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Minutes for the Meeting of the Public Affairs & Education Committee Meeting Held Monday, March 16, 2015

VALLEY COUNTY WATER DISTRICT MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS & EDUCATION COMMITTEE HELD

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 Committee Members Present: President Alfonso Contreras, Chairperson

Director Mariana Lake, Co-Chairperson Others Present: Director Lenet Pacheco Staff Present: General Manager – Lynda Noriega

Operations & Maintenance Manager – Tom Mortenson Water Quality Specialist – Tara Robinson Field Services Supervisor – Conrad Diaz Executive Assistant/Board Liaison – Colleen Malaiba Operations Assistant – Victoria Pulido

A. CALL TO ORDER The meeting of the Public Affairs & Education Committee held on Monday, March 16, 2015, was called to order at 9:00 am by President Contreras.

B. DISCUSSION/INFORMATION ITEMS

1. Review and Discuss the “Drink-Up Baldwin Park Project”

General Manager explained that at the January 26, 2015 Board of Directors meeting, representatives from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) gave a presentation about the “Drink Up Baldwin Park Project,” a pilot program promoting increased consumption of tap water rather that sugary beverages to encourage a healthy lifestyle; stated that Brita partnered with the CCPHA and committed to distributing filtered water pitchers to the residents of the City of Baldwin Park; added that Brita also committed to donating hydration stations for public facilities within the City of Baldwin Park; reported that a majority of the Board of Directors requested additional discussion between the CCPHA and the Public Affairs & Education Committee to consider more detailed information regarding the project; introduced Mr. Sergio Zepeda as a representative of the CCPHA

Mr. Zepeda explained that the program was scheduled to start within three weeks at the local schools; reported that the “Drink Up Baldwin Park Project” also partnered with another program called “Harvest of the Month,” which featured nutritional training for participants

Ms. Rosa Soto, the Project Manager for the CCPHA, explained that the City of Baldwin Park had been selected as the focal city for the pilot program due to its dedication in prioritizing healthy lifestyles for the previous 15 years; stated that she viewed the program as a way to continue with the City of Baldwin Park model by promoting water as the best alternative for hydration; reported that the program would incorporate a city-wide study, which would survey the drinking habits of the residents and changes in drinking habits due to the distribution of the Brita filtered water pitcher; suggested that the District partner in the program by including the survey within the customer billing statements

Mr. Zepeda responded to the request for information from the General Manager regarding the other participating agencies; stated that the schools have agreed to allow the program to begin with an intense effort to initiate the process of distributing the Brita filtered water pitchers to the student families; added that the Los


Angeles County Department of Public Health would also be assisting in the later stages of the program by completing the “Greater Cities Study”

Ms. Soto stated that the CCPHA applied for grant funds to assist with the costs of the project; explained that, however, the grant that was approved for the project would not be made available due to lack of Federal funding

Operations & Maintenance Manager stated that the project sounded beneficial for the community in terms of improving health standards; commented that, however, he was concerned about the effect of the project on public perception of the quality of water supplied by the District

General Manager stated that she was also concerned with the project’s effect on public perception of the quality of water supplied by the District; recalled that Mr. Zepeda indicated that the program intended to communicate to the public that the filters would specifically address the taste of tap water; added that, however, the information provided in the handout packet did not address anything regarding taste; added that she was concerned since the District only served approximately 70% to 75% of the City of Baldwin Park; asked if the CCPHA had made any efforts to reach out to the other water agencies serving the City of Baldwin Park; asked if there were plans for extending the program into other areas served by the District, including the City of Irwindale and the City of West Covina; asked what plans the program had in terms of maintenance for the hydration stations beyond the two years Brita agreed to provide replacement filters; expressed that she was concerned about the potential for negligence with the recurring maintenance requirements of the hydration stations, which could lead to detrimental water quality issues for the consumer; asked what strategies would be used to educate the public regarding the use and maintenance of the filtered water pitcher; requested clarification regarding the distribution of the filtered water pitchers, expressing concern about families with multiple students enrolled at the local schools; stated that due to these concerns, she did not believe that it was the appropriate time for the District to partner in the program; recalled that at a previous meeting of the Board of Directors, Vice President Hernandez considered the program as an additional opportunity for public outreach; commented that she believed it would be a great opportunity to enhance the District’s relationship with the community; added that, however, in her opinion, the program was not yet fully developed for implementation; acknowledged again that the project would be beneficial for the community

Director Lake concurred with the General Manager and the Operations & Maintenance Manager; stated that because the community had been critical in the past of the quality of water supplied by the District, she did not believe that the District would be an appropriate to partner for the program; stated that it would be a beneficial program for the community

President Contreras stated that he liked the overall purpose of program, which was to improve the health and lifestyles of the community; concurred with the General Manager, the Operations & Maintenance Manager, and Director Lake regarding their concerns of the public perception of the quality of water supplied by the District; stated that he could not support a program that had no plans or confirmed commitments regarding the continued maintenance of the hydration stations beyond the commitments provided by Brita; expressed his concern regarding the quality of water provided at the hydration stations between filter replacements; stated that he would assist in promoting the benefits of the program as a resident of the community, however would not do so as a representative of Valley County Water District; explained that the District was limited in it’s ability to promote water programs beyond the boundaries of the service area of the District; encouraged the CCPHA to contact the other water agencies who served the City of Baldwin Park

Director Lake asked if the representatives of the program had contacted Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (USGVMWD) for partnership opportunities

Mr. Zepeda commented that they initially started discussions with the District since it served the largest portion of the City of Baldwin Park

Director Lake responded that USGVMWD also served the City of Baldwin Park

Ms. Soto responded that the program was a pilot program and explained that not all aspects had been established; commented that she spoke with the City of Baldwin Park City Council, and added that it was their opinion that the District should be involved in the program; responded to the concerns regarding maintenance of the hydration stations beyond the scope of Brita’s services; stated that because the rollout was designed as a pilot program, the CCPHA was still negotiating with the City of Baldwin Park and the Baldwin Park Unified School District on how the hydration stations would be maintained; reported that she continued to work with representatives from Brita on an education program for the residents who would receive the filtered water


pitchers; reported that the program would include a 2-3 year study related to the “Promote Improving Community Health (PICH)” grant

Mr. Zepeda acknowledged that there could be implications with public perception regarding the filtered water pitcher distribution; requested that the Public Affairs & Education Committee view the filtered water pitchers as new gadgets that would encourage the community to drink tap water on a regular basis

Ms. Soto stated that the District’s involvement and partnership was imperative in order to assist the campaign in communicating the purpose of the filtered water pitchers as an improvement in taste rather than water quality; explained that the CCPHA was not well versed or educated on the history of the water quality within the area; added that knowledge-based resource contributions of the District could be invaluable to the project

President Contreras asked why the participation of the District was imperative if the program was set rollout at the local schools within the next few weeks

Ms. Soto responded that only 2,000 of the filtered water pitchers would be issued through the schools; added that there were 8,000 more filtered water pitchers scheduled to be distributed throughout the City of Baldwin Park

General Manager recalled that the City of Baldwin Park agreed to partner in the program; asked what the City of Baldwin Park had committed to the project in terms of resources

Ms. Soto stated that this item was still under negotiation; reported that the process of finalizing partnership opportunities had been slower than anticipated

Mr. Zepeda stated that the City of Baldwin Park agreed to provide access to public facilities for the installation of hydration stations; commented that there were still on-going discussions regarding how the hydration stations would be maintained beyond the two years that was being offered by Brita

General Manager stated that she believed it was vital to understand what the City of Baldwin Park and the Baldwin Park Unified School District had agreed to since it was ultimately their constituents that would benefit from the program; recalled that Mr. Zepeda had previously indicated that the installation of the hydration stations would cost approximately $300,000; responded that she did not believe that such a large initial investment would yield the results anticipated by the CCPHA if there was not a guarantee that the hydration stations would continue to be properly maintained; questioned how the distribution of the filtered water pitchers would be disseminated at the local schools

Ms. Soto explained that the students would complete a survey; added that once the survey was complete, the parents of the student would receive a letter inviting them to attend a meeting regarding healthy beverage consumption choices; stated that if the parents completed the required meeting, the family would then receive a Brita filtered water pitcher

General Manager inquired about the plans for city wide distribution

Ms. Soto stated that distribution plans were still being negotiated; anticipated that it would begin within three to six months; requested that the District consider assisting in the distribution of the program survey by including information within the customer billing statements

Mr. Zepeda stated that they discussed launching the program at the City of Baldwin Park Concerts in the Park series scheduled for Summer 2015

Water Quality Specialist stated that she was constantly reassuring District customers about the superior quality of water supplied by the District; added that it was safe to drink; explained that the District already utilized carbon filters as part of the treatment process; explained that the only factor affecting taste was the residual chlorine, which was added to ensure continued disinfection of the water supply; reported that the District allowed for moderate levels of chlorine so as not to affect the taste or smell of the water; stated that she was concerned about the level of education that the residents would receive regarding the proper care and replacement of the filters; stated that she understood that if the filtered water pitchers were not properly maintained, bacteria issues could develop

Mr. Zepeda asked the Public Affairs & Education Committee to consider the change in taste and quality of the water that may occur due to the galvanized piping within a customer’s home; stated that old plumbing lines of an individual home could also contribute to water quality issues, which were not originally a result of District operations


Ms. Soto commented that the program intended to address taste since the main focus was to get kids to drink water rather than other sugary drinks; stated that she learned a lot from the open discussion and believed that that program could benefit from the resources of the District

2. Review and Discuss the Proposed 2015 Water Awareness Celebration Event Dates and Budget

General Manager explained that the District annually hosted a Water Awareness Celebration Event; stated that a proposed budget had been prepared for the Public Affairs & Education Committee to review for possible recommendation to the Board of Directors; stated that once the Board of Directors approved a budget, the General Manager would begin coordinating the event; reviewed that for the 2014 event, the Board of Directors approved a budget of $4,026.52 for promotional information and material, and incurred expenses of $3,953.03; reported that an additional $3,506.71 was paid in overtime premiums to the employees who worked the 2014 event since it was held on a Saturday; stated that date options for hosting the event were outlined for consideration; announced that the proposed budget for the 2015 event was $4,898.65 for all promotional information and material, and explained that an additional $3,735.00 would need to be budgeted in overtime premiums if the event were hosted on a Saturday; announced that the District budgeted additional funds for community relations expenses throughout the 2014/2015 fiscal year in response to the drought and the need to communicate with and educate the community

President Contreras stated that he had a few concerns regarding the promotional items listed on the proposed budget; recommended getting more technologically advanced promotional material in order to effectively reach the public; announced that he intended to recommend cancelling the bottled water donation program since he felt that the public rarely acknowledged where the water came from

General Manager stated that there were discussions regarding the purchase of new promotional material; explained that, however, the items listed within the proposed budget were materials that the District had in stock and needed deplete; reported that Director Lake had previously brought in some updated promotional material from her attendance at the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Fall Conference; added that the District had already started researching costs for future purchases of promotional material

Director Lake stated that the Board of Directors voted to host last year’s event on a Saturday; commented that the additional cost of overtime pay was expensive

President Contreras recalled that one member of the Board of Directors suggested hosting the event on a Saturday; added that the members of the Board of Directors approved hosting the event on a Saturday in order to determine if attendance improved in comparison to hosting the event during the week; recalled that in the past, the Board of Directors elected to host the event on a weekday in order to invite the local schools; suggested inviting the senior citizens to attend to event; suggested that the recommendation from the Public Affairs & Education Committee leave the date open for the members of the Board of Directors to decide

Director Lake concurred with the suggestion from President Contreras

The Public Affairs & Education Committee recommended the proposed budget for the 10th Annual Water Awareness Celebration Event for consideration by the Board of Directors at the next regularly scheduled meeting

3. Review and Discuss Current Promotional Material and Newly Available Promotional Material

General Manager reported that Director Lake requested for the Public Affairs & Education Committee to review the current stock of promotional material and new promotional material available for purchase; reiterated that Director Lake had brought some promotional material she had received at the ACWA Fall Conference to provide ideas for the District; stated that she believed the District’s promotional material should include more water conservation messaging; announced that she had plans to implement a “pledge to save water” sticker campaign; stated that the new material would be more colorful and inviting in order to generate interest from the public

President Contreras stated that he recently visited a restaurant in Riverside and noted that their table tents were displayed on all of the available tables; reported that during a recent ACWA conference, one of the hotel restaurants served water on the tables; added that this needed to stop

Director Lake stated that she brought in an aerator with an automatic shut off valve, which she believed was a good item to provide to the community

President Contreras stated that he tried one at his home and found them to be cumbersome when washing your hands

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