SLVWD Board Meeting Summary
August 3, 2023
Mark Dolson
Highlights:
Emergency Contract for Quail Hollow
2021-2022 Streamflow Salinity and Temperature Monitoring and Operational Gaging Report
Verizon Cellular Site – Conceptual Agreement
Next Board meeting is at 6:30 PM on August 17th
Preliminaries
There was no Closed Session prior to the meeting.
Director Mahood was out with an excused absence due to a medical condition.
There were no additions or deletions to the agenda.
District Manager Rick Rogers introduced newly hired District Engineer Garrett Roffe. Garret grew up in the San Lorenzo Valley and has previously worked with the District as a member of the MME engineering team.
There was one non-agenda-related public comment. Chris Keller of Felton and two of his Brookside Drive neighbors explained that they live on a private road which was severely impacted by the winter storms. Four households are unreachable, and there is no fire-truck access. They have received $300,000 to rebuild the road, but they can’t move forward until exposed water pipes are dealt with. Chris asked the District to prioritize a response.
Rick said a survey will be performed next week. He explained that all of the District’s $15 million loan has already been allocated to other projects. The District has requested FEMA support for multiple storm-related repairs, but none of these projects have yet been obligated by FEMA. Board President Mark Smolley suggested that this item be placed on the agenda for the next Board meeting. Director Ackemann added that it might be good to discuss whether there is an appropriate way to prioritize these kinds of projects.
Unfinished Business
Emergency Contract for Quail Hollow
District Manager Rick Rogers introduced this agenda item. He reminded the Board that it recently approved a $250,000 emergency contract with Anderson Pacific for exploratory work aimed at providing a reliable fix for a failed main trench in Quail Hollow Road which was undermined by heavy sub-surface water flow during the storms this past winter. Rick reported that substantial voids were found and are believed to have been satisfactorily addressed, but new voids are still being found. Additional work will be required both for these and for a section near the entrance to Quail Hollow Park. Rick therefore asked the Board to amend the contract to allow for expenses not to exceed $600,000.
In the ensuing discussion, Board members sought a more complete understanding on multiple fronts:
President Smolley established that the District’s total expenditure to date is not yet precisely known, but it is likely approaching $600,000 and could ultimately reach $1 million. The District has had extensive discussions with FEMA and is hoping for 75% reimbursement.
President Smolley asked how much the design was changing on the fly, and how directly involved the County is in approving the new design. Rick said the County is not regularly on site, but the County has approved the installation of drains which have dropped the flow of water to nearly zero.
President Smolley and Directors Fultz, Hill, and Ackemann were all concerned about the potential for further problems to arise, particularly given the critical role that Quail Hollow Road plays as an alternate evacuation route for the valley. Director Hill talked about his personal experience with the fragility of the sandhill terrain. All directors favored increased Board oversight in optimizing the ongoing investment in exploratory activities and in determining the best repair solutions.
Rick agreed to bring this discussion to the Engineering and Environmental Committee.
President Smolley moved to approve the requested contract amendment. The motion was seconded. There was no public comment. The motion passed 4-0.
New Business
2021-2022 Streamflow Salinity and Temperature Monitoring and Operational Gaging Report
Environmental Programs Manager Carly Blanchard introduced this agenda item. She explained that the District began a long-term stream flow and water quality monitoring program in 2014 to collect and record streamflow/diversion data for all of its active surface water diversions. The data is used to inform regulatory agencies, assist with operations and establish a baseline for future projects. In 2019, a more refined monitoring and diversion-management program was developed, reducing gaging to dry season monitoring and removing gages on nonoperational diversions. The District also introduced a distinction between ecological gaging (Foreman Creek and Boulder Creek) and operational gaging (Fall Creek). Ecological data is used to evaluate the potential impact of SLVWD diversions on streamflow and temperature for “ecological” regulatory purposes, for habitat, and for potential conjunctive-use studies. Operational data is used to better understand how diversions may affect flow and habitat values, ensure compliance with water rights bypass requirements, and allow for treatment operators to easily assess diversion flows. Balance Hydrologics provides an annual report.
Chelsea Neill of Balance Hydrologics presented a summary of the most recent report. Her full presentation was included in the Board packet, but she concluded with the following observations:
The gaging program has provided a quantitative baseline of streamflow and temperature over a range of conditions (dry and wet years).
Water Year 2021 and Water Year 2022 were consecutive dry years (whereas Water Year 2023 has so far been very wet).
The Foreman Creek gage was reinstalled after being buried in a December 2021 debris flow.
Flows in Foreman Creek were slightly lower in Water Year 2021 than Water Year 2022.
Water temperature remained below the 20 degrees Celsius threshold at all gages.
Thermal effects from diversion appear to be slight, even during extreme periods of high and low precipitation.
The Fall Creek real-time gage continues to be a valuable asset to the District’s operations.
Both Foreman Creek and Boulder Creek gages were destroyed in Water Year 2023 by high flows and need to be replaced.
Director Fultz said the key take-away for him was the continued de minimis impact of the District’s surface water use. Chelsea agreed that this data puts the District in a great position.
President Smolley wondered how much more data was needed, given the record of the past nine years. Director Fultz suggested that the District should at least continue gathering data until it has secured the desired usage authorizations. Carly added that it is a good practice to have data for any active diversion. She said the District had gone out to bid, and two follow-up proposals would be brought before the Engineering and Environmental Committee or the Board soon.
President Smolley moved to accept the report. The motion was seconded. There was no public comment. The motion passed 4-0.
Verizon Cellular Site – Conceptual Agreement
District Manager Rick Rogers introduced this agenda item. He said the District was contacted in February 2023 by Sequoia Development Services inquiring if the District was interested in leasing approximately 750 square feet of land at either the District’s Lyon Water Treatment Plant or its Huckleberry Tank site in Boulder Creek. The Huckleberry site is problematic (due to concerns about the neighborhood and the protected sandhills), but the Lyon site is a good location with ample flat ground.
The proposed lease has an initial term of five years plus four automatic renewal options for a total of 25 years, and it has a proposed annual rent of $15,000, commencing at the start of construction with a 10% increase every five years. District Staff have been in nonbinding discussions with a Sequoia Development Services representative for Verizon Wireless. After in-field meetings and rent discussions, District staff countered starting rent annually at $17,000, which is in line with other wireless sites.
Sequoia Verizon Wireless now says they want to start with architectural design, survey, draft lease, and preliminary title report at an estimated cost of $10,000, and they have requested concept approval from the District before moving forward.
Local Public Safety is very supportive of the installation of another wireless communications facility in the San Lorenzo Valley/Boulder Creek Area as service is so unreliable. However wireless communications facilities can be controversial in populated neighborhoods as these towers have electronic equipment and antennas that receive and transmit cell phone signals using radiofrequency waves. As part of the permitting process, public outreach will be required. Staff is asking the Board to approve the concept.
Director Fultz asked whether this would be for 5G service and whether it would be to augment existing service or to provide completely new service. Rick said he didn’t know. Director Fultz said it would be good to understand a little more of the benefit to the community and also to assess any noise issues. He also noted that the District isn’t currently approving a lease – it is simply indicating that it is open to the concept.
President Smolley asked if Verizon would be handling the public outreach. Rick said they would, but he also recommended that the District do some of its own. President Smolley asked about the District’s potential liability, and Rick said he would defer to counsel. President Smolley also asked if it would be appropriate to seek some payment up front, as the District will incur some costs in the initial due-diligence phase of the project. Rick agreed that this would be prudent, especially in light of some past experiences. He said he would have Staff prepare an estimate and ask for a deposit.
President Smolley commented that he didn’t see $15,000 as a very significant amount for the District, but Rick noted that it had the benefit of being a different form of revenue. President Smolley asked about termination options for the District, and Director Fulltz suggested that it should be clearly understood that the final lease agreement would include additional terms.
President Smolley moved to authorize the District Manager to execute the concept of a lease agreement, subject to mutually acceptable terms, including a deposit. Director Hill seconded this.
There was one public comment. Cynthia Dzendzel of Felton said she was very interested in getting better support for communications during emergencies, but she wondered whether the District would be providing power. Rick said Verizon would be relying on a PG&E drop along with a stand-by generator.
The motion passed 4-0.
Consent Agenda
These items are deemed adopted if nobody pulls any of them for further discussion. The minutes for the Board’s July 13th special meeting were adopted without comment.
The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.