ITEM:		ACTION ITEMS
19.	conSIder creation of a water supply committee and charge
Meeting Date:			December 12, 2005	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David A. Berger,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No:
Prepared By:			Henrietta Stern	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: As directed by the MPWMD 2005-2006 Strategic Plan adopted by the Board at its October 18, 2005 meeting, the Board will consider whether or not to form a new Board committee to address policy issues related to water supply, including alternative water supply projects. The proposed committee name is the “Water Supply Committee” (WSC) but another name could be selected, if desired. The proposed committee charge (Exhibit 19-A) assumes the following attributes of the WSC, which should be confirmed or refined by the Board. The WSC would:

Ø meet as needed, and would not be considered as a “legislative body” as defined by the Ralph M. Brown Act;

Ø address policy issues related to existing and future water supply needs, which relate to how large a water supply project(s) should be;

Ø address the comparison of alternative water supply projects, including a detailed review of information provided for the MPWMD Comparative Matrix, and any independent review of the matrix information;

Ø recommend which project(s) should be pursued and/or supported by MPWMD;

Ø address the scope of work and budget for MPWMD studies related to water supply issues, if directed by the full Board and/or requested by the Administrative Committee;

Ø address any Formation Agreement with Monterey County related to the Regional Urban Water Supply/JPA Board;

Ø address other policy issues related to water supply, including agreements, contracts, or ordinances not already covered by another committee.

Ø coordinate with other public and private entities on regional water supply projects.

The WSC would be comprised of three appointed Board members with at least one alternate as assigned by the Board Chairperson in January 2006. The committee would choose its own chairperson. The MPWMD General Manager or other designated staff member would provide support as appropriate.

RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Board take the following actions:

1. Determine if a new committee directed toward water supply issues should be formed.

2. Concur on the committee name. Examples include: Water Supply Committee, Water Augmentation Committee, or Water Project Committee.

3. Authorize the Board Chairperson to select the committee members in January 2006 for a term on one year. The committee will select its own chairperson.

4. Approve (or modify and approve) the Committee Charge provided as Exhibit 19-A.

BACKGROUND: In the mid-1980s, the District Board formed a committee known as the “Water Augmentation Committee” to provide policy recommendations on water augmentation and supply issues, including detailed review of alternative water supply projects. The committee focus was the New Los Padres Dam and Reservoir (NLP) project description and purpose, as well as the environmental review and permitting process for the NLP, including assessment of alternatives. The committee appears to have disbanded when the NLP was not approved by voters in 1995. District records indicate that a “Project Review Committee” was formed in the 1997-98 timeframe to review financial and permit matters related to the Carmel River Dam and Reservoir Project proposed by California American Water (Cal-Am). In 2001, the committee also addressed Pebble Beach Company’s proposal to return a portion of their water entitlement from the CAWD/PBCSD Reclamation Project to the District for sale for new construction. The committee name was changed to the “Project and Environmental Review Committee” in April 2002, and existed through 2004, though it was not active. Since January 2005, no committee has focused on water supply issues. At its October 17, 2005 meeting, the Board adopted the 2005-2006 MPWMD Strategic Plan, which included Water Supply Objective #WS6, “Create Board Water Supply Committee and Charge” for consideration by the Board at its December 2005 meeting. No direction about the specific scope of the committee was given.

IMPACTS TO STAFF RESOURCES: Significant staff effort and modest additional expense would be involved in supporting a newly-created WSC. This would impact existing Planning and Engineering Division staff that most likely would be assigned to support this new committee, resulting in workload adjustments that could adversely affect existing project priorities and other management functions.

EXHIBITS

19-A Proposed Water Supply Committee Charge

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