Council Chamber  
City of Santa Rosa  
100 Santa Rosa Avenue  
Board of Public Utilities  
Regular Meeting Minutes - Final  
Thursday, October 19, 2023  
1:30 PM  
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL  
Chair Galvin called the meeting to order at 1:31 p.m.  
6 -  
Present  
Chair Daniel Galvin III, Vice Chair William Arnone Jr., Board Member  
Lisa Badenfort, Board Member Robin Bartholow, Board Member Mark  
Walsh, and Board Member Glen Wright  
2. STATEMENTS OF ABSTENTION BY BOARD MEMBERS  
Board Member Bartholow recused herself from Items 5.1 and 5.2  
due to her employment with the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.  
3. STUDY SESSION  
None.  
4. MINUTES APPROVAL  
October 5, 2023 - Regular Meeting Minutes - DRAFT  
The October 5, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes were approved as  
submitted.  
5. STAFF BRIEFINGS  
Board Member Bartholow left Council Chamber at 1:32 p.m.  
5.1  
RECYCLED WATER SUPPLY UPDATE  
Staff will update the Board on recycled water supply issues. The Board  
may discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Andrew Romero, Wastewater Reclamation Superintendent,  
presented.  
5.2  
UPDATE ON RUSSIAN RIVER WATER FORUM AND POTTER  
VALLEY PROJECT  
Staff will provide an update on the Russian River Water Forum, which is  
a grant funded collaborative effort to identify water supply resiliency  
solutions in response to the planned license surrender and  
decommissioning of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E’s) Potter Valley  
Hydroelectric Project, as well as the recent proposal to PG&E from the  
Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, the Round  
Valley Indian Tribes, and the Sonoma County Water Agency, to create a  
regional entity that would advance a regional solution for preserving  
flows in the Russian River and improving Eel River fisheries. The Board  
may discuss this item and give direction to staff. This item was originally  
continued from the August 17, 2023 Board of Public Utilities meeting.  
Chair Galvin reordered the agenda so that Item 5.5 will be heard  
after item 5.2.  
Jennifer Burke, Director - Santa Rosa Water, presented and  
answered Board Member questions.  
Board Member Bartholow entered Council Chamber at 1:51 p.m.  
WATER SUPPLY UPDATE  
5.3  
Staff will update the Board on water supply issues. The Board may  
discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Peter Martin, Deputy Director - Water Resources, presented and  
answered Board Member questions.  
5.4  
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF OPERATING THE SANTA ROSA  
GEYSERS RECHARGE PROJECT  
In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the Santa Rosa Geysers  
Recharge Project, staff will provide a brief history of the project and  
plans to highlight its continued benefits to the region. The  
award-winning, nationally recognized, project was completed in 2003  
and is a partnership between Santa Rosa Water and the Calpine  
Corporation to deliver Santa Rosa's recycled water, via a 41-mile-long  
pipeline, to Calpine's geothermal operations to recharge the steamfields  
and produce clean and renewable energy for the region. The Board  
may discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Board Member Walsh left Council Chamber at 2:30 p.m.  
Elise Miller, Communications Coordinator, presented.  
5.5  
CALIFORNIA STORMWATER QUALITY ASSOCIATION AWARD  
PRESENTATION  
The California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) will present the  
City of Santa Rosa with awards for the City's outstanding efforts to  
protect our community’s waterways from pollutants, including: (1) the  
2023 Outstanding Public Outreach Project Award, to the Storm Water  
and Creek's Team for their Streets to Creeks education campaign; (2)  
the 2023 Best Management Practice Implementation Project Award, to  
the City's IT Department, who partnered with Storm Water and Creeks  
to develop an in-house Low Impact Development software program and  
database; and (3) the 2023 Outstanding Stormwater Science Project or  
Program - Student, to Claudia Mayo (Storm Water and Creeks Intern)  
and Sonoma State University, for analysis of water quality near areas of  
homeless activity on Santa Rosa Creek and Russel Creek. The Board  
may discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Claire Myers, Storm Water and Creeks Manager, and Karen Cowen,  
Executive Director - California Stormwater Quality Association  
presented.  
Board Members gave the award winners, and the Santa Rosa Water  
team, congratulations.  
6. CONSENT ITEMS  
A motion was made by Board Member Wright, seconded by Board Member  
Bartholow, to approve Consent Item 6.1.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
5 -  
Yes:  
Chair Galvin III, Vice Chair Arnone Jr., Board Member Badenfort,  
Board Member Bartholow and Board Member Wright  
1 - Board Member Walsh  
Absent:  
6.1  
MOTION - APPROVAL - F002525 FIRST AMENDMENT FOR  
BIOSOLIDS HAULING SERVICES  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by Santa Rosa Water and the  
Finance Department that the Board of Public Utilities, by motion,  
approve the First Amendment to General Services Agreement F002525  
for a one-year extension and increase in compensation for biosolids  
hauling services with Poncia Fertilizer, Inc., Cotati, CA in the amount of  
$745,035, for a total cumulative amount not to exceed $1,470,430.  
This Consent - Motion was approved.  
7. REPORT ITEMS  
None.  
8. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS  
None.  
9. REFERRALS  
None.  
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (AND POSSIBLE BOARD DISCUSSION)  
None.  
11. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS  
None.  
12. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS  
Vice Chair Arnone spoke about Water Professionals Week.  
13. DIRECTORS REPORTS  
Director Burke reported: The Local Operations Leak crew  
responded Saturday, October 7th, to repair a 6” ACP main break on  
Rivera Dr. Although the crew was able to make the repair quickly,  
and get the impacted residents quickly supplied with water, there  
was a 15-foot section of street that was damaged from the flowing  
water. The Leak Crew was able to make a temporary repair to the  
street to get traffic flowing and the Transportation and Public Works  
Patch Crew was tasked with the final asphalt repair.The residents in  
the surrounding area were very happy with the completed repair and  
the short time frame they were out of water. We received multiple  
emails thanking the crew for their quick response and great  
customer service.  
The Water Department has partnered with GHD to develop the  
Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) which began in June. A  
SAMP which is a critical tool for organizations to proactively manage  
their assets in a way that supports their strategic objectives, ensures  
efficient and effective asset utilization, and minimizes risks and  
costs. It provides a structured approach to asset management that  
helps organizations optimize their resources and make informed,  
data-driven decisions. Since June, the City and GHD, have worked  
to establish the current state of the asset management program, an  
essential step in identifying areas where the program needs  
improvement. The next steps in the project will define what is  
important to Santa Rosa Water and develop an achievable 5-year  
roadmap for improvement of the program. The final SAMP is  
expected to be completed in February of 2024.  
Update on Santa Rosa Water’s direct install program: At this point,  
over 1,300 toilets have been approved for installation by the five  
qualified plumbing contractors. Of those 1,300 approved, about  
1,000 have already been invoiced to the City as being installed.  
Water Use Efficiency staff are processing those invoices at a very  
rapid rate which is good news for the timeline for the first phase of  
the program implementation.  
Santa Rosa Water is anticipating the second round of funding from  
the US Bureau of Reclamation via the Sonoma Marin Saving Water  
Partnership, which will become available in fall 2024, which will allow  
the program to install approximately 2,000 additional toilets. A  
waitlist is open and accepting customers for the next round of  
installations. Staff will return to the Board with an update regarding  
this funding once formal agreements are circulated.  
Staff have likely remedied an electrical issue affecting Mayacamas  
Pumps 4 and 5 on the Geysers system, which constitutes  
restoration of full system flow capacity. The system is running stable  
and, if it continues to over the next few weeks, we will consider the  
problem resolved.  
Director Burke answered Board Member questions.  
14. ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING  
Chair Galvin adjourned the meeting at 2:45 p.m. The next Board of  
Public Utilities meeting is scheduled for November 2, 2023.  
Approved on: November 2, 2023  
___/S/_________________________  
Michelle Montoya  
Recording Secretary