1 CITY OF RIALTO
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE WATER SUBCOMMITTEE
January 29, 2026 - 11:00 A.M.
MINUTES
The Special meeting of the Water Subcommittee of the City of Rialto was held in the Civic Center Council Chambers located at 150 S. Palm Avenue, Rialto, California 92376, on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
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CALL TO ORDER Call to order at 11:00 A.M.
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ROLL CALL Senior Administrative Analyst Nicole Hemmans took the roll call.
Subcommittee Members / City Staff:
Mayor Joe Baca
Mayor Pro Tem Ed Scott
Tanya Williams, City Manager
Eric Vail, City Attorney
Sachin Chawla, Director of Utilities
Paul Truffa, Firefighter/Paramedic
Toyasha Sebbag, Assistant to the City Manager
Nicole Hemmans, Senior Administrative Analyst
Additional Attendees:
Jason Pivovaroff, Dopudja & Wells Consulting, Inc.
Joey Soto, Soto Resources
John Schats, Legal Consultant
Peter Luchetti, RWS/Table Rock
Marlon Brosco, RWS/Veolia
Soheil Sadighi, RWS/Veolia
Chandrasekar Venkatraman, RWS/Veolia
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PUBLIC COMMENTS Public comment received on January 29, 2026:
♦ None.
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2 CLOSED SESSION The Water Subcommittee convened in Closed Session at 10:01 a.m. to discuss one closed session item. The Closed Session concluded at 10:25 a.m. No reportable action was taken.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
WS-26-0044 – Approval of the October
30, 2025, meeting minutes.
(ACTION)
Mayor Baca asked if there were any comments pertaining to the minutes.
♦ None
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NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
WS-26-0048 – Presentation from Soto
Resources Presentation and Request for
Feedback on Amendment 5.
Staff Request that the Water Subco mmittee receive a presentation from Soto Resources and provide feedback on amendment 5 to the professional service agreement.
Questions & Comments
♦ Mayor Pro Tem Scott inquired why the Septic-to-Sewer Project is classified as a pilot project and whether this designation was assigned by SAWPA?
o Ms. Sebbag explained it is called a Pilot Project because it represents a smaller -scale project than what was
originally identified and serves as a component of the overall funding request.
♦ Mayor Baca requested an update on the status of the Septic -to- Sewer Project.
o Ms. Sebbag reported that the agreement was presented
to the SAWPA Board in November 2025, at which time
the project was accepted. She further noted that the
agreement is currently being finalized with the State in order to include the project in Proposition 1, Round 2
large grant funding portfolio.
♦ Mayor Baca inquired whether the City has engaged in
discussions with its state legislative representatives regarding the Septic-to-Sewer Project?
o Ms. Sebbag stated that she will confirm whether SAWPA has presented the project to Senator Reyes.
♦ Mayor Baca emphasized that the City Council and City Manager should actively engage in lobbying efforts with state legislators to help advance these projects.
3 ♦ Mayor Pro Tem inquired whether the Emergency Generator Project supports water or wastewater facilities and questioned the delay in its progress, noting that other agencies have already completed generator installations while the City has yet to advance the project despite prior discussions?
♦ Mayor Baca advised that some of the delays are due to 1) Changes in City Manger, and 2) Council Members have not been able to Lobby for funding.
♦ The Mayor Pro Tem inquired whether the Emergency Generator Project was included on the Project List submitted to DC in connection with FEMA funding?
o City Manager Williams confirmed that the generator
project was not included in last year’s submittal and that no submission has been made to DC this year.
♦ City Manager Williams requested that staff verify the cost for City Well 3A, noting her understanding that the project’s actual cost may have increased beyond the amount shown to be 4.5 million.
o Mr. Chawla confirmed that the funding allocation was
recently revised, resulting in a reduction in the grant funding.
♦ Mayor Baca suggested adding a column to the Funding Chart to indicate whether the funding source is federal or state.
The Water Subcommittee’s feedback was to move Soto Resources ’ Amendment No. 5 forward to the City Council for formal approval.
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WS-26-0046 – Update on Capital
Improvement Projects.
Staff and RWS/Veolia provided an update to the Water Subcommittee on the Capital Improvement Projects.
Questions & Comments
♦ Mayor Pro Tem requested that a PowerPoint slide be included in future CIP updates.
♦ Due to the Urban Water Institute Conference being scheduled during the same week as the February Water Subcommittee meeting, the Water Subcommittee meeting originally set for February 26, 2026, will be canceled.
4 ♦ Staff was directed to send the Final Construction Work Authorization (FCWA) for the Sycamore Avenue Trunk Line Project and the PRV Project to Mayor Baca and Mayor Pro Tem for review before the items are presented to the City Council for approval.
♦ Mayor Pro Tem requested that staff provide an update at the next Water Subcommittee meeting on the River Ranch project,
including the relocation and force main issues, and how the project will support the upcoming residential in the same development.
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WS-26-0740 – Director o f Utilities
Update.
Sachin Chawla provided the following update to the Water Subcommittee:
1. Veolia’s Monthly Operations Reports (MOR):
• November 2025 (reporting period September 2025)
• December 2025 (reporting period October 2025)
• January 2026 (reporting period November 2025)
Questions & Comments
♦ Mayor Baca requested that an Executive Summary be included in the Monthly Operations Report going forward.
♦ Mayor Pro Tem suggested that any projects experiencing delays be brought to the Water Subcommittee’s attention as soon as staff become aware of them.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS/OTHER
DISCUSSION ITEMS
The next Water Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
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ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:24 PM.
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