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Home My WebLink About2000-11-01 Agenda Packet - Board (16) If 0 TRUCKEE DONNER 1 Public Utility District i Staff Report To: Board of Directors From: Peter L. Holzmeister Subject: Letter supporting TTSA plant expansion Date: October 27, 2000 Please review the attached letter from Craig Woods regarding TTSA efforts to expand its treatment plant. I have drafted a letter for your consideration and possible approval, which is also attached. RECOMMENDATION I recommend that the Board authorize the President to send a letter to the Director of the California Department of Water Resources and the Director of the California Resources Agency supporting the TTSA plant expansion. 0 Page 1 TAHOE-TRUCKEE SANITATION AGENCY A Public Agency 13720 Joerger Drive Directors TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA 96161 O.R. Butterfield (530) 587-2525 • Fax (530) 587-5840 Dole Cox Erik Henrikson S. Lane Lewis 24 October 2000 Wendell Ulberg General Manager Craig E Woods Truckee Donner PUD Peter L. Holzmeister P. O. Box 309 Truckee, CA. 96160 RE: Letter of Support—T-TSA Request for Funding Dear Peter As was discussed at our workshop last week, T-TSA's technical data shows that without the implementation of the Truckee River Operating Agreement("TROA"), water quality objectives in the Truckee River would be met by implementing partial biological nitrogen removal ("BNR") in the T-TSA plant expansion at an estimated cost of$3.4 million. Full BNR in the expansion project, at an additional cost of$11.6 million, will be necessary because of the additive adverse effects of the implementation of the TROA on the water quality in the Truckee River. T-TSA's argument is that the State of California, not the local T-TSA customer base, should fund the additional cost for full implementation of BNR. T-TSA has asked that public agencies that support our effort to obtain funding send a letter of support to: Honorable Thomas M. Hannigan, Director Department of Water Resources 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1115-1 Sacramento, CA 95814 Honorable Mary D. Nichols Secretary for Resources California Resources Agency 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1311 Sacramento, CA 95814 Enclosed please find a summary of the points that T-TSA wouid suggest be included in a letter supporting its effort to obtain funding for full BNR in the T-TSA plant expansion. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you in advance for your support. SinceFe y; aig F. Woods General Manager/Chief Engineer cfw/mb NORTH TAHOE • TAHOE CITY • ALPINE SPRINGS • SQUAW VALLEY • TRUCKEE PROPOSED POINTS TO BE ADDRESSED IN CORRESPONDENCE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES AND SECRETARY OF THE RESOURCES AGENCY REGARDING IMPACTS OF THE TRUCKEE RIVER OPERATING AGREEMENT Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency requests that member entities and other affected public agencies write to Thomas Hannigan, Director of the Department of Water Resources, and Mary Nichols, Secretary of the Resources Agency, and express their concerns regarding the projected impacts of the proposed Truckee River Operating Agreement("TROA"). The correspondence should cover the following points: • (Insert Name of Public Agency) provides (insert types of services provided) services within the territory of Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency ("T-TSA") and is concerned about orderly growth and development in such territory and the adequacy of public services, such as wastewater and water service, to serve such growth and development. • T-TSA currently meets all water quality objectives set for the Truckee River by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. • T-TSA proposes to expand the capacity of its wastewater treatment facilities from 7.4 million gallons per day ("mgd")to 9.6 mgd in order to meet planned growth within the communities served by T-TSA, including (insert name of area served by public agency). • By incorporating a limited biological nitrogen removal ("BNR")process in the proposed expansion, T-TSA will continue to meet the water quality objectives set for the Truckee River. • Today, water quality concentrations for certain constituents in the California portion of the Truckee River (TDS, chlorides) are close to the water quality objectives set for such constituents with very little remaining assimilative capacity in the river, and such conditions will remain with the implementation for T-TSA's proposed expansion. • Through the work of its engineers, CH2M Hill, T-TSA projects that if approved, TROA will adversely affect Truckee River water quality by increasing concentrations of chlorides and TDS. • Because the concentration of TDS and chlorides in the Truckee River will be close to the water quality objectives for such constituents with implementation of the T-TSA's proposed expansion facilities using limited BNR, T-TSA's engineers project that the additive adverse effects of TROA will cause an excedence of the chloride objective and may cause an excedence of the TDS objective. • We support T-TSA's request that the State of the California provide funding for implementation of full BNR at the T-TSA facility to address TROA's adverse impacts to water quality and to provide benefits to environmental values associated with the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake. • We are aware that various Nevada entities have raised objections to T-TSA's proposed expansion of its facilities, even though the effects of T-TSA's proposed expansion on Truckee River water quality in Nevada are negligible. • Accordingly, we request that DWR not conclude its negotiations on TROA until the implications of the objections of the Nevada entities are fully evaluated and resolved, especially with respect to California's ability to realize any water supply benefits accorded California under TROA. October 27, 2000 Honorable Thomas M. Hannigan, Director California Department of Water Resources 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1115-1 Sacramento, California 95814 Honorable Mary D. Nichols Secretary for Resources California Resources Agency 1416 Nonth Street, Room 1311 Sacramento, California 95814 Dear Mr. Hannigan (Ms. Nichols); This letter makes two requests of the Department of Water Resources: 1. Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD) requests that DWR not conclude its negotiations on TROA until the objections of the Nevada interests to Tahoe Truckee Sanitation Agency (TTSA) plant expansion are fully evaluated and resolved. 2. We further request that the State of California fund the $11.6 million needed to modify the TTSA plant to comply with conditions imposed by TROA. Truckee Donner PUD provides retail water and electric service to the Truckee, California community. We are located with in the territory of the Tahoe Truckee Sanitation Agency, and we are concerned about orderly growth and development in our territory. We need access to the water allocated to California under the draft TROA. TTSA currently meets all water quality objectives set for the Truckee River by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. TTSA plans to increase the capacity of its plant to meet growth in the community, and can continue to meet Truckee River water quality objectives. However, based on impacts imposed by TROA, TTSA must provide additional treatment at an additional cost of $11.6 million. Nevada interests have raised objections to the proposed plant expansion. If the Nevada parties are able to halt expansion of the TTSA plant, California water purveyors may be unable to make use of the water being allocated to California under TROA. If California negotiators approve TROA before this matter is resolved we have lost our bargaining strength, and we may well have lost our access to water for the Truckee Community. In a second, related matter, we believe that the State of California should fund the $11.6 million cost being imposed on TTSA as a result of TROA. Throughout the TROA process, parties have been granted financial assistance to mitigate the adverse impacts imposed by the terms of TROA. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Very truly yours, J. Ronald Hemig President