Director Palmer made a motion to approve the special Board meeting minutes of August 7, 2024, and Director Benson. The minutes were approved by a 7-0 voice vote.

Director Palmer made a motion to approve the regular Board meeting minutes of August 21, 2024, and Director Narum seconded the motion. The minutes were approved by a 7-0 voice vote.

Item 8 -

8. Consent Calendar

Director Palmer moved to approve Items 8a through 8h and Director Narum seconded the motion. The Consent Calendar was approved by a roll call vote of 7-0.

Item 9 -

9. Annual Outreach and Commnications Program Update

Alexandra Bradley, Communications Specialist, presented the Annual Communications Update, outlining accomplishments in communications and outreach for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Ms. Bradley emphasized the importance of earned media, noting the Agency's strong relationships with local press and consistent press releases, with 12 released in the last fiscal year. She also discussed the Agency's website updates, including a homepage refresh in summer 2023, designed to enhance user experience and improve access to key documents such as Board meeting agendas.

Ms. Bradley noted that in the fall of 2023 the Agency rebranded its educational program from "Kid Zone" to "Water Academy," expanding outreach and introducing a teacher incentive program to increase classroom participation. Ms. Bradley outlined the program's growth, which saw a significant increase in classroom visits post-rebrand, with 473 lessons taught compared to 306 in the previous year. The rebrand also led to a 350% increase in traffic to the program's dedicated teacher page.

Ms. Bradley then discussed the shift to a digital annual report in 2021, which allowed for more environmentally friendly practices and provided the ability to track public engagement. A redesign was carried out in 2023 based on this data, incorporating high-level information, fiscal data, and awards. Ms. Bradley demonstrated the new format, which included infographics and videos, noting that traffic to the digital annual report site had grown significantly, with a trend toward doubling the previous year's numbers.

Ms. Bradley also highlighted key campaigns and events, including Flood Preparedness Week in October 2023, which was supported by the "Flood Ready Freddy" campaign. The campaign, launched in 2020, had garnered 30,000 YouTube views across its 12 videos and reached nearly a quarter of a million impressions through a mix of paid and organic promotions. Ms. Bradley also introduced the Agency's new storm alert system, designed to provide clear risk communication and emergency preparedness actions during storm events. The system was added to the Agency's website in late 2023.

Ms. Bradley described the ongoing Tri-Valley Public Information Program, which educates the public on water supply reliability. The campaign's website attracted nearly 50,000 visitors in fiscal year 2024, and its promotional videos achieved nearly 7 million impressions. Ms. Bradley noted that the Agency's outreach efforts focused on simplifying complex topics such as water quality, leveraging infographics and videos for public education. She highlighted the success of the "Wondrous World of Water" campaign and the Stoneridge Ion Exchange PFAS Treatment project, both of which effectively engaged the public with informative video content.

Lastly, Ms. Bradley touched on the Agency's celebration of Fix-A-Leak Week, which included a contest to raise awareness of household leaks. The campaign garnered 5.5 million impressions, and the Agency's Water Wise Wendy videos had 25,000 views. Ms. Bradley concluded the presentation with a review of key performance metrics, underscoring the continued success of the Agency's communications and outreach initiatives.

Director Figuers praised the presentation but pointed out an issue with the basin map on page 26. He noted that the map showed incorrect stream directions and switched labels for Arroyo Del Valle. He also highlighted that the representation of the valley's depth was inaccurate. Ms. Bradley acknowledged the errors and mentioned that a video accompanying the report had already corrected some of the issues raised by Director Figuers.

Director Benson congratulated Ms. Bradley on her work, commending the digitization of the annual report and the ease of navigation on the Agency's website. She specifically mentioned the PFAS treatment videos, noting their value in educating the public. She expressed her gratitude for the communications team's efforts in making the district shine.

Director Green echoed Director Benson's praise, acknowledging the high quality and effectiveness of the communications efforts. She raised a question about whether the team tracks demographic differences in how people engage with the Agency's content, specifically regarding mobile versus desktop usage. Ms. Bradley explained that while they do track data on the Agency's website, social media platforms do not provide that level of detail. Director Green expressed curiosity about how mobile usage has grown over time and emphasized the importance of continuing outreach efforts.

Director Narum inquired about the budget for the communications program and whether there was a way to quantify costs per view or other metrics. Ms. Bradley responded that the communications budget is approximately half a million dollars, covering social media, websites, school outreach, and promotional materials. While it's challenging to compare current spending with past practices, Ms. Bradley mentioned they track cost-per-click metrics for certain campaigns, such as the Tri-Valley campaign. Director Narum suggested it would be interesting to explore cost metrics further but advised not to spend too much time on it.

Director Brown asked for a breakdown of the Water Academy results by city, specifically wanting data on the number of classroom visits per retailer region. Ms. Bradley confirmed that she could provide this information in future reports. Director Brown appreciated the offer, noting that it would be helpful for future discussions.

Item 10 -

10. Partnership for Safe Water Award

Angela O'Brien, Acting Water Quality Manager, announced that the Del Valle Water Treatment Plant had received the prestigious 25-year Directors Award from the Partnership for Safe Water program. She expressed gratitude to the Board and dedicated staff for their ongoing efforts in ensuring the delivery of high-quality water.

Ms. O'Brien explained that the Partnership for Safe Water program is a voluntary initiative established by six major national organizations, including the American Water Works Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The program encourages ongoing plant optimization and improvements. Zone 7 was recognized as one of only 12 utilities nationwide to receive this award, reflecting the Del Valle Water Treatment Plant's long-term commitment to superior water quality.

To qualify for the Directors Award, utilities must achieve Phase III of the program. This requires fully committing to the program, collecting baseline data, completing a comprehensive self-assessment reviewed by industry experts, and meeting more stringent treatment goals than regulatory standards. The award recognizes utilities in five-year increments for their continued commitment. Since Del Valle completed its initial self-assessment in 1998, the plant has consistently met and surpassed the Partnership's treatment goals, thanks in part to Board-approved capital investments like recent upgrades to the plant's filters and ozone facilities. Angela highlighted that the plant's water consistently met the stringent goal of less than 0.10 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) in 95% of samples, far exceeding the regulatory standard of less than 0.3 NTU.

Following Ms. O'Brien's presentation, Director Narum asked if a press release had been issued regarding the award. Ms. Pryor confirmed that a press release would be issued. The Board then took a group photo to commemorate the achievement.

Item 11 -

11. Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Policy Principles

Ms. Pryor started the discussion of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project, a water supply reliability initiative in which Zone 7 is participating. She stated that the project involves expanding the Contra Costa Water District's (CCWD) existing reservoir and constructing the Transfer-Bethany Pipeline. Negotiations regarding Zone 7's involvement have been ongoing, with some delays. Ms. Pryor noted that CCWD requested feedback on several policy questions, which were discussed by Zone 7's Ad Hoc Committee. The focus was on key policy principles rather than the overall merits of the project, which are still under evaluation.

Ms. Pryor also provided an update from CCWD's Board meeting held that evening, where the CCWD Board directed staff to explore a path to potentially terminating the project due to concerns over taking the reservoir out of service for five years without a backup water supply. Discussion followed, with Director Dennis Gambs clarifying that the termination concerns were related to the reservoir being offline and the impact on customers.

The first set of policy questions was related to the design and construction agreement. CCWD proposed that the "beneficiaries pay" principle be applied, meaning member agencies, not CCWD, would bear the financial responsibility for the project's costs. The Ad Hoc Committee expressed concerns about accountability and oversight, questioning CCWD's claim that it is not a beneficiary and stressing the importance of member agencies having input in decision-making. The committee recommended the establishment of a steering committee to ensure transparency and regular updates on expenditures and procurement processes.

Director Narum agreed with the committee's position but suggested using the term "steering committee" instead of "oversight committee," emphasizing the need for JPA members to stay informed throughout the project. Director Palmer supported this idea, advocating for a role that ensures the JPA has a say in the decision-making process.

The next policy question involved the facilities usage agreement, specifically whether member agencies would sign agreements without guaranteed water delivery. Ms. Pryor explained that while CCWD would retain first priority for water, it has indicated that there should be sufficient capacity for the partners. The Ad Hoc Committee acknowledged that while water delivery guarantees are not always possible, as seen with the State Water Project, they are willing to consider signing the agreement pending further review of capacity and modeling information.

Director Figuers emphasized the need for equitable distribution of water during drought years, while Director Green raised concerns about potential water loss due to evaporation if water remained in the reservoir for extended periods.

The Board discussed the importance of ongoing negotiations and agreed to continue evaluating these key policy principles as more information becomes available.

Public comment was received by Kelly Abreu.

Item 12 -

12. Committees

There were no comments on the Committee notes.

Item 13 -

13. Reports - Directors

Director Green provided two key highlights from her written report, focusing on a regulatory water quality committee meeting at ACWA. She discussed PFAS regulations, noting that the State of California is likely to align with the U.S. EPA's Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and its five-year timeline, although the State could have chosen a different path. Additionally, Green mentioned updates on another PFAS chemical, PFHxA, which now has a notification level set at one part per billion, information that had just been released on the day of the meeting.

Director Palmer also briefly spoke about her involvement in the ACWA City-County Nexus meeting held on September 16th. She highlighted the ongoing discussions about housing densification, particularly regarding SB 937, which is on the governor's desk and must be signed or vetoed by September 30th. Director Palmer explained that ACWA opposed the bill due to late changes that caused confusion between connection capacity fees and development fees, especially in terms of when payments should occur-whether at the start of a project or upon receiving a final certificate of occupancy. Director Palmer noted that ACWA is urging the governor to veto the bill. Additionally, she attended the Alameda County Special Districts Association meeting, where a presentation was given on the nitrification of the San Francisco Bay.

Item 14 -

14. Items for Future Agenda

There were no requests for future agenda items.

Item 15 -

15. Staff Reports

Ms. Pryor provided updates on several standard reports, including the annual Living Arroyos Program, which benefits the community and urban streams. She also highlighted the Stoneridge PFAS Treatment Facility Project, noting that the project is under budget. The remaining funds will be used to implement a power switchover from PG&E to the Power and Water Resources Pooling Authority. This new power equipment will cost approximately $500,000 but is expected to save $300,000 to $400,000 annually, with a two-year payback period. This initiative aligns with the Agency's Energy Policy.

Item 16 -

16. Adjournment

President Gambs adjourned the meeting at 8:36 p.m.

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Zone 7 Meeting - September 18, 2024

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