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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/02/23 WATER BOARD REVISED AGENDA0 BAKERSFIE/,"LD THE SOUND OF 5w 131* WATER BOARD Bob Smith, Chair Bruce Freeman Andrae Gonzales CITY OF BAKERSFIELD WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING Thursday, March 2, 2023 - 11:00 a.m. Water Resources Building Conference Room 1000 Buena Vista Road, Bakersfield, CA 93311 REVISED AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL K)• 111.7T[�ii3i��d4:TF? A. Agenda Item Public Statements B. Non -Agenda Item Public Statements 4. MINUTES A. Approval of the Minutes of the Special Water Board Meeting of February 15, 2023 - For Board Review and Action 5. KERN RIVER LEVEE DISTRICT b. REPORTS 7. HEARINGS A. Domestic Water Rate Study and Proposed Domestic Water Rate Increase - Staff Recommends Rate modifications to City Council 8. NEW BUSINESS Water Board Agenda March 2, 2023 WATER BOARD STATEMENTS 10. CLOSED SESSION 11. CLOSED SESSION ACTION 12. ADJOURNMENT POSTED: February 27, 2023 � Ra BAKERSFIELLD ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT WATER BOARD MEETING DATE: March 2, 2023 AGENDA SECTION: Minutes ITEM: 4. A. TO: Bob Smith, Chairman Bruce Freeman, Member Andrae Gonzales, Member APPROVED FROM: Daniel Maldonado, Asst. Water Resources Director DEPARTMENT HEAD D109 DATE: February 27, 2023 SUBJECT: Approval of the Minutes of the Special Water Board Meeting of February 15, 2023. Staff recommends approval of the Minutes of the Special Wafer Board Meeting of February 15, 2023. BACKGROUND: u �BAKERSFIEL-IL�D� THE SOUND OFsur�lpuf 4& MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE WATER BOARD - CITY OF BAKERSFIELD Wednesday, February 15, 2023 -10:00 a.m. Water Resources Conference Room 1000 Buena Vista Rd., Bakersfield, CA 93311 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Smith called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Chairman Smith, Member Freeman, Member Gonzales Absent: None 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS - None 4. MINUTES A. Approval of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 14, 2022. Motion by Member Gonzales to approve the Minutes of September 14, 2022. UNAN/MOUSLYAPPROVED 5. KERN RIVER LEVEE DISTRICT - None 6. REPORTS A. Update on Water Usage in the City's Domestic Water Service Area Tylor Hester, Domestic Supervisor, presented an update regarding the City's Domestic Water Service Area. Even with the recent significant recent rain and snowfall California is still in a drought. The Governor of California is still calling on all residents to reduce overall water usage by 15% based on the quantities used in 2020. Mr. Hester referred to graphs showing water usage in 2022 compared to 2020. Cumulatively, the City's Domestic Water Bakersfield, California, February 15, 2023 — Page 2 REPORTS (continued) Service Area saved over 2000 acre-feet compared to 2020 which is a 4.65% reduction from the 2020 baseline. The City of Bakersfield Domestic Water Service Area has grown; in 2022 we have approximately 6,000 more residents compared to 2020. Accounting for growth factor, the average reduction is 9% compared to 2020. Board information only, no action taken. B. Kern River & Isabella Reservoir Operations Report Miguel Chavez, Hydrographic Supervisor, explained the Kern River Watershed as approximately 2400 square miles of the southern Sierra Nevada's with 8 snow sensors that monitor and report snow depth, air temperature, and snow water equivalence. The City receives data from the sensors daily. Mr. Chavez referring to the chart titled Kern River Basin Snowpack Accumulation explained the historical components for comparison of the chart which includes 1983, the largest snowpack year on record, 2015, the driest year on record, 2022, the 4'h driest year on record, and the historical average. It has been a great start to the water year since November. Snow levels have been at or above average except for the last week of November and in January 2023 we surpassed the levels we saw in 1983. Since the start of February, storms have tapered off and we are seeing the expected conditions of La Nina. The Department of Water Resources published their first Bulletin-120 report for February 1, 2023, which forecasts estimated runoff of the Kern River and other watersheds across California. DWR's first projection for the Kern River is 187 percent of normal snowmelt runoff for the April -July period. The report assumes average precipitation from the date published, so we expect a drop in the percentage with the next update. Overall, it is going to be a wet year and we anticipate heavy operations on the Kern River. Referring to the chart titled Kern River Natural Flow, Regulated Flow, & Isabella Reservoir Storage 2022-2023 Water Year, Mr. Chavez explained the chart covers the 3 main components of day-to-day operations for the Kern River. Prior to January, flows and storage of Isabella Reservoir were normal. The January V storm was a major contributor to an increase in storage levels as the volume of water in storage more than doubled in a span of one week. The Army Crops of Engineers reported an average inflow of 7,871 cubic feet per second, with an instantaneous peak of 17,800 cubic feet per second at Kerrville on January 9'h at approximately 11 pm. Operations have since returned to normal and releases from the dam should start increasing as demand picks up and snow starts melting. The water in the Kern River was a combination of Kern River, State Water Project, and Friant Flood supplies. Frianl supplies are no longer available and State Water is now the only source in the Kern River west of Calloway. Board information only, no action taken. HEARINGS - None Bakersfield, California, February 15, 2023 — Page 3 8. NEW BUSINESS A. Agreement with AECOM for $288,350.00 to develop and provide a Water Master Plan Daniel Maldonado, Assistant Water Resources Director, discussed the history of the City of Bakersfield purchasing water rights and assets from Tenneco West Incorporated in 1976 to secure water supplies for current and future residents of the City of Bakersfield. The 1976 purchase also required the city to inherit the implementation of pre-existing obligations and other contracts and agreements in relation to the operation of the Kern River. The changing landscape of water has required all of California to review their usage of water with the passing of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Ad. The City of Bakersfield has always operated as a conjunctive use system, using both groundwater and surface water to optimize its water usage to meet demands and needs of the residents of Bakersfield. During the wet years, we maximize our surface water supplies by recharging the groundwater aquifer while also utilizing surface water to deliver to water treatment plants to meet the demands and needs. The City recharges during wet years so we can pump from the recharged groundwater aquifer on dry years when surface water supplies are inadequate. At the Regular Water Board Meeting of March 9, 2022, Member Parlier requested Water Staff to begin the process of developing a Water Master Plan to ensure maximum beneficial use for its residents. AECOM will develop the Water Master Plan study which will allow the City to continue to maximize the efficiency of water supplies by developing management priorities to ensure municipality demands are met now and into the future while factoring the pre-existing, inherited obligations. Dan Cronquisl, AECOM's Project Manager for the City of Bakersfield's Water Master Plan, gave an overview of the project direction and items that would be included. In addition, there will be public outreach to be included in the process. Motion by Member Gonzales to refer agreement to City Council for approval on February 2$ 2023. UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED B. Proposed 2023 Water Board Meeting Calendar Calendar dates were discussed. Removed the date of March 7, 2023. Added the date of March 2, 2023 at 11 am. All other dates and times of the proposed calendar remained unchanged. Motion by Member Gonzales to approve with changes as discussed. UNANIMOUSLYAPPROVED Bakersfield, California, February 15, 2023 — Page 4 9. WATER BOARD STATEMENTS - None 10. CLOSED SESSION — None 11. CLOSED SESSION ACTION - None 12. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 10:47 a.m. Bob Smith, Chairman City of Bakersfield Water Board Kimberly Aleman, Secretary City of Bakersfield Water Board BAKERSFIELD ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT WATER BOARD MEETING DATE: March 2, 2023 AGENDA SECTION: Hearings ITEM: 7. A. TO: Bob Smith, Chairman Bruce Freeman, Member Andrae Gonzales, Member APPROVED FROM: Daniel Maldonado, Asst. Water Resources Director DEPARTMENT HEAD Dloe DATE: February 27, 2023 SUBJECT: Domestic Water Rate Study and Proposed Domestic Water Rate Increase Staff Recommends Rate modifications to City Council. BACKGROUND: The Water Resources Department provides domestic water services for the distribution of clean drinking water to residents and businesses within the City of Bakersfield's Domestic Service Area. The Domestic Water Enterprise fund is self-sustaining supported primarily by service connection fees, water availability fees and monthly domestic water sales to residents within the Domestic Service Area. The City of Bakersfield's domestic water system currently has one of the lowest monthly rates in urban Bakersfield. At the March 9, 2022, Regular Water Board Meeting, the Water Board suggested a 5% rate increase for FY 2023 and directed Water Staff to conduct a five-year Domestic Water Rate Study. The City contracted the services of Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. to prepare a Domestic Water Rate Study by conducting a Water Availability Fee Study and Monthly Water Rate Study to ensure the Domestic Water Division can equitably sustain domestic water operations and maintenance of the domestic system. The rate increases being proposed are increases of 7.5% for Fiscal Years 2024-27, and a 4% rate increase for Fiscal Year 2028. The water rate increase process will include notification to residential and commercial water users of a proposed increase and a Public Hearing as required by Proposition 218. A Resolution for the rate increases will be presented to City Council for adoption.