Session are confidential and must be turned in at the end of the meeting. Action Requested: Discussion and direction on entering into an Interconnection Agreement with NW Natural. THE FULL PACKET IS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE www.mwmcpartners.org 8:15 – 8:30 V. LIABILITY INSURANCE RENEWAL FOR 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katherine Bishop Action Requested: By motion, authorize the General Manager to enter into an agreement for liability insurance coverage with Special Districts Insurance Services, and associated SDAO membership renewal for calendar year 2019. 8:30 – 8:50 VI. CLEAN WATER UNIVERSITY REFORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loralyn Spiro/ Laura Keir Action Requested: Information Only 8:50 – 9:10 VII. BUSINESS FROM COMMISSION, GENERAL MANAGER, & WASTEWATER DIRECTOR 9:10 VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting location is wheelchair-accessible. For the hearing-impaired, an interpreter can be provided with 48-hours-notice prior to the meeting. To arrange for service, call 541-726-3694. All proceedings before the MWMC are recorded. MWMC MEETING MINUTES Friday, November 9, 2018 at 7:30 a.m. City of Springfield City Hall, Library Meeting Room 225 Fifth St., Springfield, OR 97477 President Ruffier opened the meeting at 7:30 a.m. Roll call was taken by Kevin Kraaz. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Bill Inge, Doug Keeler, Walt Meyer, Peter Ruffier, and Jennifer Yeh Absent: Pat Farr and Joe Pishioneri Staff Present: Meg Allocco, Dave Breitenstein, Brian Conlon, Kristin Denmark (attorney), Rob Hallett, Marc Hruby, John Huberd, Laura Keir, Tonja Kling, Kevin Kraaz, Adam May, Troy McAllister, James McClendon, Todd Miller, Michelle Miranda, Josh Newman, Sharon Olson, Jeff Paschall, Matt Stouder, Ana Valladolid, Mark Van Eeckhout, Marcia Wahto, Greg Watkins, Jenifer Willer, and John Williamson. CONSENT CALENDAR a. MWMC 10/19/18 Minutes MOTION: IT WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER KEELER WITH A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MEYER TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY 5/0. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. President Ruffier adjourned regular session and convened executive session at 7:35 a.m. EXECUTIVE SESSION – BIOGAS: NW INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission met in Executive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) for the purpose of consulting with legal counsel about information or records exempt from public disclosure because they are subject to attorney-client privilege. President Ruffier asked if any representatives of the news media were present or general public; there were none; staff was allowed to attend the executive session. President Ruffier adjourned executive session and convened regular session at 8:00 a.m. MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 2 of 10 EUGENE/SPRINGFIELD COLLECTION SYSTEMS PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS UPDATE Brian Conlon, DPW Operations Manager (Springfield), Rob Hallett, PW Maintenance Sub-Surface Operations Manager (Eugene), Jenifer Willer, Principle Civil Engineer (Eugene), and Jeff Paschall, City Engineer/Engineering Division Supervisor (Springfield) made the presentation. Mr. Conlon started the presentation by speaking about CMOM being collaboration in action. He said some of the value that comes out of collaboration is reduced duplication. An example is the pump stations are maintained by the City of Eugene so there isn’t duplication of buying equipment or having staff partially funded. Over the last six or seven years, as the Wet Weather Flow Management Plan (WWFMP) was sunsetting, regulatory pressure started growing from the EPA and the DEQ. The two cities were meeting as far back as 2010/2011 to decide what was next. At that time, the nexus was Matt Stouder and Josh Newman coming on board. They continued to have the two cities meet, especially over the last three years. Capacity Management, Operation and Maintenance (CMOM) was not only accepted but preferred by the EPA, as an adaptive planning approach to achieve effective collection system conveyance management. With Matt and Josh pushing it, the two cities developed their own independent plans. They are very similar and the two systems have one over-arching goal to mitigate and eliminate sanitary sewer overflows. Both cities’ targets are to have zero overflows and plan around that goal, setting their performance measures with Operations’ activities on it such as how much to hydro-jet the lines. The City of Springfield has had zero overflows in the last 18 months. The City of Eugene has had two which is at the top 2% for cities similar to its size in the nation. Commissioner Inge asked how it compares to 2-5 years ago. Mr. Conlon replied that we sort of perform the same types of activities but have more attention on lines that are high in soap and high in grease. Instead of waiting for a problem, we are getting out in front of it by jetting high frequency lines. Springfield has a list of lines that they will hydro-jet twice annually or more, whatever they need to stave off an SSO. It is interesting to note that historically most of Springfield’s SSO’s have been in dry weather periods. They were caused by root problems and a summer rain storm. From the performance standpoint, we are in a good place. He thinks CMOM is part of that. Commissioner Inge asked if we have a metrics that shows the SSO’s. It seems like eight years ago it was a relatively frequent occurrence. Mr. Breitenstein replied that he does a lot of the reporting on the Eugene side. Over the last three years it has been typical to not have over two per year for both cities. He pointed out that although Eugene had two, one that happened last month was caused from someone doing landscaping in their backyard and the cover came off the manhole and debris fell in and 10 gallons overflowed. That is the type of SSOs that are included in these metrics in which we really have no control over and they are not related to any cleaning frequencies or maintenance activities. Rob Hallett added that Eugene just had a third one yesterday and it was caused from gravel. The mainline was pristine but it was gravel that came from a lateral and which is usually caused by rats. There will be further investigation to see where that gravel came from but again that SSO didn’t come from a lack of maintenance, it was out of our control. Mr. Breitenstein stated that prior to the expansion of the capacity of the treatment plant and the increased efforts in Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) rehab that have occurred since then, it has come down to about 2 from 7-14 SSOs. MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 3 of 10 President Ruffier asked if there has been any response from DEQ to the SSOs. Mr. Breitenstein replied no, they take the reports and he thinks they recognize they are beyond our control or they are so minor in volume they are not significant to cause alarm. President Ruffier was concerned about the liability aspect of having no enforcement response. He asked if the MWMC wants to advocate for an enforcement response. Mr. Conlon stated that sometimes it takes a while to get a response from the DEQ. Staff also reports to ORS immediately and there are a couple of avenues where that reporting goes. Commissioner Meyer asked if we have met the 24-hour timeline for reporting SSOs. Mr. Breitenstein replied, always. Mr. Conlon stated that CMOM’s framework helps staff to plan strategically for finance and administration as well as planning engineering, design, construction, operation and maintenance, pipe system, and do comprehensive analysis such as flow monitoring and hydraulic modeling. Also it is the nexus into master planning for which Eugene has completed. Mr. Conlon added that last year when he reported on the CMOM, he had mentioned Springfield did not have the expertise to do flow monitoring and hydraulic modeling analysis. One of the great outcomes of the collaboration is that an IGA was worked out so Springfield could use Eugene’s staff expertise. Eugene had an employee, Sam Novak, with a lot of experience in flow monitoring deployment, strategic deployment, and also hydraulic modeling. Mr. Novak left the City’s employment and started his own company. Springfield developed essentially the same contract with him for his ongoing work with the City’s hydraulic line. So there is another great example of collaboration and how it turned out to be a benefit to the rate payer. Mr. Hallett stated last year his presentation focused mainly on preventative maintenance in the collection systems. This year it will be more about our capital improvement programs (CIP) which Jenifer Willer (Eugene) and Jeff Paschall (Springfield) will discuss. Ms. Willer started with Eugene’s Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Identification and Rehabilitation program. It is managed in Eugene’s Capital Engineering section. The City of Eugene’s system manages approximately 3.65 million feet (692 miles) of wastewater mainline pipe. It also consists of 27 local pump stations and about 20,000 manholes. In 2017, it was estimated about one million feet of wastewater mainline pipe is concrete and over 50 years old. That is important because prior to about the mid-1970s, most wastewater pipe was concrete, clay, or transite. Back then, the joints of that material, the seals, were subject to corrosion and deterioration. We are seeing that most of I&I is coming into our system through those old pipes. Staff estimates by the year 2029 the million feet (of wastewater mainline pipe) will jump up to 1.5 million and it will level off about there. Ms. Willer stated the City of Eugene uses a variety of techniques to rehab the pipes, primarily a cured-in- place pipe system that seals up the pipe. When Eugene does their projects, they also address the laterals in the right-of-way (ROW) by using either chemical grouting or as well doing cured-in-place pipe lining. They also seal up any manholes that are within the project area. Commissioner Meyer asked what Eugene does if they discover a private lateral is leaking. Is it getting fixed? Ms. Willer replied that within the last two years the City of Eugene has taken on the private laterals within the public ROW. Generally it happens if a requests from a property owner is received stating they are having issues. Eugene staff will go out and TV the lateral pipe and try to find out if it is a problem on MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 4 of 10 the public or private side. If it is on the public side they either fix it then or turn it in to the Capital Program to be fixed along with the Capital projects. Ms. Willer said of the one million feet of wastewater pipe (to be rehabbed), they have the funding to do about 10,000 feet of rehab a year. One of the ways to deal with this issue is through prioritizing the work. The 50-year-old pipe is a constant and staff tries to estimate the impact of that pipe through flow monitoring. A few years ago Eugene deployed flow monitors across the city. They collect data on what the flows in the pipes are during dry weather and during wet weather and compared the difference. Staff was able to identify sub-basins across the City where there was more wet weather flow in that sub- basin than on a normal dry weather flow. The sub-basins are still fairly big areas, so now staff is trying to get more discrete in their modeling in what they call micro-basins. When staff identifies a sub-basin has an I&I issue but does not know which of the branches it is coming from, they deploy flow monitors in each of the little micro-basins to identify which ones are the worse cause of I&I. After staff treats one of those micro-basins, they then relook at the whole system to see if that sub-basin is still the top priority and should they continue to rehab it or is there another sub-basin that they should go to. They will continue to monitor the rehabbed system, and when they get enough of these done they will start getting a sense if the private-side of the laterals is an issue because they will know that they have sealed up the public side. Commissioner Keeler asked how many flow meters are typically deployed throughout the City. Ms. Willer replied that Eugene has 24 and is in the process of purchasing 10-12 more. Mr. Conlon replied that the City of Springfield has 15 new monitors that they purchased through the City of Eugene’s procurement and have 4-5 others that are currently in use. Mr. Paschall stated that he manages the City of Springfield’s Engineering Division which incorporates all the Capital projects throughout the City. In 2009-10 Springfield completed the WWFP which was over 40,000 linear feet. In 2005 Springfield had updated their Wastewater Master Plan which identified additional rehabilitation repair type work as well as system upgrades based on predictive locations for potential SSOs where small diameter pipes might need to be upsized to manage additional flow for future development. Springfield was fortunate because they were getting really good prices when they sold their wastewater bonds and was able to complete all but one of those upgrade projects as well as all the identified rehabilitation which was around 80,000 linear feet. They are now on a more reactive mode where staff is using CCTV, dye testing, and the experience from the Operations’ crews. In one of their last projects where there was an SSO, they identified through CCTV that there was some bad pipe. They are scheduling those projects versus having a Master Plan. Out of the CMOM one of the projects was to update the Flow Monitoring Plan, deploying flow monitors, and updating the hydraulic models so that can then lead to scheduling and updating the Master Plan. Springfield signed an IGA with Eugene, had their flow monitors ordered and deployed when Mr. Novak decided to go out on his own. It slowed Springfield down a little bit but they were fortunate to negotiate a contract with him. Springfield is currently monitoring everything that is 10 inches or larger, so it is a little bit better network from where they were in the last model and last Master Plan and they have more flow monitors collecting data. One thing though, last winter was a pretty mild winter so they didn’t have a lot of wet weather flow. Springfield is hoping for a few more wet weather events this winter so they can calibrate their model. Good wet weather helps to have a really solid model and actually find the bad spots in the system. MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 5 of 10 Mr. Paschall stated Springfield is still on target to have their Flow Monitoring Plan and Hydraulic Model updated by April 2019. They also have some additional items within their contract to start moving into the micro-basins, much like the City of Eugene. This will help identify the higher need basins where they are seeing a lot of I&I issues. Springfield is still identifying good projects using their Asset Management tools which tell them the age of the pipe which is an indicator of where to go look and possible get CCTV reports. Mr. Paschall said it would be nice, once they get this model, to be able to take the 20-year Master Plan update and know every cycle in the CIP how much money needs to be spent for rehabilitation. Springfield, like Eugene, is not hitting as much rehab as they probably should be to keep up with the system. However, considering the SSOs, which is very minimal and typically outside their control and not a system wide problem, he thinks that they are doing a very good job of making sure that they are keeping the system functioning and making sure the wastewater is getting to the wastewater plant. Commissioner Keeler asked if staff has a general sense of what the trend is on the rainfall adjusted influent to the plant. Mr. Stouder replied that the last time that he talked to Tom Mendes, he told him that on an annual basis with flows (when you adjust for the rainfall factor) they have been holding steady and not increasing. This tells us that the work we are doing is good and the problem is not getting worse. Given the age of our pipe and that it continues to age as we move forward, to hold steady is a good thing. Commissioner Keeler said there is no question that the work is good, he appreciates what everyone is doing. Commissioner Inge asked if you are not doing as much rehab as you want to do, is there a plan to escalate more rehab work or is it just one of those things. Mr. Paschall replied that he would hold off on how we are going to escalate until we have our Master Plan updated. Once we have our updated Master Plan and it identifies where we really need to be targeting, we will look at resources and have a discussion with the City Manager and the Department Director as to whether we need to add more staff, how to ramp up, and if other projects in other areas need to be delayed. He added that in April 2019 they will have the flow monitoring and hydraulic model that will lead into updating the Master Plan. He anticipates April 2020 having a draft Master Plan. He pointed out that they haven’t stopped all work on the system. They do have tools to help them locate where to work next; they are just a little more reactive. We will continue annual rehab but just won’t have a big plan that we can take to our City Council. Ms. Willer said for the City of Eugene about 10,000 feet of pipe along with the sealing of manholes and the laterals fully utilize the annual budget. In 2018 they did about 24,000 feet of pipe but that was only because they were unable to get competitive bids to contract with anyone in 2017 and did all the work in 2018. President Ruffier said the general objective is to rehab the system every 50 years. With 3.65 million feet of mainline and doing 10,000 a year, you are talking 365 years to get through the system. So there is never a way to get to the general objective. It is interesting that you have performance based with flow monitoring but he would be a little concerned that parts of the system have been expanded and you can see failure in 50-60 years from now in a major portion of the system. Mr. Stouder replied that it is not a unique problem to the MWMC; it is a national problem with infrastructure. It is a chief priority of ACWA and a chief talking point with EPA every time they deal with affordability. At the local level, staff pushes on the Councils and the policies and policy makers with our Capital Program. It is a balance of new projects needed for new growth, rehab projects, and then how much they want to raise rates to fund the program. We could be much more aggressive locally in doing the projects but it would mean a MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 6 of 10 substantial rate increase. President Ruffier stated that he is not seeing the need for it based on the SSO results and the wet weather capacity. But he does think we need to be thoughtful looking forward to make sure that we don’t fall further behind. Mr. Conlon said that (backlog of rehab) should become a key element in the discussion in the Master Plan as that is the time when staff is able to take it to the elected officials. It also rolls into Operational issues that staff has to look at from the stand point of are we doing enough high velocity cleaning. Just because we are not having SSOs doesn’t mean that there are no other issues. Commissioner Keeler said we talked about our high financial position as a Commission and he wonders if at some point if the Commission would want to consider some of this cost sharing with the two jurisdictions on rehab programs. Mr. Stouder stated that it had been brought up in the past. Mr. Hallett stated that the City of Eugene adopted a new policy in 2017 to take over ownership of all laterals within the ROW and it immediately added an estimated 43 miles of pipe to the system. It does make it easier for staff to identify whose problem it is. It eliminates the financial burden for home and business owners and allows the City to have greater control of fixing some of these once private laterals that are leaking. From January 2017 to date, Eugene has rehabbed 177 laterals through their repair crews. So every week their system is getting tighter in that regard. However, there is a little bit of a tradeoff. They have gone from 73% of their time spent on repairing the sanitary sewer system’s mainlines to 10% and are spending 86% of their time repairing laterals in ROW. President Ruffier asked what process they use to identify work needed on laterals. Mr. Hallett replied that it is all coming in from the home owners or plumbers. Commissioner Meyer asked when they are doing a lateral in the ROW, do they stop at the property line. Mr. Hallett said yes, they stop at the property line and put in a clean out. Most of the laterals do not have a clean out so there is not a way to maintain them and there is not a lot of information on them. Mr. Hallett stated that since all the money gets used on the CIP sewer repairs, they don’t have the money to batch the backlog repairs and turn it into CIP. Mr. Stouder said that it is worth noting, on the Springfield side, that even if they find a lateral leaking on the private side, the City is not allowed to TV it or basically intrude on their private property. If they come to the City and say they have a problem with their lateral or their plumber calls us and wants us to address it, we can work with them. That will be a conversation down the road on how we start dealing with those issues. The hope is with the new flow monitoring data we will be getting out of the micro- basins, we will be able to get dry and wet weather data for pre-rehab and data for post-rehab in the public section of the ROW. Then we can compare those to see what the extent of the private lateral contribution is. That information should be trickling in next year as we get wet weather events. Commissioner Keeler said the leaks are not going to respect property ownership. So if you rehab a lateral to the private property line and the issue is upstream of that on the private property, you really haven’t solved the problem. Mr. Hallett agreed and said that when they get new data, they will be able to figure out what kind of problem they are looking at and how significant it is. Mr. Stouder said that there is a follow-up conversation after we have the data about what the appropriate strategy is. It will vary by basin depending upon on where the ground water is in that basin. MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 7 of 10 If it is a high ground water table or the mains are deep, it will probably vary seasonally. But that is information that we are trying to find out. Commissioner Keeler stated that his thought is if we invest in the public portion of a pipe and don’t solve the problem maybe we could offer to work with the property owner and somehow share that burden because that is what we are really about– solving problems. Mr. Stouder replied that there are models that staff has looked at that do that. President Ruffier said under current regulations there are conditions under which we can force the property owner to fix the lateral; correct? Mr. Stouder said it may be different between the cities. Staff has looked at modifying codes so we could have that authority. If there are health and safety issues, yes. Commissioner Meyer said about half of the miles of sewer in the ground is on private property. Usually those are not maintained very well. Consequently, a lot of I&I comes from the private lateral. A lot of cities have adopted private lateral policies. Those policies vary, for example, in McMinnville when they find a private lateral that leaks, the City sends the property owner a letter stating they have one year to fix it. They are very rigorous about it because they had such a severe problem. Others, such as Clean Water Services, have adopted policies that allow them to go ahead and rehab the clean out by the house when they go in to rehab a basin. It is an individual call (city). Commissioner Meyer said we have had our head in the sand for 20 years and still do not have a private lateral policy. He thinks it is time that both cities talk about it and start thinking about how we are going to deal with I&I issues associated with the private laterals and getting them fixed. Mr. Conlon said from the policy makers’ standpoint (the city councils), staff doing the scientific piece behind the monitoring and hydraulic modeling is going to be the platform to justify the conversation. The two Public Works directors wanted staff to look at it and hired Mr. Ruffier as a consultant. Staff finds it an itchy problem because intuitively we think there is a problem with I&I from the laterals but we need to do the best to tighten up the public system before having the heavier conversation about private laterals. Mr. Stouder said that staff will be getting some data on some of the laterals; it will be a small sample. As the data comes in, staff will share with the Commission how it is working. It will be up to the Commission members and the Council representatives on the Commission to have a conversation with the elected bodies of both cities about these concerns and how to address them. Staff can push only so much but there is some definite policy implementations that will need to be addressed at a local level. Commissioner Keeler suggested that the MWMC secretary add Commissioner Meyer’s proposal to the task list that is sent out monthly. President Ruffier agreed with Commissioner Meyer that it is an issue that needs to be addressed. While it would be best to move forward with this data indicating there is a problem, it might be advisable for us to have that conversation about policy options and choices while that is occurring so that we are prepared to move forward when we need to. Mr. Conlon stated in moving forward, Springfield and Eugene staffs will continue to meet quarterly to discuss CMOM initiatives and program implementation strategies. Annually, the cities assess and identify planning, design, construction, and maintenance gaps; this includes the financial aspect too. Eugene MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 8 of 10 and Springfield will continue to use CMOM to guide fundamental program elements that support sustainable and responsible management of the cities’ respective wastewater collection systems. Commissioner Meyer said he appreciated the presentation and is really glad that the two cities are working together on this. He thinks a good CMOM program is going to be essential to our long term maintenance and operation of the plant because it will be an intrinsic part for dealing with wet weather flow. President Ruffier stated that he appreciates the investment and commitment to CMOM and given the comments that ACWA submitted on the blending policy, it just confirms that CMOM is going to be a pretty significant process for us to use to be defensible. Commissioner Meyer said that it is the only little hope we can hang on, a good CMOM. MWMC FINANCIAL PLAN POLICIES – USER RATES Meg Allocco, MWMC Accountant, gave an overview of past Financial Plan policy updates. Current Policy Review and Input: Ms. Allocco explained in the current Policy R4 it says “…while maintaining an un-enhanced credit rating of A for the Commission’s bonds.” The MWMC currently has an AA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s (S&P). Staff thought the A should be upped a little bit to A+. Mr. Stouder explained that one of the indicators in the key outcomes is that MWMC have an A or better rating. So when staff reports annually to the Commission about the key outcomes and indicators and how we are doing, the question usually comes up, how come we have a target of A when we have a rating greater than that. Since we are updating the Plan, this is an opportunity to update that. President Ruffier asked what the implications are for elevating it to A+. Do we have to maintain more in reserves? Ms. Allocco replied no, this is just updating our goal that we measure against. We are actually doing better than what the goal was so we are upping the goal. At the bond review last year, they told us that we are as good as we can get based upon the size of the community and the general income level. Commissioner Inge asked if there was just one rating agency or is there multiple. Ms. Allocco replied that there are multiply agencies but S&P is the one that has been doing the MWMC’s updates. The proposed changes are crossed through for deleting and underlined for adding. Policy R7 – Discussion) Historically, cCosts for administering the mobile waste hauler program were are recovered through rates set on the basis of cost recovery and state wide market comparisons of market rates. In 2004, the Commission changed it policy and chose to escalate mobile waste hauler rates by the same rate as other user rates. Ms. Allocco said in 2004 the Commission changed the policy so that the waste hauler rates changed the same percentage that the user rates were increasing. We have since gone back to a cost recovery method with comparisons of market rates to make sure we are staying within the proper range. The next cost of service evaluation should come to the Commission along with the user rate discussion in March or April 2019. MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 9 of 10 Mr. Stouder said part of the reason to change this is because we have had conversations with the Commission about costs recovery and wanting to set septage rates on cost recovery for mobile waste haulers. In the past, we tried to tie them to the user fees increases. The mobile waste haulers have a choice of where their waste goes so if those rates fluctuate they can choose to go elsewhere. Then the Commission didn’t make an adjustment for a number of years and our revenues have climbed substantially as has the amount of waste coming through. As we discussed last March, we think there will be a small increase based on cost recovery this year. Then there has been conversations with the Commission about would we rather have the waste coming to our plant rather than being potentially driven somewhere a longs way away for a variety of reasons or potentially being dumped somewhere. Ms. Allocco stated that the policy change is just updating the wording to align with what we are doing. President Ruffier asked when it says cost recovery and comparisons of market rates, does that mean there is a possibility that we would set rates below cost of recovery. Ms. Allocco replied no, it is just saying we will look at both. It does not say we have to set it at market rate or even at the cost recovery rate. The Commission can make the decision to leave the rates alone and eat a little bit of it if they want to. Commissioner Meyer likes the wording (Policy R7) because it gives us flexibility. He said there are a lot of things to think about, we don’t want people dumping or local waste haulers having to drive to Roseburg. President Ruffier said his concern was that we would end up subsidizing if we set based on market rate that was below our cost recovery and he does not want to get into a situation like that. He agrees that we want to make it as easy and convenient as possible. Mr. Breitenstein said the cost recovery is what we are trying to achieve, and looking at trying to equate the volume and strength of the septage relative to the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) loading on the plant in terms of cost. Then the market rate is just a reality check. Commissioner Keeler is fine with both policy changes. What struck him was it seems like Policy R1 and R3 are quite redundant. The only thing is R3 mentions SDCs and R1 does not; that is the only difference he could see. He was wondering if they can be combined; it would mess up the numbering. Ms. Allocco said staff can look into it. Next Steps: Ms. Allocco said staff plans to update the narrative from the 2005 Plan to the 2019 Plan. The technical appendices were written mainly by the Financial Advisor and the Bond Counsel, so they will review them and make updates as needed. They will both look at it before the end of the year. Staff plans to bring it back to the Commission in February 2019. BUSINESS FROM COMMISSION, GENERAL MANAGER, AND WASTEWATER DIRECTOR Commission: President Ruffier asked if there was ever a summarization of the completion of WWFP. Todd Miller said there is one that was shared with the Commission previously and it could be emailed to the Commission. MWMC Meeting Minutes November 9, 2018 Page 10 of 10 General Manager: Mr. Stouder and Mr. Breitenstein will be at the Eugene Hilton at noon on Tuesday, November 13, doing a presentation for the Downtown Rotary Club; they expect 100-150 people. The Commissioners are welcome to attend. The Blending document that ACWA submitted to EPA is a six page letter and is very well written. The MWMC participated in it. Mr. Stouder will send the letter out to the Commission for review. The hard hats and vests are available for the Commissioners to pick up on their way out of the meeting. They are to wear out at the plant and have the MWMC logo on them. Wastewater Director: It is now the winter season of MWMC’s permit. The summer season went real well and we consistently removed over 95% of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand (CBOD) probably closer to 97-98%. The medium voltage cable project is going on at the plant. A milestone was completed a couple of weekends ago with the installation of the automatic transfer switch. In the future, if we lose power from the Santa Clara substation, it will automatically switch over to the power provided by the Delta substation across the river. The biggest change is instead of providing power to the main part of the treatment processes, now all will have complete power redundancies. It is a great example of going above and beyond the regulatory requirements and providing environmental protection. To get that work accomplished, it took a 12 hour power outage over the weekend. There were portable generators in place to take care of things during that work. It took a lot of coordination between staff, electrical contractors, and design consultants and was a real success. On the Brown Lane property, staff is continuing on the plans for demolition of the manufactured home. Staff just received quotes and it will cost about $8,200 to $8,300 for demolition and also includes asbestos abatement. As soon as we get the project awarded and a contract established, we will proceed. Mr. Breitenstein introduced the two newest employees in the Facilities Maintenance section, Ana Valladolid and Marc Hruby. President Ruffier asked if there would be any changes in the 7Q10 that is used in our permitting given the recent really dry weather spells. Todd Miller responded that he didn’t know but he has been monitoring the flows and we are not down to 7Q10 flows as of yet. It is a statistical analysis and he is not sure how that all plays in once you run the statistical analysis on the historic data on how that would impact the 7Q10. He has a meeting scheduled with the DEQ through an ACWA venue next Tuesday, November 13. MWMC’s data is part of what will be discussed and there are ones using 7Q10 and ones we are producing internally. He will bring up that question with the DEQ and as well as how often do they update that. President Ruffier said it would be interesting to know if they have any plans or any process for updating the 7Q10. That could be pretty significant on permit renewal. Commissioner Inge asked what 7Q10 is. President Ruffier replied that it is a 7-day, 10-year low flow. So as things get drier and that number goes down, our permit limits get more stringent. ADJOURNMENT President Ruffier adjourned the meeting at 9:06 a.m. Submitted by: Kevin Kraaz ______________________________________________________________________________ M E M O R A N D U M DATE: December 6, 2018 TO: Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) FROM: Katherine Bishop, Environmental Services Program Manager SUBJECT: Liability Insurance Renewal for 2019 ACTION REQUESTED: Authorize the General Manager to enter into an agreement for liability insurance coverage to be effective January 1, 2019 ISSUE The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission’s (MWMC) current general liability insurance coverage with Special Districts Insurance Services (SDIS) covers the 2018 calendar year. The Commission is requested to authorize the General Manager to enter into an agreement for liability (casualty) insurance coverage with SDIS to be effective January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 for the calendar year. BACKGROUND The MWMC carries property insurance and general liability (casualty) insurance policies that provide risk insurance coverage, working closely with the MWMC Insurance Agent of Record. Insurance Agent of Record - In 2015, following a competitive process, the Commission authorized the MWMC General Manager to enter into a multi-year contract with Brown & Brown Northwest (BBNW) for Insurance Agent of Record services. The BBNW team members serving the MWMC include Ron Cutter, Senior Vice President / NW Public Sector Practice Leader; Tim Clarke, Senior Vice President of Claims; and Cathi Pham, Account Manager. Liability (Casualty) Insurance - In mid-2015 staff presented information on liability risk insurance scenarios including insurance providers and associated insurance services and premiums. Based on the information presented, the Commission recommended moving from City County Insurance Services (CIS) to Special Districts Insurance Services based on services, overall fit, and better premiums. The Special Districts Insurance Services (SDIS) is a program provided by the Special Districts Association of Oregon. The Commission authorized the MWMC General Manager to enter into an initial contract with the SDIS for Liability (Casualty) Insurance effective July 1, 2015. Later, the Commission authorized renewals of liability insurance coverage with SDIS, on an annual basis, through the 2018 calendar year. Memo: Liability Insurance Renewal for 2019 December 6, 2018 Page 2 of 2 Property Insurance - In June 2018 the Commission authorized the MWMC General Manager to enter into agreements to secure property insurance including earthquake and flood coverage for the MWMC’s property assets currently valued at $324.9 million for the fiscal year (FY) period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. The current property insurance policy includes a multi-year rate lock agreement. Staff will return to the Commission in June 2019 to discuss property insurance renewal for FY 2019-20. DISCUSSION Liability (casualty) insurance covers general liability, administrative liability, public officials’ liability, non- owned and hired automobile liability, hired automobile physical damage, and umbrella/excess liability coverage. The 2019 liability insurance rate of $28,272 reflects an increase of 3.3% or around $900 when compared to 2018. Separately, staff participated in the SDIS Best Practices Credit program resulting in a credit of ($3,198) applied to the 2019 rates. The resulting 2019 net premium is $25,074, reflecting a slight cost decrease of 1% when compared to the 2018 premium. Staff is recommending renewal of liability insurance coverage with Special Districts Insurance Services (SDIS) for the 2019 calendar year with the insurance premium at $25,074, plus associated 2019 membership dues at $1,171 paid to the Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO). The combined 2019 premium and membership is $26,245. ACTION REQUESTED The Commission is requested by motion, to authorize and direct the General Manager to enter into an agreement with Special Districts Insurance Services (SDIS) for liability (casualty) insurance coverage, plus associated SDAO membership renewal for the period of January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. M E M O R A N D U M DATE: December 6, 2018 TO: Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) FROM: Loralyn Spiro, Communications Coordinator Laura Keir, Communications Coordinator SUBJECT: Clean Water University Reformat ACTION REQUESTED: Informational Only _____________________________________________________________________ ISSUE The new format of Clean Water University (CWU) – delivered as a field trip to the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) for both Eugene and Springfield students– was piloted in September. This memo includes details on how the new format of CWU was delivered, feedback and evaluation results from participating staff and teachers, and next steps for the program moving forward. BACKGROUND CWU began as a stormwater-focused educational program run by the City of Springfield in 2011. Since that time, it has evolved into a program that has been supported by the Commission and included curriculum about wastewater. Traditionally, CWU has been offered only in the Springfield School District because of the time commitment required of staff and the resources required to deliver the curriculum. The program structure has been three in- class sessions taught by staff and then a tour and ‘graduation’ at the treatment plant. Based on feedback from the Commission, as well as teachers that have participated in CWU, staff spent several months working to change the delivery format of CWU to involve additional students in the program (including those in the Eugene and Bethel areas), while not increasing the resource need to deliver the program. DISCUSSION New Format Details On September 26 and 27, 2018, the new format of CWU was piloted as a field trip event at the Memo: Clean Water University Reformat December 6, 2018 Page 2 of 3 wastewater treatment plant. More than 700 5th grade students participated, coming from 10 different schools (24 classes total) in the Springfield and Eugene school districts. Each school spent two hours at the treatment plant, where they took a tour of the plant and rotated through nine activity booths on wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water. Attachment 1 provides more details on the various activity booths and tour. Prior to the event staff reached out to all fifth grade teachers in the Bethel, Eugene, and Springfield School Districts to share information about the purpose of CWU and the opportunity to indicate their interest to participate in the field trip as the schedule allowed for up to ten schools to participate. Eleven schools expressed interest; none were from the Bethel School District. Of the ten schools that participated, six schools were from Springfield School District, three schools from Eugene School District 4J, and one private school located in Eugene. The large proportion of schools from Springfield is likely because these schools had participated in the previous format of CWU, and teachers were already familiar with the program. The new format required significant effort from many different people. Staff from the Cities of Eugene and Springfield’s Wastewater, Stormwater, Parks and Open Space, and Development and Public Works participated in the event by staffing a total of 84 two-hour shifts for running the activity booths, providing tours, and helping with setup and cleanup. Springfield Utility Board staff also covered their drinking water activity booth, and one MWMC Commissioner volunteered his time to help out with the event. Feedback Feedback was gathered after the event through staff debriefing meetings and an online survey of participating teachers. More details on this feedback are provided in Attachment 2. The response to the event was overwhelmingly positive. One teacher summed it up: “This was a wonderful hands-on experience for my students.” For such a large event that brought over 700 students, parents, and teachers to the treatment plant, things ran quite smoothly. Staff indicated that they would be willing to help with CWU in the future, and 90% of teachers who responded to the survey said they would participate again (10% said “Maybe”). All of the surveyed teachers gave the field trip a rating of either “Good” or “Excellent.” Teachers and staff offered several ideas for how to refine and adjust the program delivery in the future, which will be considered in making improvements for the next offering of CWU. Recommendations and Next Steps Roughly 25% of 5th grade students in the Eugene-Springfield area were reached by this offering of CWU over just two days, which is a significant expansion from the previous format (where roughly 3% to 7% of local 5th grade students were reached over four one-hour sessions). Staff has evaluated the success of the new format of CWU and determined that it works well for students, teachers, and staff. Staff recommends that this format be offered going forward in a similar manner. If there is desires to expand the program further to eventually reach more than 25% of 5th grade students each year, then additional staffing resources would likely be needed. Staff is interested in hearing the Commission’s input. Memo: Clean Water University Reformat December 6, 2018 Page 3 of 3 ACTION REQUESTED This memo is informational and staff welcomes the Commission’s input. No specific action is requested at this time. ATTACHMENTS: 1. CWU Fall 2018 Description, with Activity Booths & Tour 2. CWU Fall 2018 Feedback Summary Clean Water University September 26 & 27, 2018 On September 26 and 27, 2018, the new format of Clean Water University will be piloted as a field trip event at the wastewater treatment plant in Eugene. Approximately 700 5th grade students will participate over the two days, coming from Springfield and Eugene school districts. Each group of students will spend two hours at the treatment plant, where they will take a tour of the plant and rotate through nine different interactive activity booths on wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water. Activity Booths Students rotate through nine different booths with hands-on activities covering wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water. There will be eighty minutes total for this portion, with about nine minutes per activity. Each student has a bag with a ‘passport’ that’s stamped once completing each activity, and they receive a prize at each booth. Wastewater Activities 1.Chlorine Testing – This hands-on activity, with help from staff, shows students how to measure the chlorine levels of wastewater samples. This illustrates the final step in the wastewater process: disinfection. For this, a chemical called sodium hypochlorite (aka chlorine or bleach) is used to kill harmful bacteria that cause human diseases. Chlorine protects the fish in the river and downstream towns and cities from bad bacteria. Chlorine is also used in swimming pools and drinking water to make swimming and tap water safe. 2.Small Bugs, Big Impact – Students use microscopes to view bacteria found in the wastewater treatment process. The microscope allows students to observe the diversity and health of the “good bugs” that make up the activated sludge. There are potentially dozens of different bacteria and animals that live in the activated sludge tanks. These are organisms that are found naturally in highly-oxygenated freshwater lakes and streams throughout the world. 3.Biosolids to Poplar Trees – This tactile and visual activity takes students on the journey from biosolids production all the way to the poplar trees grown from biosolids fertilizer. Students will be able to look at sealed jars containing various types of real biosolids. Students touch samples of poplar tree saplings and leaves, as well as the wood milled from our very own poplar farm. Students can also have their height measured to compare their size to the size of a poplar tree growing at the Biocycle Farm. Stormwater Activities 4.Big Bugs – Students watch and learn to identify live macroinvertebrates, also known as big bugs! These aquatic macroinvertebrates are small animals that call local streams home. Students will see different types of macroinvertebrates such as dragonfly larvae, mosquito larvae, water fleas, beetles, and snails. Some of these are sensitive to pollution whereas others can live in very polluted waters, so macroinvertebrates make good biological indicators to understand how healthy a waterway is. ATTACHMENT 1 Page 1 of 2 5.Nature’s Filter – Students learn about the on-site bioswale that slows and filters stormwater at the treatment plant. They learn how to identify the various native plants found in the bioswale. A bioswale mimics natural processes to filter out and break down pollutants commonly found in stormwater runoff. It also recreates a more natural water cycle by allowing rain to soak into the ground, as it would have before development. 6.Down and Dirty – Students get “down and dirty” to find out just how tough it is to clean up oil when it’s leaked into the stormwater system. Water and oil are poured into a tub to show how they don’t mix, then students learn how hard it is to clean up as they try it themselves. Unfortunately City staff is often called to sites around the Eugene-Springfield area where oil or other harmful substances have leaked, spilled, or been dumped on the ground. Staff do their best using absorbent materials to try to clean the leak up, but sadly when it rains these substances will pollute stormwater and end up in local streams, rivers, and other bodies of water. Combined Wastewater & Stormwater Activities 7.Trash It! – In this fast-paced and fun game, students test their knowledge of how to properly dispose of common household items. Students are put into two teams and have to quickly decide what items (wipes, paint, medications, etc.) should go down the toilet, sink, in the trash, and storm drain. The message affirms what can go down the toilet (the three P’s: poop, pee, and paper), what goes down the storm drain (“only rain down the drain”), and more. 8.Cornhole – Students play a new kind of cornhole – with a clean water theme! One cornhole board looks like a toilet seat, and poop-shaped bean bags are thrown in to show that only the three P’s – poop, pee, and paper – should go in the toilet. Another cornhole board depicts a river and students throw rain drop bean bags into the storm drain, to illustrate “only rain down the drain.” Drinking Water Activity 9.Drinking Water Challenge, with Springfield Utility Board – Students learn about where their drinking water comes from and how different everyday activities can either help or harm the quality of the water they drink. For the hands-on portion of the booth, students attempt to guide Rory Raindrop through a watershed balance maze, avoiding pitfalls (potential sources of contamination) and passing through desirable water quality features, such as rain gardens. Treatment Plant Tour – Groups of about 25 to 30 students (one class) start by watching the wastewater treatment video for an overview of the process, and to see the beginning parts of the process that aren’t part of the tour. Then the tour begins by walking to the aeration basins, secondary clarifiers, and chlorine contact basins where they see how the treatment process works. This includes stops to see settleometer and permeable pavement demonstrations. 40 minutes total for tour. The tour includes walking outside near areas of open water, and going up and down stairs. ATTACHMENT 1 Page 2 of 2 Clean Water University Fall 2018 Feedback Summary ATTACHMENT 2 Page 1 of 2 Held reformat of Clean Water University on September 26 and 27, 2018, at the Regional Water Pollution Control Facility 700+ students from 10 schools between the Eugene and Springfield school districts attended Staff Feedback Overview: 80+ 2-hour shifts covered by Eugene and Springfield staff at the event Cities of Eugene and Springfield Wastewater, Stormwater, Parks and Open Space, and Development and Public Works staff participated Shifts also covered by Springfield Utility Board staff, and MWMC Commissioner 2 debrief meetings held for staff post-event, to gather feedback Overall Comments: In general, several staff commented on how well the event was planned, organized and ran Many staff said they would be willing to work at future Clean Water University sessions Late September or early October seems to be a good time for the fall session of CWU Many staff said they liked the use of the rented tents as it made the event look nice and professional For most students, staff felt it was the right level of information and engagement Notable Themes from Comments: More signage directing visitors to event Dedicated parking for chaperones near event area Continue early involvement with staff overseeing construction projects to minimize impacts Additional staff needed to help run some of the activity booths Add more space between activity booths to minimize crowding and noise Offer more opportunities for staff to prep for running activity booths and tours o Potentially offer a dry run for staff providing tours to practice script and voice level Either eliminate prizes or have students receive their prize bag at the end before they leave Potential adjustments for about half the activity booths to make the content more engaging for students and ease of delivery for staff Potential adjustments to group sizes for rotating through activity booths and more structure for how students rotate through Provide refreshments for all staff working event; provide box lunch for staff who work entire day Have a separate tent for staff to take breaks slightly away from event area Teacher Feedback Overview: Overall 10 schools attended: 3 from Eugene School District, 6 from Springfield School District, and 1 Private School with a mix of students from both Eugene and Springfield Online survey was emailed to all participating teachers and open for 11 days Of the 24 teachers that participated in CWU, 13 responded to the survey (54% response rate) Clean Water University Fall 2018 Feedback Summary ATTACHMENT 2 Page 2 of 2 Overall Comments: “This was a wonderful hands-on experience for my students.” “I asked for my students to reflect and then write about this trip, and the predominant answer was that they loved the stations and playing the games. A number of kids also commented on how nice everyone was.” “As a teacher, I learned so much. Piqued students' curiosity and hinted at the way math and science is applied to solve our everyday problems.” Key Survey Findings: Over 90% of teachers who responded to the survey said they would participate in CWU again; the other approximate 10% said “Maybe” 77% of the teachers who responded gave an overall rating of “Good” for the event; 23% gave an overall rating of “Excellent” Overall, teachers liked the time of year, facilities and activities provided, layout, content, etc. of the event Teachers indicated that the amount of learning at the event could be improved overall Teachers indicated that at times it was hard to hear the speakers while on the tour Before attending CWU, 27% of teachers had in-class curriculum that covered the topic of water; 64% had none and 9% had some When asked if it would be helpful if curriculum was provided prior to attending CWU, 82% said Yes and 18% said Maybe Notable Themes from Comments: Add more structure for rotating groups through booths as teachers are still getting to know students in the fall Have visuals to show during the tour Possibly don’t overlap different schools throughout the day Next Steps Determine the best timing for scheduling the next session of CWU Evaluate the ideal number of schools and students to attend Evaluate the realistic amount of time to ask staff to work the event Evaluate the need for additional dedicated Communications/Program staff to run and expand the offering of CWU