STAFF REPORT
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
WATER AND
POWER
February 14, 2023
Justin Hess, City Manager
Dawn Roth Lindell, General Manager, Burbank Water and Power \\ _ J\. VIA: Richard Wilson, Assistant General Manager, Water Systems � . /J JI ./BY: Bassil Nahhas, Acting Manager Water Engineering/Plannina,�tt'7>/-L_..__l//..;....,:::;.../A�� ' Jared Lee, Civil Engineer � �
SUBJECT: · Adoption of a Resolution to Authorize Burbank Water and Power to Submit a Grant Application to the U.S. Department of the Interior's WaterSMART Program, and the Grant Acceptance, and Execution for a Potable Reuse Planning and Environmental Compliance Study
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK AUTHORIZING
THE SUBMISSION OF A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, FOR THE 2023
WATERSMART WATER RECYCLING AND DESALINATION PLANNING GRANT
PROGRAM AND AUTHORIZING THE BURBANK WATER AND POWER GENERAL
MANAGER, AS DESIGNEE OF THE CITY MANAGER, TO EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT (Attachment 1 ).
BACKGROUND
Burbank Water and Power (BWP) regularly monitors 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.
In late December 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior's WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) program issued a notice of funding availability for water recycling planning, pre-construction activities and environmental planning studies. The goal of this new round of funding is to "provide financial assistance to water managers for projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently and accomplish other benefits that contribute to sustainability in the West." In the published notice the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) WaterSMART program affirms that "water recycling and desalination are essential tools for stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States by improving water use efficiency, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying the water supply."
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