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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Water Resources Advisory Committee - 04/18/2002 h MINUTES Water Resources Advisory Committee April 18, 2002 Members present included Lena Coleman, Capt. Rick Marcantonio,Herman R. Johnson, Conrado Garcia, Kimberly Stockseth,Bob Kent and Carola Serrato. Roger Rinas attended for Jon Kiggans. Maribel Bermudez was absent. Staff members present included Ron Massey, Eduardo Garafia, Danny N. Ybarra,Mucio Garza, Max Castaneda,Yolanda Marruffo and Gloria Cantu. Eduardo Garana called the first meeting of the Water Resources Advisory Committee to order. Committee members and City staff members introduced themselves. Discussion began on the type of issues that the Committee wanted to be involved with. Mrs. Coleman expressed an interest to provide information to the public on specific water issues. Mr. Marcantonio agreed. He also expressed interest to utilize the City's public information office to relay information on the water quality report to the public. Overview of the Water Department Mr. Garana and Mr. Massey provided a PowerPoint presentation to provide insight to the department's water supply,treatment and distribution system. Mr. Garcia stated that a user- friendly booklet needed to be developed in English and Spanish to help the public understand the cost of water. Mr. Massey agreed that if the Committee felt that it was an important issue, such a booklet could be created. Mr. Garafla stated that in 1996 a booklet was created to provide public information on the City's water rate structure. He agreed that a new booklet needed to be modified. Regarding to information given to new customers, the Public Utilities office does not issue specific information on water rates and raw water costs. Mrs. Coleman stated that this should be one of the Committee's objectives to create information for the public. She emphasized the educational booklets should not contain too many pages which would discourage people from reading the material. Reservoir Firm Yield Discussion followed on the reservoir system firm yield. Mr. Massey also provided information on the history of the TNRCC Agreed Release Order regarding the bays and estuaries. Mr. Garcia asked if the cost of raw water fell when consumption declined. Mr. Massey stated that a decline does occur;however it is unrecognizable to the customer. The Water Utility Fund maintains a debt service for the Mary Rhodes pipeline and the purchase of Lake Texana water in addition to flat operational costs preventing customers from seeing a significant decline in raw water cost in their monthly utility bills. Mr. Johnson asked how long our current water resources, including Choke Canyon,Lake Corpus Christi and Lake Texana would last. Mrs. Serrato, Chair to the local Regional Planning Committee, stated that current water rights would last until the year 2050 with the addition of SCANNED Garwood Irrigation water supply. Minutes of April 18, 2002 Water Resources Advisory Committee Mr. Kent asked how much water is returned to the City through return flows. He requested a breakdown by industry. Mr. Massey stated that summer months produce 115 mgd,while winter months produce 60 mgd. Mrs. Coleman stated that the public resists water restrictions due to the pass through releases. Mr. Massey stated that this is an education issue. He expressed that the story needs to reach the public. Desalinization Mr. Massey extended his presentation to cover the cost of developing a desalinization water treatment plant. Tampa Bay desalinization was cited as a model facility that hopes to produce water at a cost of$4.26 per 1,000 gallons. Other locations identified for possible desalinization plants included the Gulf of Mexico to the Bartow Power Station. A study was developed on the Barney Davis Plant (Case I)with the ability to produce 1,170 acre-feet of finished water per year at$3.60 per 1,000 gallons. A second scenario included the Barney Davis Plant (Case II), which could produce 964 acre-feet of finished water per year at a cost of$2.96 per 1,000 gallons. Mrs. Serrato stated that she had leave to attend a Regional Water Planning Committee meeting. She stated that the Committee should review desalinization carefully as it may not be the best alternative for the Coastal Bend as a result of fluctuating energy cost. Mrs. Coleman excused herself to attend to other business. Future Agenda Items Mr. Massey requested that the Committee give staff guidance on setting the next agenda. The Committee agreed to meet once a month. Mr. Massey stated that several projects were coming up and that the Committee could assist to reviewing them. Mrs. Stockwell stated that she would like to see incentive rebate programs developed to promote water conservation seriously. She discussed San Antonio and Austin's washing machine rebate program. She compared the City Gas Department's incentive rebate program. Mr. Massey felt that incentive programs dealt with the economics of supply and demand whereby revenue is given to a few that want to take advantage of the incentive program. It was agreed that the following items be placed on the agenda next month including: • Election of Officers • Water Supply Projections • Current Drought Rules • Explanation of Utility Bills • Proper Use of Grey Water 44 With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 1:35 p.m.