For City Council Meeting [September 27, 2022]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
Title
Request City Council to: (1) Approve the Term Sheet with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) Relating to the Long-Term Sale of Wastewater Effluent for Recycled Water Purposes; and (2) Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Final Agreement with IEUA Consistent with the Term Sheet and All Related Documents.
POWERPOINT
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
The City of Rialto owns and operates a Wastewater Treatment Plant ("WWTP") located in the southern area of the City just north of the Santa Ana River and south of Santa Ana Ave. The WWTP currently treats domestic sewage and generates recycled water meeting state regulations that is discharged to the Santa Ana River. Generally, the City's WWTP produces approximately 7,000,000 gallons per day of recycled water and has a maximum capacity to treat up to 11,700,000 gallons per day at build-out of the City.
The Santa Ana River is an important ecosystem and part of the Upper Santa Ana River Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan (the "SAR MSHCP"). The City has obligations to continue discharging a certain amount of recycled water into the Santa Ana River to support the ecosystem, currently 7 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 3,800,000 gallons per day. However, the conveyance system of the City's recycled water from the WWTP to the Santa Ana River includes a concrete lined drainage channel, and in the summer months the temperature of the City's recycled water increases and may harm the sensitive ecosystem within the Santa Ana River.
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency ("IEUA") is a regional wastewater treatment agency and wholesale distributor of imported water. IEUA is responsible for serving approximately 875,000 people over 242 square miles in western San Bernardino County, with one of its core missions to develop recycled water, local water resources, and conservation programs to reduce the regi...
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