WATER DEMAND COMMITTEE
ITEM:		DISCUSSION ITEM
2.	DISCUSS CONCEPTUAL ORDINANCE REGARDING WATER PERMITS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Meeting Date:			October 11, 2012	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Stephanie Pintar	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: Pending
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: This ordinance will require an Initial Study.

SUMMARY: Public schools must improve and expand their facilities to meet student demand at unpredictable times, often without involvement of the local Jurisdiction and Water District. Although District rules require a Water Permit before a building permit is issued, the schools generally do not go through the local building departments (they permit through the State Architect). Because of this, they miss the local building department review for the Water Permit and receive building approvals without a Water Permit. Although MPWMD has contacted the State Architect about this problem in the past, several projects in the past few years have been constructed without District permits. Staff has been working with these school districts to identify ways to correct the situation.

For the school district’s to obtain Water Permits for the projects that were built without permits, there is a requirement to either offset the new demand or obtain water from the Jurisdiction’s Allocation. The problem is that water is not available in the Jurisdiction’s Allocation to cover the expansion needs, which leaves the school needing to retrofit to offset the projected demand. In at least one case (Carmel River School), the school has installed all of the most water efficient fixtures available, but still does not have sufficient credit to offset the capacity of the new projects.

DISCUSSION: In an effort to identify potential solutions to the permitting dilemma, superintendents of the school districts, facilities managers, and District staff met several times to discuss alternative permitting concepts. The concepts resulting from these meetings were discussed with the District’s Water Demand Committee in August 2012, and the following concepts were forwarded to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for discussion at its meeting on October 9, 2012. Staff will update the Water Demand Committee on the TAC discussion.

1. Single Site School District. Allow a School District to be considered as a single Site (within the MPWMD), therefore allowing offsets at locations within and without the same Jurisdiction (i.e., Monterey Peninsula Unified School District which has (or could have) facilities in Seaside, Monterey and Del Rey Oaks).

2. Authorize Water Use Credits for replacement of established turf sports fields with synthetic turf.

3. Require implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Once all BMP’s have been achieved at all facilities and for all irrigated areas, and no other feasible water saving measures have been identified, allow the school district to receive Water Permit waivers (i.e. exemptions) for all necessary future expansion/improvements.

4. Municipal Site Water Credit. Allow Water Use Credits generated by retrofits undertaken on a Public Site used by the school district to be used by the school district.

RECOMMENDATION: The Water Demand Committee should receive the staff update on the TAC discussion regarding the proposed school permitting, and then develop a recommendation to the Board regarding the first reading of the ordinance that is scheduled for October 15, 2012.

IMPACT ON STAFF/RESOURCES: To be determined and presented in staff report to the Board.

EXHIBIT

None

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