Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District*

Recommendations 1

• R1
  Water districts and municipalities must monitor unaccounted-for water on an 1. annual basis. Water districts and municipalities must follow the methodology and goal for 2. calculating unaccounted-for-waste according to the American Water Works Association. Water districts and municipalities must have in place a system for inspecting, 3. testing, maintenance and replacement of meters. Water districts and municipalities should consider joining the California 4. Urban Water Conservation Council. The council establishes standards and audit procedures. The City of American canyon, the City of Napa, the Napa-Berryessa Resort 5. Improvement District, and the Spanish Flat, Berryessa Pines, and Lake Berryessa Resort Improvement Districts must find, explain, and fix the high, unaccounted-for water loss. Response - Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District Public Works Director: The Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District Public Works Director agrees in part with the recommendations. The additional analysis that takes into account the mandatory back-washing operations and unfortunate water main rupture places the District above the acceptable industry standard of 10%. While the District is prepared to implement the above recommendations, it has always been the philosophy of the District to pursue strategies that conserve natural resources and improve operation efficiencies. The above noted recommendations provide common sense suggestions to enhance the conservation of water, in which the District shall endeavor to implement to the best of their ability and within the limited resources available to them. The following are the actions the District will pursue in response to the above noted recommendations. 1. The District currently records the necessary information to perform a water loss calculation; however, the calculation has not been carried out. Beginning immediately, the District shall monitor water loss on a yearly basis and develop long term strategies to help maintain or reduce the percent of water loss each year and provide the information to the governing board on a yearly schedule. 2. The District shall utilize the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) methodology for determining water loss and venture to meet the goals and objectives established by AWWA. 3. The District has a procedure for detecting, testing and repairing/replacing water meters through out the District. The inspection of water meters poses a significant challenge to the District's personnel and financial resources. While meter inspection may capture a portion of the potential water loss, it only accounts for a small percentage of the overall water loss. The District fully understands that every little bit counts; however, the District's main focus for the near future, given their limited resources, shall be pursuing a more efficient filtration process and leak detection and repair. 4. The District shall consider joining the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC). Currently, the District does not have the resources available to meet the commitments outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding governing the CUWCC. Nonetheless, the water conservation goals of CUWCC are consistent with the management of the District and the district intends to join the CUWCC when it has the necessary resources to meet the commitment established by the CUWCC. 5. The District has historically been and will always be committed to finding and repairing leaks within their distribution system as they appear. Proactively conducting leak detection through a routine maintenance plan is a goal of the District; however, it warrants a priority status below the operational and financial challenges that face the District today. The District is currently in the process of improving their financial stability to secure their future. Part of the Districts long term planning strategies includes an aggressive and proactive maintenance policy that will address such issues as leak detection. The District is currently experiencing issues with leaks on the water main that feeds the community's storage tank, and is the main suspect in the majority of its water loss. The water main is an aging water pipe that travels over steep terrain that makes accessibility a challenge. The District is currently pursuing a grant opportunity that would fund the replacement of the water main resulting in reduced water loss. Once the water main is replaced the District will monitor the water loss over the next year to evaluate whether additional immediate attention is necessary. Conserving natural resources is a primary objective that the District is continually pursuing. The Findings and Recommendations provided in the Grand Jury report certainly outline goals that will assist the District in achieving their conservation objectives and the District will implement them to the best of their ability. The District hopes that this response adequately addresses the Findings and Recommendations of the 2004-2005 Grand Jury Report and respectfully requests the opportunity to provide more information or clarify their position to the Grand Jury if necessary.