Citizen Complaint: Castaic Lake Water Agency

CLWA continues to expand its recycled water distribution system under state man- date and duly adopted integrated regional water management plans.

Recycled water plants are built and operated by the LACSD. CLWA purchases recy- cled water from LACSD and sells to its current single retail recycled water customer, VWA. A significant portion of the funding for CLWA’s current recycled water delivery sys- tem is from State Water Resource Department grants. The awarding of such grants is predicated on the CLWA agreeing to the terms of the Department of Water Re- sources Grant Agreement which includes the mandated reduction of dependency on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water supply. The ad valorem property tax rate on the real property tax bill is calculated by CLWA, and the tax is used to pay for the anticipated cost of delivering potable water to the district via State Water Project as well as for the repayment of the bond issue for the State Water Project construction. Part of the 1% real property tax on all the properties of CLWA’s service area is allo- cated to CLWA to pay for the CLWA’s capital improvements program, including both potable and recycled water systems. Currently, the Tournament Player’s Club golf course is the only recycled water cus- tomer. It pays a monthly facility connection fee to VWA for recycled water access in addition to the cost of actual recycled water used.

Recycled water is delivered only in dedicated recycled water lines. CLWA has continued to work with retail water purveyors, the LACSD, and other agencies to comply with mandated conservation plan and recycled water use plan to meet the requirements of bills such as Senate Bill 7 (SBX7-7), which mandates that urban water suppliers reduce per capita water use by 20% by 2020 or lose their eli- gibility to State grant funding. There will be new recycled water users when appropriate infrastructure is in place and economic conditions are favorable.

Under the authority of the Castaic Lake Water Agency Act and duly adopted Resolu- tion No. 2180 in 2002, CLWA is to establish: …its water rate for recycled water, on a volume basis as 80% of normal retail water distributor rate to an end user of the distributor as that rate may change from time to time and authorized the Agency’s General Man- ager to promulgate management procedure orders in furtherance of the Agency recycled water rate; … CASTAIC LAKE WATER AGENCY 384 2011–2012 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Review of a recent recycled water bill to the sole recycled water user showed that the recycled water was billed at more than 93% of the user’s corresponding potable water rate. CONCLUSION CLWA is mandated to provide recycled water in its total service area. See Exhibit A for water recycling requirements imposed on CLWA. The CLWA have operated appropriately within local and state mandates. The CGJ rec- ommends no further action. EXHIBIT A – Water Recycling Requirements ACRONYMS CGJ Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury CLWA Castaic Lake Water Agency IRWM Integrated Regional Water Management Act LACSD Los Angeles County Sanitation District VWA Valencia Water Agency CASTAIC LAKE WATER AGENCY – EXHIBIT A 2011–2012 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 385 EXHIBIT A Water Recycling Requirements (From an official of the Castaic Lake Water Agency) CLWA has numerous requirements to use recycled water beyond the general benefits that such use generates for our customers. A short list is below:

State Water Resources Control Board also requires recycled water use as a part of their waste discharge requirements. In 1984, the State Water Board issued Water Quality Or- der No. 84-7 expressing the intent that, pursuant to California Water Code, Section 13142.5(e), in cases where discharges of wastewater to the ocean are proposed in “wa- ter-short” areas, the report of waste discharge should include an explanation as to why the effluent is not being recycled for further beneficial use (SWQCB, 1984).

SBx7-7 mandates that urban water suppliers reduce statewide water use (in gallons per capita per day) of 10 percent by 2015 and 20 percent by 2020 (20x2020). Methods of complying with SBx7-7 include enhanced water conservation, water use efficiency, and recycled water use.

Grant eligibility, the Department of Water Resources conditions any grant application on a demonstration, through the documentation in an approved Urban Water Management Plan, that the water provider is on target to meet its 20x2020 goals including the use of recycled water.

Integrated Regional Water Management Planning, the awarding of grants is predicated on the grantee agreeing to the follow term in the Department of Water Resources Grant Agreement: Since the Grantee’s IRWM region (region) receives water supplied from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta), then the region’s IRWM Plan (existing or any fu- ture update) must help reduce dependence on the Delta for water supply. Other than conservation, the primary way to reduce this dependence is through the substitution of recycled water for potable supplies. 386 2011–2012 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT &,7,=(1 &203/$,17 &,7< 2) /21* %($&+ 8QIXQGHG 3HQVLRQ 5HWLUHPHQW $JH 3LFNXS 3HQVLRQ &200,77(( 0(0%(56 %REEL 0LOOHU ¤ &KDLU /HDK 9 *UDQRI 0DJGDOHQH < +R $QLWD / :RQJ