1 STAFF REPORT
DAT
E: August 23, 2022
T
O: Justin Hess, City Manager
F
ROM: Dawn Roth Lindell, General Manager, Burbank Water and Power VIA: Richard Wilson, Assistant General Manager, Water Systems BY: Jared Lee, Civil Engineer
S
UBJECT: Adoption of a Resolution to Authorize Burbank Water and Power to Submit a Grant Application to the California Depar tment of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management Grant Program, to Execute the Grant Agreement for the Program, and Adoption of the 2017 Updated Greater Los Angeles County Region Integrated Water Management Plan
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK AUTHORIZING
THE SUBMISSION OF A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT
OF WATER RESOURCES INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM; AUTHORIZING THE BWP GENERAL MANAGER, AS DESIGNEE OF THE CITY MANAGER, TO EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT ; AND ADOPTION OF THE 2017 UPDATED GREATER LOS ANGELES COUNTY REGION INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
Burbank Water and Power ( BWP) regularly monitors and researches available grant opportunities to supplement our revenue sources, make internal projects and customer programs more cost-effective, and reduce the impact of costs on customers’ bills.
B
WP identified a grant opportunity that will benefit the city’s water supply resiliency: the California Department of Water Resources ( DWR) Integrated Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program. DWR is soliciting proposals for their Proposition 1 Round 2 Implementation Grants. The IRWM program is a collaborative effort to manage all aspects of water resources in a region. IRWM crosses jurisdictional, watershed, and political boundaries; involves multiple agencies, stakeholders, individuals, and groups; and attempts to address the issues and differing perspectives of all the entities involved through mutually beneficial solutions. The IRWM grant program funds projects related to planning, implementation, and disadvantaged community and tribal involvement.
WATER AND
POWER
2 For grant consideration, DWR requires that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing application for, and receipt of, the DWR funds and approving the adoption of the 2017 Greater Los Angeles County Region IRWM Plan.
On July 22, 2014, City Council adopted a resolution approving the adoption of the 2014 updated greater Los Angeles County region IRWM plan (Attachment 2). The Los Angeles County Flood Control District is the body that reviews and packages grants . They also accept and disburse DWR funds for the Greater Los Angeles County Region. The 2017 Greater Los Angeles Region IRWM Plan is an update to the 2014 Plan which identifies a comprehensive long- term set of solutions to reduce the region’ s reliance on imported water, comply with water quality regulations , adapt to climate change, and reduce flood risk. A redlined version showing the 2017 IRWM Plan amendments is included in Attachment 3.
DISCUSSION
During the 2008-2009 drought, the need to monitor water use to increase conservation became an important issue. The water construction and maintenance section and the engineering and planning section investigated several options and decided to use a new technology called advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). AMI uses a wireless network system that automatically collects meter reads throughout the city and brings them into our billing system . W ith the addition of an add- on system called WaterSmart, AMI provided our customers with leak alerts that saved BWP customers thousands of dollars and provided hourly water use patterns that helped us understand how and when our customers use water.
However, the AMI system did not perform as expected and it gradually began failing within a few years. Now, approximately one- fourth of the system has to be read manually and the remaining system is now generations behind the current technology, which has advanced by leaps and bounds since 2009. We also did not take full advantage of WaterSmart and relied more on customer messaging.
The stakes are higher now. We are living through an unprecedented drought and experiencing the driest years in recorded history. The old view that we need to “get through this drought” until things are normal again is inadequate. Consider this:
• Burbank has no water rights; all of our water must be imported; • State Water Project (SWP) supplies are constrained to only providing health and safety needs for SWP-dependent areas;
• The Colorado River s ystem will see cutbacks in water allocations in the coming months due to declining reservoir levels;
• Through May 2022, Burbank’s cumulative performance to our water reduction goal of 15% from 2020 levels was only 1.9%; and,
• State legislation is expected to require cities to meet indoor water use targets of 42 gallons per capita per day and be responsible for meeting their water budgets.
We must adapt to the reality that the changing climate is permanent and therefore, BWP is embarking on a new approach to our vision for water sustainability by ensuring that 3 every home, business, and building has the opportunity to improve water efficiency. AMI will play a leading role in making this vision reality.
Earlier this year, BWP hired MeterSYS, a consul ting firm with AMI expertise, to develop the bid documents for a replacement AMI system. MeterSYS worked with BWP to develop the requirements for a robust AMI system that is fully compatible with BWP’s billing system and WaterSmart. BWP estimates that a re placement AMI system would cost approximately $8 million and is included in the approved FY 22/23 budget.
BWP recently hired a project manager to focus on combining WaterSmart with data analytics and algorithms to monitor water use and enforce watering restrictions. AMI can also be used to reduce water waste and identify leaks before they turn into expensive problems that could cost customers thousands of dollars
The IRWM program is one of the few grants that consider AMI projects under water use efficiency and water conservation. California Water Code §79707(b and e) and §79742(a and f) identify various priorities or considerations that shall be given to DWR proposals and are listed below:
• §79707 (b) In the appropriation and expenditure of funding authorized by this division, priority will be given to projects that leverage private, federal, or local funding or produce the greatest public benefit.
o The AMI project leverages local funding from BWP w ater division’s engineering cost center (PS51D) budget as well as f ederal grant funding if awarded.
• §79707 (e) Special consideration will be given to projects that employ new or innovative technology or practices, including decision support tools that support the integration of multiple jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, water supply, flood control, land use, and sanitation.
o AMI is an innovative technology and practice that utilizes an integrated system of smart meters, communication networks, and data management that enables two-way communication between utilities and customers. The system provides a number of important functions that were not previously possible or had to be performed manually such as the ability to automatically and remotely measure water usage, connect and disconnect service, detect tampering, monitor water usage on an hourly basis, identify water leaks quickly , and notify abnormal usage that does not comply with water conservation rules.
• §79742 (a) In selecting among proposed projects in a watershed, the scope of the adopted integrated regional water management plan may be considered by the administering state agency, with priority going to projects in plans that cover a greater portion of the watershed.
o The AMI Project covers BWP’s service area – over 17.4 square miles. • §79742 (f) Projects that achieve multiple benefits shall receive special consideration.
o By reimplementing AMI for the customers where it has stopped working, BWP estimates that we would save approximately 224 acre-feet each year, or approximately 73 million gallons of water, by putting customers more in 4 tune with their water usage. Reducing imports by n ot having to import the 224 acre-feet from the State Water Project would result in approximately 740,600 kWh of annual energy savings (and associated greenhouse gas emissions), which is enough to power over 112 single- family homes for a year. In addition, BWP would reduce vehicle emissions by not having BWP staff have to drive around to manually read meters where AMI has failed.
The AMI project is strongly positioned for the IRWM grant for the following reasons:
• utilizes an innovative technology that integrates a number of high-tech solutions; • provides benefit to a significant portion of the watershed; • demonstrates water savings, energy savings, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions;
• and has the backing of local funding and potential federal funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
The grant requires a minimum local match of 50% of total project costs; the match can be provided as cash, in-kind, or by a third- party. According to the GLAC IRWM Steering Committee, approximately $3,430,000 in General Implementation Funds are available for the upper Los Angeles River (ULAR) sub- region. The ULAR is a competitive sub -region including, but not limited to, BWP , Glendale Water and Power , Pasadena Water and Power, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power , Foothill Municipal Water District, and the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. A request for a 50% match would total $4,000,000, which exceeds the funding available to the ULAR. To maximize grant consideration, BWP will request a maximum of $1,000,000 and a minimum of $250,000 in grant funding.
BWP is also pursuing another grant with the Bureau of Reclamation Watersmart Water and Energy Efficiency Grants program (WEEG). The WEEG program requires a minimum local match of 50 percent of the total project costs in non- federal funds such as cash or third-party contributions including state funding. The IRWM program also requires a minimum local match of 50 percent of the total project costs in non-state funding.
BWP’s match will come from the approved f iscal year 2022- 2023 funds of $7,750,000 that is in BWP water division’s engineering cost center (PS51D) budget.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the resolution to submit a grant application to the DWR Financial Assistance Branch, for the 2023 IRWM Grant Program; authorize the BWP General Manager, as the City Manager’s designee, to execute grant agreements and other ancillary documents in furtherance thereof ; and adopt the 2017 IRWM Plan.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Resolution No. 14-28, 697
Attachment 3 – Greater Los Angeles County 2013 Integrated Regional Water Management Plan 2017 Amendments, Redlined Version