[0:18] Good morning, the time

[0:21] is 10:02 and the commission is called

[0:23] to order. I am chair mark smith residing

[0:24] over this meeting.

[0:27] vice chair jonathan powell and commissioners

[0:29] williams, eloise foster, jeffrey seltzer

[0:30] and

[0:36] regina foster. We are joined by our

[0:37] corporate sector and general manager

[0:39] and ceo

[0:42] keisha powell. I will start by

[0:44] asking commissioner foster to lead

[0:45] the pledge of allegiance. If you would

[0:48] read the

[0:51] division statement

[0:53] I will ask commissioner seltzer to

[0:54] read the mission statement and finally

[0:55] general manager and

[0:57] ceo

[1:00] keisha powell.

[1:13] >> thank you

[1:15] commissioner foster. Commissioner

[1:22] speed boss.

[1:23] >> in

[1:24] every home and every business, we make

[1:26] everything possible. By ensuring access

[1:28] to dependable and safe water for

[1:31] everyday life.

[1:32] >> wssc water in

[1:34] choose

[1:37] all

[1:38] communities thrive by developing safe,

[1:40] sustainable water through wastewater

[1:41] services.

[1:42] >> our promise is to continue

[1:43] the

[1:45] legacy of our water customers and

[1:46] employees through

[1:48] dedicated service returned in future

[1:49] generations.

[1:52] >>

[1:55] thank you. Do I have

[1:58] a motion to approve

[2:01] the agenda?

[2:03] >> I hereby move that the commission

[2:04] adopt its

[2:06] public agenda february 18th, 2026

[2:07] as

[2:09] drafted.

[2:10] >> thank you vice chair powell. Is

[2:11] there

[2:13] a second?

[2:14] >> I

[2:16] second.

[2:17] >>

[2:18] any discussion? All those in favor

[2:19] signify by saying

[2:22] aye. Any nays?

[2:23] hearing none, the motion carried unanimously

[2:25] and the agenda is

[2:31] approved weird.

[2:34] >>

[2:40] commissioner lynn.

[2:44] >> mr. Chair, I would like to request

[2:45] the floor to announce recusal from

[2:46] agenda

[2:49] items 10 a on contract

[2:52] 76596 on

[2:55] 925-77 19 and

[3:01] hb 1022 228 object

[3:02] of interest.

[3:03] >> thank you commissioner

[3:06] espy-williams. There are two sets

[3:07] of minutes for

[3:10] approval, both of the january 21

[3:11] 2026 regular commission meeting and

[3:12] the minutes of january 28 special

[3:16] commission meeting. They

[3:19] were both in advance. Are there

[3:20] any corrections? The minutes stand

[3:22] is approved. I

[3:26] now recognize retirement division

[3:28] manager to present the wssc retirees

[3:29] for

[3:34] this month.

[3:37] >> thank you.

[3:40] good morning. Recognize the

[3:43] following honorees. David

[3:47] alford started october 1st, 1990 and

[3:49] retires as

[3:50] a supervisor in the leader services

[3:51] division with 35 years of service.

[3:52] come

[3:58] on down.

[5:07] we have another one

[5:10] in attendance. Next we have terry

[5:11] hartl started employee

[5:13] january 25th, 2010

[5:14] and retires as a utility technician

[5:16] to

[5:19] with 16 years and one

[5:25] month service.

[5:28] looks as though he couldn't

[5:31] make it. Otis walker

[5:34] started appointment 1990.

[5:37] he retires as a

[5:39] materials engineer in the materials

[5:40] management division with 35 years

[5:43] and nine months

[5:46] of service.

[5:52] we thank them for their years of dedicated service

[5:53] and wish them

[5:54] the very best in their retirement.

[5:55] >> thank you

[6:01] mr. Baker. Before

[6:04] we begin commissioner comments, if

[6:05] any members

[6:07] of the public intends to give comments,

[6:10] please do so now. Your

[6:12] call will remain in the lobby until

[6:13] after the in

[6:14] person,. The secretary will admit

[6:16] you from the lobby following the in

[6:19] person comments. First, do we have

[6:22] any

[6:25] commissioner comments? Seeing

[6:28] none. We will now receive

[6:31] public comments. Members of the public

[6:32] wishing to speak may

[6:34] do so in person

[6:36] or virtually. We will now receive

[6:37] public comments, the commission is

[6:38] not required to respond

[6:39] to public comments during the meeting

[6:40] and the public is reminded this is

[6:41] not

[6:42] an opportunity for dialogue or questions

[6:43] and answers.

[6:45] if you wish to submit longer comments

[6:46] please do so through the

[6:49] corporate secretary. Are there any

[6:50] members of

[6:52] the public in the auditorium?

[6:56] >> yes.

[6:57] we have one person in the auditorium

[6:59] signed up to speak and we also have

[7:00] someone on teams. We will start with

[7:02] the auditorium.

[7:08] mr. Edwin. You

[7:10] can him up to this seat next to me.

[7:11] make sure

[7:14] you push the red button to turn

[7:16] on the phone and if you could please

[7:17] start with

[7:18] your name and county and you have

[7:23] three minutes.

[7:26] >> hi, my name

[7:29] is edwin,

[7:32] montgomery county.

[7:36] thank you for allowing me this time

[7:38] to speak. I apologize if this is

[7:39] the wrong form. I represent a local

[7:40] volunteer organization, we do cleanups

[7:41] for areas of

[7:43] interest to the rockclimbing community.

[7:44] I was hoping

[7:45] to speak or find someone to speak

[7:46] with about the possibility of expanding

[7:47] your

[7:48] allowable recreation particularly

[7:50] in the area

[7:53] for rockclimbing. We had begun a

[7:54] conversation with a former watershed

[7:55] manager but since his departure we

[7:56] had a

[7:59] real struggle starting those

[8:01] conversations so I just came here

[8:02] with the

[8:05] hope of finding a way

[8:06] to reserve those conversations with

[8:08] someone with the wssc.

[8:11] thank you.

[8:12] >>

[8:17] in queue.

[8:19] I was just going to recommend that.

[8:20] I

[8:23] think we resolved it. Thank

[8:26] you sir. Absolutely. And madame

[8:27] corporate secretary do we have our

[8:29] caller on the line

[8:31] as well?

[8:32] >> yes, letting them into

[8:33] teams now so

[8:34] I'm going to give them a second. The

[8:35] caller on teams if

[8:38] you could

[8:40] make sure that the volume is turned

[8:42] down so we don't have background noise

[8:44] and the caller ending

[8:46] in 7016 if you could please start

[8:47] with your

[8:50] name and county and you have

[8:56] three minutes.

[9:08] again, that's

[9:11] the caller ending

[9:14] in 7016.

[9:20] >> hello,

[9:22] montgomery county. Can you hear me?

[9:23] >>

[9:26] yes ma'am.

[9:27] go ahead. You have three minutes.

[9:29] >> okay thank you.

[9:32] the wssc decision

[9:35] to launch a smart meter program pilot

[9:36] program

[9:38] without fully informing customers

[9:39] of

[9:40] the health and safety information

[9:41] gathered by wssc on its own

[9:44] record is reckless. As a

[9:47] public

[9:49] utility wssc has a duty of full transparency

[9:50] when asking customers to

[9:52] participate in a program that may

[9:53] affect

[9:56] their health especially who

[9:57] absorb more of this radiation from

[10:02] smart meters. And more

[10:05] vulnerable. Without material

[10:08] information the public does not

[10:11] have the facts in order

[10:12] to make an informed decision and this

[10:13] raises serious governance concerns.

[10:14] the

[10:17] wssc smart meter website

[10:20] have misleading statements. They say

[10:23] that smart meters are

[10:26] not harmful. As I detailed in

[10:31] my publication frontiers of public

[10:32] health entitled u.s. Policy on wireless

[10:33] technologies

[10:35] and public health protection

[10:36] regulatory gaps in proposed reforms

[10:38] I show that despite scientific research

[10:39] documenting evidence for

[10:40] health risk there has been no review

[10:41] of the totality of

[10:44] the evidence by any

[10:47] federal agency. Certainly not the

[10:50] smart meters which

[10:53] emit short intense pulsed rf radiation

[10:54] in thousands

[10:56] of intense pulses

[10:58] a day. Compliance with limits does

[10:59] not

[11:01] ensure safety as these limits are

[11:02] outdated,

[11:04] indefensible and only protect against

[11:08] short-term exposure. Not the

[11:11] long-term exposures.

[11:16] even misleading post references on

[11:17] its webpage to the national cancer

[11:18] institute and

[11:20] american cancer

[11:21] society. Neither of which have scientifically

[11:23] reviewed the signs to make a safety

[11:24] determination. Nor the

[11:26] data on smart

[11:27] meters. I used that information showing

[11:29] letters

[11:32] from them in our lawsuit against

[11:35] the fcc in which

[11:38] we had a favorable ruling. Just a

[11:39] few

[11:40] years ago, dr. David carpenter director

[11:41] of the institute for

[11:43] health and environment at the university

[11:44] all of

[11:47] albany testified that there are significant

[11:50] health I associated

[11:53] with emitted by

[11:59] smart meters.

[12:01] read about the ever growing scientific

[12:02] evidence showing

[12:05] biological effects from cancer,

[12:06] cellular stress, increase in harmful

[12:08] free radicals,

[12:11] genetic damage, structural damages

[12:12] to

[12:13] the reproductive system, learning

[12:14] and memory deficits and

[12:20] neurological disorders. Further

[12:22] scientific research shows effects to

[12:23] plant and animal life especially bees

[12:24] and other insect

[12:25] pollinators. Wssc is failing to warn

[12:27] consumers in the

[12:30] private program about these

[12:32] health issues. They are failing to

[12:33] inform consumers

[12:34] about information on their own record

[12:39] and

[12:42] that this radiation is

[12:44] not safe. And my published paper I

[12:45] also documented how

[12:46] the wireless industry has followed

[12:48] the big

[12:54] tobacco playbook.

[12:57] >> you have hit

[12:59] your three minutes. If you could please

[13:00] conclude.

[13:01] >> sure. I built upon that

[13:03] in a harvard

[13:06] press book and I

[13:07] recommend everyone recommend that

[13:08] to understand what is going on. Wssc

[13:09] consumers deserve all

[13:12] the facts. Thank you so

[13:15] much.

[13:16] >> thank you ma'am. And

[13:18] chair

[13:19] smith, we do not have any other colors

[13:21] on the line at this time.

[13:24] >> thank

[13:26] you. And I want to thank all of our

[13:27] public speakers for their comments.

[13:30] I now recognize

[13:32] the general inspector general to present

[13:33] the monthly

[13:39] activity report.

[13:48] >> thank you and

[13:52] good morning. Good morning chair,

[13:54] vice chair, commissioners, corporate

[13:56] secretary and stakeholders. For the

[13:57] record, I

[14:00] am an inspector general,

[14:03] to help wssc water meet

[14:06] its

[14:07] objectives in a fiscally transparent,

[14:09] sustainable and ethically

[14:12] responsible manner by conducting

[14:14] independent audits, evaluation and

[14:15] investigations.

[14:21] into the

[14:22] effect and making evidence-based recommendations

[14:24] to promote efficiency

[14:26] and effectiveness. I am joined today by

[14:27] deputy assistant inspector general

[14:29] for audit, our pleasure to present

[14:30] the summary of activities

[14:31] for the office of inspector general

[14:33] for the month of

[14:36] january, 2026. I

[14:39] will focus on the

[14:42] oig audit activities

[14:43] in this slide, management action plans,

[14:45] system development

[14:48] charge status, waste, fraud and

[14:51] abuse training. In addition I

[14:52] will discuss professional development and

[14:54] peer

[14:57] review

[14:59] results. The oig activities dashboard

[15:00] highlights how

[15:03] the oig aligns

[15:05] with wssc's strategic priorities of

[15:06] affordability and

[15:09] financial viability

[15:12] and optimizing.

[15:15] we conduct our audits in three phases.

[15:18] planning phase in which

[15:19] we gain an understanding of the area

[15:21] which we

[15:24] will audit. We will plan in a more

[15:25] detailed steps

[15:27] to it take

[15:29] to achieve our audit objective. And

[15:30] the fieldwork phase

[15:33] we conduct testing,

[15:34] verify compliance with policies and

[15:36] procedures, and

[15:39] identify exceptions.

[15:42] observations findings and exceptions

[15:43] are

[15:45] communicated to the oddity throughout

[15:47] the engagement to ensure that we have

[15:48] all the details and

[15:51] information and

[15:54] is correct. The final phase is

[15:56] reporting where the auditor drafts

[16:00] a report with any observations or

[16:03] any issues

[16:04] identified. The discussion draft goes

[16:09] to referral review before submitted

[16:10] to wssc management for review and

[16:12] discussion. There

[16:15] is also always some overlap in

[16:18] these steps. This

[16:21] slide presents the current standard

[16:22] of

[16:24] our audit projects. There are three

[16:27] projects in the

[16:30] blue box,

[16:32] seven in the green box and fieldwork phase

[16:33] and one project in the yellow box

[16:39] reporting face.

[16:45] audit findings

[16:48] are rated as either high, medium or

[16:53] low risk. Critical control weaknesses

[16:54] such as exceptions

[16:55] to regulations, policies, procedures

[16:57] or

[17:00] rules. Medium are

[17:01] control deficiencies which impair

[17:03] the commission's ability to

[17:05] initiate, authorize, record, process

[17:06] or

[17:09] report data. Low risk findings

[17:10] are less certificate efficiency and

[17:12] effectiveness control

[17:17] enhancement matters. These categories

[17:18] are used

[17:21] as guidelines for auditors when

[17:24] determining risk.

[17:26] all of risk identified are based on

[17:27] the

[17:30] professional judgment. This slide

[17:33] illustrates the ratings

[17:36] of management open action plans

[17:39] for risk identified during

[17:42] our engagements. Management responsibility

[17:43] is

[17:45] to ensure that action

[17:48] plans mitigate and report

[17:51] risk, establish

[17:53] reasonable implementation and manage

[17:54] open or delinquent

[17:57] action plans. In total there are two

[17:58] action

[18:00] plans that are open,

[18:03] customer service and utility

[18:05] services department. The customer

[18:06] service action plan is due on

[18:11] february 28th and utility services

[18:12] action plan is due on

[18:15] august 31st. Both action plans have

[18:16] a medium

[18:19] risk rating. The oig verified

[18:20] and closed six action plans in january

[18:25] as illustrated in the green pie

[18:28] chart. Four action

[18:31] plans remain

[18:34] to be implanted.

[18:37] pending further oig

[18:40] verification. No

[18:43] action plans were implemented at

[18:49] this point. The next is system

[18:51] development charges. And system development

[18:54] charge status. In accordance with

[18:56] maryland law the oig reviews and approves

[18:58] actual cost

[19:01] be reimbursed for system

[19:03] development charges. We have one audit

[19:04] in progress,

[19:07] called retreat

[19:08] audit and there are two interactive

[19:14] audits remaining. And activist attributed

[19:16] to a lack of

[19:19] developer response after a

[19:22] full fiscal year of

[19:25] quarterly requests.

[19:28] this next

[19:30] slide is highlights wssc strategic priority

[19:31] of workforce development.

[19:34] and concerns waste, fraud and abuse

[19:38] trading. The oig conducts training

[19:43] to ensure that all employees are aware

[19:44] of

[19:45] how to report incidents of fraud,

[19:46] waste and abuse.

[19:49] the oig provided training to 19

[19:55] new employees

[19:56] during orientation on january 5th

[19:58] and

[20:01] january 20th. Oig

[20:04] professional development.

[20:05] the auditor recently became a certified

[20:07] fraud

[20:10] examiner. And we

[20:16] congratulate her.

[20:19] and my final

[20:20] slide I just want to report the commission

[20:22] and public

[20:25] our successful completion

[20:28] of the triangle

[20:30] peer review and the last couple weeks

[20:31] and the

[20:34] peer review covered the periods of

[20:37] 2023

[20:40] to 2025. And happy to answer

[20:45] any questions.

[20:46] >> congratulations

[20:47] on passing your peer

[20:48] review. Any additional questions for

[20:52] the oig?

[20:53] >>

[20:55] thank you. I just had a

[20:58] quick question on I can't river

[21:01] what slide, but you were talking

[21:04] about a lack of developer

[21:06] response and that was inactive. Can

[21:07] you give some

[21:10] context to that? What will be the

[21:11] reason

[21:12] for the lack of response and why that

[21:13] would occur?

[21:16] >> may be that

[21:18] it's not, there may not be enough

[21:22] economic value to the developer. It

[21:23] may

[21:25] be that a variety

[21:28] of things, they are

[21:29] not responding so we really can't

[21:31] complete an audit. And we do

[21:34] keep those. It's not as if we walk

[21:37] away from them and they

[21:40] become inactive. They

[21:42] are kept and subject to be reopened

[21:43] for up to

[21:46] 20 years. Plenty of time for

[21:49] developer to respond

[21:52] and reopen an audit if

[21:55] they wish.

[21:58] >>

[21:59] commissioner foster.

[22:00] >> do we reach

[22:01] out to them periodically?

[22:02] >> yes

[22:04] we do. Requesting

[22:07] additional information.

[22:10] and typically we get

[22:12] no response.

[22:13] >> so we are following

[22:14] up.

[22:16] >> yes. >> I think it

[22:19] might be or inspector general, it

[22:22] might be helpful for me and

[22:26] fellow commissioners, I'm sure they

[22:28] have been on there for a couple years.

[22:29] if maybe

[22:34] we add

[22:37] the length of

[22:38] an activity. One year, two years,

[22:40] five years. What

[22:42] have you.

[22:43] >> that's a good suggestion.

[22:44] thank

[22:49] you.

[22:50] >> I always go back

[22:52] to this to make sure I am

[22:55] understanding them. The management

[22:58] action plan. I

[23:01] am just trying to make sure I

[23:07] understand it. Action plans by department

[23:10] and rating. How do those fit into

[23:11] the

[23:13] larger pie

[23:16] chart?

[23:17] >> the two on

[23:21] the right. Action plans by department

[23:22] and

[23:25] rating.

[23:26] >> good

[23:27] morning everyone. For the record,

[23:28] dana wyatt. Deputy assistant

[23:31] inspector general for

[23:33] audit. They are two separate items.

[23:34] the chart on

[23:37] the right

[23:39] on open items in the chart on the

[23:40] left are the closed and implemented

[23:43] pending audit items. So

[23:46] the chart on

[23:49] the left we have verified

[23:52] those items.

[23:58] and validating that

[24:00] implementation. The other for the

[24:01] customer service

[24:04] one and resources are still pending.

[24:07] the chart on the right,

[24:11] management has not implemented

[24:12] or indicated that they have implemented

[24:14] those

[24:17] items as of january 31st. So it

[24:20] remains open until

[24:23] they do.

[24:26] no

[24:29] correlation.

[24:30] >> I did

[24:31] miss the last meeting but two meetings

[24:32] ago when we

[24:35] reported you had a different

[24:38] chart. So.

[24:44] >> to

[24:46] open items.

[24:47] >> all right mr. Wyatt.

[24:50] >> bear with me. >>

[24:53] visuals are good. I just

[24:54] want to make sure I am understanding

[24:56] what they represent.

[24:57] >> I try my best.

[24:58] hopefully next month we will have,

[25:00] we are wrapping up a few items so

[25:02] there should be a

[25:05] lot more open

[25:07] action items.

[25:08] >> not a problem. I

[25:09] appreciate

[25:10] the information.

[25:11] >> thank you commissioner

[25:14] speed-bost. Any additional questions?

[25:17] thank you.

[25:18] >>

[25:23] thank you.

[25:26] now we will have the

[25:29] corporate secretary

[25:31] monthly report.

[25:32] >> I don't have anything

[25:33] to

[25:34] add to my written report unless there

[25:35] are

[25:38] any questions.

[25:39] >> any

[25:40] questions for the corporate secretary

[25:41] monthly report that

[25:44] was submitted in the

[25:46] advanced materials? Hearing done,

[25:47] we will move to the

[25:50] next item on the agenda. The

[25:51] ethics report. Are there any commissioner

[25:53] questions for the

[25:55] ethics officer on the monthly report

[25:56] submitted also in the advance

[26:01] written materials? Hearing done, we

[26:02] will move to

[26:04] the next item on the agenda. I now

[26:05] recognize general

[26:07] manager and ceo keisha powell to present

[26:08] her

[26:12] monthly report.

[26:13] >> thank you mr. Chair

[26:14] and good

[26:16] morning commissioners, madame corporate

[26:17] secretary, mr. Inspector

[26:20] general, to our customers

[26:23] and team h2o. I'm excited to

[26:26] give this report today, it's

[26:27] a little bit different, a little bit

[26:29] storytelling about this

[26:32] winter event that we just

[26:38] contended with. But this is february

[26:39] and

[26:40] it is black history month and this

[26:41] is a

[26:43] time to reflect on, learn from and

[26:44] engage with a

[26:47] history, contributions and lived experiences

[26:50] of black

[26:53] people including those like

[26:55] jesse jackson. And I want to remember

[26:56] the contributions that he

[26:58] made to this country, so many before

[26:59] him, so

[27:00] many after him and so many on team

[27:02] h2 o that are

[27:06] making history. As an organization

[27:08] grounded in our values

[27:11] to

[27:12] be just, caring, community focused,

[27:14] excellent and trustworthy, we

[27:16] know that different backgrounds and

[27:17] lived experiences

[27:22] make a stronger, more innovative and

[27:23] better able

[27:24] to care for our customers and communities.

[27:26] in recognition of

[27:28] this month we held a virtual lunch

[27:29] and learn on february

[27:35] 4th with the emmy award-winning host

[27:37] of national geographic extraordinary

[27:38] bird

[27:40] and the new york times best-selling

[27:41] author of

[27:43] better living through birding. I'm

[27:44] told

[27:47] it was a inspirational and

[27:49] educational event. Hosted by a gyro

[27:50] argument

[27:53] resource officers jasmine cooper.

[27:54] thank

[27:56] you

[27:59] to jasmine

[28:02] for

[28:03] always thinking outside the box for

[28:05] content to give us inspiration

[28:11] and education. We all know

[28:12] this is been a season of competitions

[28:14] so I'd like to turn your attention

[28:15] to

[28:16] the pictures on this slide as I tell

[28:17] you the story of team h2 osha

[28:19] pickup like champions during the recent

[28:20] stretch of

[28:23] winter weather. This was

[28:26] an all hands on deck effort

[28:29] across

[28:31] every department all unified in service

[28:32] to our customers. This wasn't your

[28:35] typical winter storm. As many will

[28:37] attest to. I like to think of it as

[28:38] our

[28:41] super bowl

[28:44] and nba all-star game

[28:47] and our winter olympics all in

[28:51] one. High-stakes, nonstop action and a

[28:52] team of professionals performing under

[28:53] pressure when it

[28:58] mattered most. Just like elite athletes

[28:59] preparing for the biggest stage our

[29:02] teams trained, planned, prepared and

[29:03] executed with precision

[29:05] to keep essential services running.

[29:08] from front-line breathing several

[29:09] inches

[29:11] of snow and dangerously

[29:14] cold temperatures to support staff

[29:17] working around the clock behind

[29:19] the scenes, every part of our organization

[29:20] moved as one team.

[29:23] these photos and the pictures on

[29:25] the following slides capture more

[29:26] than hard work.

[29:29] they capture collaboration,

[29:32] resilience and unwavering commission

[29:35] that defines

[29:38] team h2o. Well this prolonged

[29:41] weather event tested our systems it

[29:42] also showcased

[29:43] our strength. Our greatest strength,

[29:45] which is our

[29:46] people. And extreme conditions when

[29:48] our customers needed

[29:51] us most. Team h2o delivered

[29:53] literally delivered. Safely, professionally

[29:54] and

[29:57] with pride. This is

[29:59] a powerful reminder that behind every

[30:00] drop

[30:03] of water is a dedicated

[30:05] team willing to go above and beyond

[30:06] no matter what

[30:09] the condition

[30:12] spring. So you

[30:15] will see knowing that a major winter

[30:17] storm was approaching teams across

[30:18] the

[30:19] organization took early proactive

[30:21] steps to

[30:24] get ready, focusing on

[30:25] system preparedness before the first

[30:27] flakes fell. Our

[30:29] meter readers were in a great position.

[30:30] they were as close

[30:33] to on time as

[30:36] possible going into the storm. Our

[30:37] utility technician went into overdrive

[30:39] long before the

[30:41] snow hit, worked around the clock ahead of

[30:42] the

[30:45] storm to repair as

[30:47] many known water main breaks and leaks

[30:50] as possible. A heavy lift during an

[30:51] already demanding time of

[30:54] year. In the week leading up to

[30:57] the storm cruise

[31:00] repaired 84 breaks and

[31:01] leaks, given the work I had already

[31:03] accomplished

[31:04] this winter. November through february

[31:06] is our busiest time of year four breaks

[31:09] and leaks. They had already responded

[31:10] to

[31:11] approximately 900 before the storm

[31:12] started

[31:15] late saturday, january

[31:18] 24th. Trucks

[31:19] to clear and treat our critical sites

[31:21] were also at the ready. So operations

[31:23] could continue without delay. We activated

[31:24] our image

[31:27] the

[31:30] operation center and a few

[31:33] hours before conditions started

[31:36] to deteriorate. From a fourth floor

[31:37] conference

[31:39] room in the support

[31:40] center directors and managers from

[31:41] across the organization were in gauged

[31:45] and connected in regular

[31:47] briefings, conditions and organizing

[31:48] responses

[31:51] in real-time including coordination

[31:54] with other utilities and the county

[31:57] and state emergency management teams.

[31:58] an

[31:59] incident command structure to court

[32:00] date all aspects of

[32:03] our response. Our team at

[32:05] the warehouse was also ready ahead

[32:06] of

[32:07] the storm. Critical cold-weather gear

[32:09] was

[32:11] stocked and ensure team h2o was as

[32:12] warm and safe as possible

[32:15] on the job. From

[32:18] snow cleats, vests

[32:23] and gloves to body warmers we were

[32:24] focused on employee safety

[32:26] from the start. And I want to thank

[32:27] the general service team for

[32:30] adding critical ppe to

[32:33] our

[32:35] uniform site for employees to get

[32:36] those

[32:39] warming best

[32:42] vest. Well in advance. Just

[32:44] thinking ahead. This is where the

[32:45] story

[32:51] gets good. When a

[32:53] critical shipment didn't arrive as

[32:57] planned corey material section manager

[32:59] stepped up, literally going the extra

[33:00] mile for

[33:03] the team. Corey hopped into

[33:06] his vehicle just hours before

[33:08] the storm, nobody told him to, and

[33:09] traveled 320

[33:12] miles round-trip to

[33:13] the granger distribution center in

[33:15] new jersey to

[33:18] secure

[33:21] nearly 300

[33:24] ,

[33:27] my nose is running. Secure

[33:30] nearly 300 of these much-needed

[33:33] snow cleats. So you all better

[33:36] wear them. Even when it's

[33:39] not snowing. If not safe. And he didn't

[33:41] stop there. Corey delivered cleats

[33:42] right

[33:45] to the gaithersburg depots on his

[33:48] way home after dropping off the shipment

[33:49] when he

[33:51] got

[33:54] back to anacostia. Is corey

[33:57] here?

[34:00] please stand.

[34:06] and corey is

[34:09] typically quiet. But he spoke loudly

[34:12] that day. And in fact when we were

[34:13] in

[34:15] the eoc director pulled

[34:21] up the gps and

[34:24] tracked him coming

[34:27] back from jersey. He's back in

[34:30] maryland now. We tried to make sure

[34:31] he

[34:33] got back before it got. Oh

[34:36] my gosh. Now,

[34:38] getting the right gear to the right

[34:39] people is critical and so is having

[34:42] a fleet that is ready from the start.

[34:43] hats off

[34:45] to our nationally recognized fleet

[34:48] services team. They made sure our

[34:49] equipment was

[34:51] gassed up

[34:53] and ready to go. I will have more

[34:54] on their preventative

[34:57] efforts later in my presentation but

[34:58] suffice it to

[34:59] say garage staff was ready to handle

[35:03] the repairs.

[35:05] they were digging out vehicles after

[35:06] they were stuck in the

[35:08] snow to get them into the shop. They

[35:09] slept at

[35:11] the garage so we were staffed around

[35:12] the

[35:15] clock and helped with plowing at

[35:18] the depots. Truly a

[35:20] team effort. Anyone from general services

[35:21] here

[35:27] please stand.

[35:33] thank you. Snow

[35:37] was no problem.

[35:39] literally snow problem at all. Because

[35:41] general services was on it as the

[35:43] flakes turned

[35:46] into snow, works

[35:47] to ensure our facilities were plowed

[35:48] and maintained to keep employees moving

[35:51] out safely. And of course we are always

[35:55] here

[35:56] to help customer advocates who are

[35:57] always willing to meet our customers

[35:58] when

[36:00] they need it most. Literally got into

[36:05] the neighborhoods when snow packed

[36:07] streets made driving impossible,

[36:09] they walked. That is customer advocate

[36:13] walter guzman on the

[36:14] bottom left, the hill on the street

[36:16] was

[36:17] so snowpacked the van couldn't make

[36:19] it up so walter and david

[36:21] wilkins walked the street, walked

[36:22] to

[36:25] the hill to assist

[36:31] our customers.

[36:32] being there for the communities we

[36:33] serve no matter what the conditions

[36:34] are. And I'm

[36:36] not sure if our customer advocates

[36:42] are here. They are probably walking

[36:43] water to

[36:46] customers

[36:49] right now. While our advocates and

[36:50] other

[36:51] team members were out in the elements,

[36:52] plenty of other team numbers of

[36:55] team h2o were behind-the-scenes

[37:00] working diligently. Always on the

[37:01] frontline of

[37:03] our communications 24 seven from january

[37:04] 25th to

[37:06] february 8th. The staff answered nearly

[37:10] 10,000 calls always

[37:12] remaining responsive and customer

[37:13] focused.

[37:16] next door is our control

[37:17] center and our mission-critical operations.

[37:19] they never

[37:22] wavered. 24/7. While

[37:23] many people were sleeping, that team

[37:28] was vigilant

[37:29] watching every tank, monitoring water

[37:30] production, pressure zones and keeping

[37:31] our entire

[37:34] water system operational.

[37:37] and

[37:38] connected. With the potomac river

[37:40] as the

[37:41] source water for the vast majority

[37:43] of our customers all

[37:45] eyes were on the intake at our potomac

[37:51] water plant. To say we were constantly

[37:52] monitoring water production and

[37:55] demand is an understatement.

[37:56] the temperature continued to drop

[37:57] and we were entering into the next

[37:58] phase of

[38:01] the storm. Extreme cold. We

[38:04] know that an

[38:05] increase in water main breaks and

[38:06] beaks and we continue to share that

[38:07] with customers

[38:09] and stakeholders. For that reason

[38:10] the

[38:15] predicted increase we issued an essential water

[38:16] use only request for

[38:19] all customers on

[38:22] tuesday at

[38:25] 11:15 a.m. Water

[38:26] demand was increasing at that affect

[38:27] our ability to keep storage tanks

[38:28] full and maintain

[38:30] required system pressure for customers

[38:31] and

[38:34] fire protection. Our customers

[38:36] responded with excellent conservation

[38:37] efforts helping to maintain

[38:40] system

[38:42] pressure and avoid a boil water advisory.

[38:43] so I

[38:46] wanted to recognize the production

[38:47] team including

[38:49] system control. Are any of

[38:55] you here? They are in

[39:01] the center so from snow

[39:04] to ice, take a look at

[39:07] these

[39:08] side-by-side photos. This is a look

[39:10] at the potomac

[39:13] intake plant. In the photo

[39:15] on the left you can see with intake

[39:16] like

[39:19] last winter. Frozen

[39:21] solid ice. Obviously posing a challenge

[39:22] for our team. Now

[39:25] fast-forward this

[39:27] winter and the intake is where we

[39:28] pull water in from

[39:31] the river. We have to pull into the

[39:34] plant before we can

[39:36] treat it. This winter was a totally

[39:40] different story. If you look at the

[39:41] picture on

[39:42] the right it's not frozen, it's bubbling.

[39:43] and thanks

[39:46] to james. When we talk about innovation

[39:47] and

[39:49] invention we are often talking

[39:51] about james. Two patents under his

[39:52] belt, a third pending and more

[39:55] projects in

[39:57] his pipeline james took one look at

[39:58] that ice last winter

[40:01] and went to work designing a bubbler

[40:02] system

[40:04] specifically for the potomac intake.

[40:05] sits

[40:06] at the bottom of the intake and keeps

[40:07] water moving to prevent ice from forming

[40:10] below the surface and at the surface.

[40:11] no ice

[40:13] at the surface is key because that

[40:16] allows

[40:19] our to stay in place clearing debris

[40:20] like sticks

[40:22] and logs. Previously explored

[40:27] a design solution to address ice at

[40:28] the intake with a price tag

[40:31] in the neighborhood of $1

[40:34] million. James

[40:37] system cost saving

[40:40] about $15,000. Thank

[40:43] you james. And what's

[40:46] even better is james worked directly

[40:47] with

[40:48] plant staff to tailor the system to

[40:49] their

[40:50] operational needs. Their input throughout

[40:52] the process

[40:55] was invaluable. This smart

[40:58] water solution was all internal, all

[40:59] team

[41:02] h2o from design

[41:05] to build

[41:06] to implementation. Huge props to our

[41:08] facility services team who

[41:11] helped

[41:14] bring james's innovative ideal

[41:15] to life. We have the facility services

[41:17] team. Are

[41:20] they

[41:22] here? Anyone? They keep us fueled

[41:23] through the cold so

[41:25] they are out working too. Most of

[41:26] the folks are

[41:28] working but please join me in recognizing

[41:32] james. Is he

[41:38] here? Yes. I

[41:41] can't see what you have next but he

[41:44] has invented

[41:46] the fire hydrant tool, the valve monitoring

[41:47] device and the

[41:50] patent pending

[41:52] magic toilet. And now the creative

[41:53] force behind the

[41:56] bubbler system. So thanks again

[41:59] to james. As I mentioned in the

[42:02] beginning, utility services was

[42:04] on it. In the week leading up a storm

[42:08] they repaired 84

[42:09] water main breaks and leaks. Once

[42:11] the snow and ice

[42:12] stopped and it was safe to head out

[42:14] he worked tirelessly day

[42:17] and night restoring service for

[42:19] our customers. Temperatures stayed

[42:20] below normal

[42:23] for about 10 days

[42:27] straight. Breaks were fast, about

[42:29] 30 to 40 new brakes and leaks

[42:30] were being reported daily. And while

[42:32] customers did their part

[42:33] by following the essential water use

[42:35] only request

[42:36] utility services crews matched that

[42:38] effort, working quickly

[42:40] and relentlessly to repair brakes.

[42:41] a combination that

[42:44] was critical to preserving system

[42:47] pressure and continuing to meet the

[42:48] demand. The numbers truly tell the

[42:52] tale from sunday, january 25th through

[42:53] yesterday they have

[42:56] responded to 471

[42:59] breaks and leaks. That is a

[43:02] 23 day

[43:05] and responding to 471 breaks

[43:08] and leaks. Many of those in extreme

[43:10] cold temperatures. And one of the

[43:11] team

[43:13] members told me that it was so cold

[43:14] when their

[43:17] overalls got wet they

[43:18] would literally stand up by themselves

[43:20] because

[43:23] they would immediately ice. I

[43:26] cannot imagine. It has been a

[43:27] herculean task without a doubt and

[43:29] a

[43:32] true effort. In addition to our

[43:35] crews

[43:36] our contract managers and utility

[43:38] services also worked around

[43:39] the clock ensuring that our emergency

[43:41] contractors move from rake

[43:44] to break. We also

[43:45] had tremendous support from engineering

[43:47] and construction,

[43:48] we leveraged their partners to provide

[43:50] additional crews and accelerate

[43:56] report repairs when help

[43:57] was needed. All of this was performed

[43:59] in challenging and often

[44:02] treacherous conditions. I also have

[44:03] to

[44:04] shout out our safety specialist through

[44:05] this

[44:07] entire emergency ensuring that safety

[44:08] is always

[44:14] mission critical. And last but certainly

[44:15] not least,

[44:16] I want to thank our 1.9 million customers

[44:17] who weathered this

[44:19] bitter storm with us. Thank you for

[44:20] heeding the essential water

[44:23] use

[44:26] only request, thank my mom for being

[44:29] very aware we were in

[44:32] essential water use

[44:34] only. And I'm glad I remembered to

[44:35] remind her when it

[44:37] was lifted. So thank you to all of

[44:44] our customers.

[44:47] in our emergency water main break

[44:49] response. As you can see from this

[44:50] slide, it truly takes

[44:53] a village. Behind

[44:54] this list of departments are several

[44:56] hundred dedicated team h2o members

[44:57] working together to serve our value

[44:59] customers.

[45:02] and because we

[45:07] didn't have them in places in the

[45:08] story I do want to

[45:11] recognize utility services, communication,

[45:12] strategic partnerships and community

[45:14] impact, our

[45:17] governmental relations

[45:18] office, customer service department,

[45:20] engineering and construction, operational

[45:21] reliability

[45:23] and resilience, production and

[45:26] human resources, office of

[45:29] occupational safety and health,

[45:32] general services, finance, information

[45:33] technology, police

[45:35] and homeland security, procurement

[45:38] and general manager's office as

[45:40] well. Thank you to all of you that

[45:41] helped in

[45:44] this response. I want

[45:46] to thank every single employee that

[45:47] stepped up and met the challenges

[45:48] head-on

[45:50] and continued delivering critical

[45:51] services

[45:53] to our customers despite the extreme

[45:58] winter weather. And without further ado

[45:59] I want

[46:01] to recognize all the members of team

[46:02] h2o that are here,

[46:05] many of our team members came in,

[46:08] they took a break from the cold even

[46:09] though it's

[46:10] a little warmer today, we were able

[46:11] to

[46:16] get you inside so if you could just

[46:17] step forward, raise your hand and

[46:20] be recognized. These are

[46:24] real heroes. Go on

[46:30] and stand. All of our team

[46:33] members.

[46:34] >>

[46:35] let's have them come down and take

[46:36] a picture.

[46:37] >> could you all

[46:39] come forward and take a picture?

[46:42] team h2o. Don't

[46:48] be shy.

[47:15] one

[47:16] one department that I missed was general

[47:17] manager office of performance and

[47:18] accountability as well.

[47:24] thank you.

[47:36] we've got

[47:39] some folks

[47:42] from production.

[49:23] right about now is when the auditorium

[49:24] really

[49:30] clears out.

[49:33] I will just

[49:36] wait

[49:39] for them. Really

[49:42] a

[49:45] great team. That is just

[49:48] a representation of our over

[49:51] 1800 employees. This

[49:54] is amazing. So appreciative

[49:59] of them. But we are not out of the

[50:06] woods yet.

[50:09] according to punxsutawney

[50:11] phil we have several more weeks of

[50:12] winter weather so

[50:15] I will want to

[50:16] again thank our customers and let

[50:18] them know we remain ready, we

[50:20] are still in the busiest four months

[50:21] of

[50:24] repair season and I

[50:25] want to thank our customers for their

[50:27] ongoing patience and grace with our

[50:28] crews

[50:30] as they continue work on

[50:32] the clock. And the many folks that

[50:33] reached

[50:36] out

[50:39] and expressed

[50:41] their appreciation for the team. We

[50:42] had mayors

[50:45] reach out, members

[50:48] of counties, the county

[50:50] executive offices, state legislators

[50:51] as we

[50:53] have been talking with them the past

[50:57] couple weeks. Everyone has commented

[50:58] how well

[51:00] the team has performed and so again,

[51:03] they certainly deserve

[51:06] kudos. We

[51:09] know that our customers are appreciating

[51:10] us.

[51:12] the social

[51:15] media post I think everybody in our

[51:16] service area knows our customer advocate

[51:18] by name. Certainly

[51:21] brandon stewart delivering water in

[51:24] the frigid temperatures. Carrying

[51:27] a case of water on

[51:30] his shoulders.

[51:35] james painter who was hard at work

[51:38] pinpointing where and his dedication

[51:39] didn't

[51:41] go unnoticed. He too received lots of

[51:42] love

[51:45] and thanks. The little free library

[51:48] of

[51:51] twin brook said your work is

[51:52] twin brook said your work is so hard

[51:54] but we are most appreciative of you

[51:55] are

[51:57] helping everyone out. The same

[52:00] for

[52:01] utility technician. Lots of positive

[52:03] feedback from our customers. The comments

[52:04] that

[52:06] you

[52:09] see, too

[52:12] many to name but I just want to thank

[52:13] folks

[52:14] who took the time to go on social

[52:15] media and make

[52:21] those comments. From one mayor

[52:24] I received, I was copied on an email

[52:25] and he

[52:26] said you all received so much press

[52:27] or response when things

[52:30] go wrong and I just want to make sure

[52:32] that you are being recognized when

[52:33] things go

[52:36] well. So thanks for

[52:41] that and supporting one another and

[52:43] I want to thank the human

[52:45] resources team for making sure that

[52:46] those

[52:49] working in the frigid

[52:51] temperatures had along with their

[52:55] leadership had hot soup and

[52:58] hot drinks to eat as

[53:01] well. So that concludes the long

[53:04] extended winter story.

[53:06] I'm going to move on to other things

[53:07] here.

[53:09] try to get through the rest of this

[53:10] quickly. I do want

[53:13] to give a

[53:15] leadership update. I'm pleased to

[53:16] announce two important updates

[53:17] announce two important updates to

[53:19] our senior leadership team.

[53:21] nina hixson who has been pulling double

[53:22] duty as general counsel

[53:24] and chief of staff will continue serving

[53:25] as

[53:26] our general counsel. Nina is focused

[53:28] on enhancing the

[53:30] general counsel office and supporting

[53:34] internal policy and compliance

[53:36] improvement initiatives. Nina joined

[53:37] wssc

[53:39] water in 2024 and has an extensive

[53:40] background

[53:42] in law and public service. Having

[53:43] served as the

[53:45] city attorney and ethics officer for

[53:46] the

[53:49] city of atlanta vice president and

[53:52] general counsel and interim city manager

[53:55] of eastpointe, georgia. Very

[53:57] thankful for the time she has spent

[54:01] supporting me and our team as

[54:04] chief of staff and her willingness

[54:05] to serve in both capacities since

[54:07] last

[54:10] year. Nina was also

[54:13] just appointed

[54:16] to the

[54:19] international board,

[54:21] international municipal lawyers association

[54:22] board

[54:25] of directors. So that

[54:28] is huge. A huge

[54:31] a compliment. Thank you.

[54:34] and justin

[54:35] devantier who joined us last summer

[54:37] as deputy chief of staff is joining

[54:39] us full-time now as wssc water chief

[54:40] of

[54:43] staff. Justin has and

[54:44] will continue to support enterprise

[54:48] strategic initiatives, execution coordination

[54:49] and cross

[54:50] functional efforts critical to wssc

[54:52] water

[54:54] mission among other duties of the

[54:55] chief

[54:57] of staff including providing oversight

[54:58] of our general

[55:01] manager office of performance

[55:02] and accountability. And the human

[55:04] resources department. Prior to

[55:07] joining us, justin

[55:08] held senior leadership roles across

[55:10] the public and private sectors including

[55:13] at nasa's space

[55:14] flight center and within the u.s.

[55:16] department

[55:17] of defense. Nina and justin have been

[55:19] vital to our works in a joint and

[55:21] I'm excited to continue working alongside

[55:22] of

[55:25] them in their

[55:31] roles. Yes.

[55:34] now I'd like to turn it over to chief

[55:37] human resources officer

[55:40] valerie to provide an update of

[55:41] workforce development plans and an

[55:43] overview of a new

[55:46] program called turn

[55:49] the tide, turning citizens workforce

[55:52] initiatives. Valerie?

[55:55] >>

[55:57] good morning. Chief human resources

[55:58] officer here at wssc.

[56:00] and I want to talk about our workforce

[56:04] initiative plan. Workforce development

[56:05] plan.

[56:07] internally, we have a huge

[56:10] workforce development

[56:11] initiative. One which is really important

[56:13] is

[56:16] programs to launch to

[56:19] address leadership, technical

[56:22] skill gaps and external training

[56:25] partners identified

[56:28] and engaged. Career pathways and

[56:31] succession planning. Our

[56:33] external workforce includes turning

[56:34] the tide returning

[56:37] citizens workforce initiative,

[56:40] the expansion of

[56:43] mission-critical training and

[56:46] enhance career outreach with

[56:48] prince george's county and montgomery

[56:49] county

[56:52] school systems. I

[56:53] want to give you more information

[56:55] about the turning the tide returning

[56:56] citizens

[56:58] workforce initiative. Across

[57:01] the nation public utilities and

[57:02] government agencies are recognizing

[57:04] the critical role they can

[57:07] play in supporting individuals returning

[57:10] from incarceration. Stable employment

[57:11] is

[57:13] one of the strongest predictors of

[57:16] successful re-entry,

[57:19] reduced recidivism and long-term community

[57:20] well-being.

[57:22] as a regional leader and

[57:27] anchor institution wssc water is committed

[57:28] to leveraging its workforce capacity

[57:29] ,

[57:31] training infrastructure and community

[57:32] partnerships to

[57:34] expand opportunities for

[57:36] returning citizens. In our hr mission

[57:37] to ethically cultivate

[57:41] a high performing paper

[57:44] sent to--

[57:45] people centered organization we focus

[57:47] on

[57:50] developing initiatives and growth

[57:51] partnerships. Turning the tide returning

[57:53] citizens workforce initiative is designed

[57:56] to provide meaningful

[57:59] employment

[58:02] pathways must and

[58:04] long-term community opportunities

[58:05] for individual seeking a

[58:08] second chance. This

[58:09] represents a forward thinking approach

[58:11] to workforce development.

[58:13] this initiative is more than a pilot.

[58:14] it is a

[58:18] commitment to equity, opportunity

[58:19] and the belief that everyone deserves

[58:20] a second

[58:23] chance to contribute, grow

[58:26] and thrive. At wssc water we

[58:28] have four primary goals as it relates

[58:29] to

[58:31] this program. To provide structure

[58:35] employment pathways, foster

[58:36] partnerships, address systemic barriers

[58:38] to employment

[58:41] and promote economic stability

[58:44] and growth. The way

[58:47] that that pilot is structured as

[58:52] we have pledged to hire a minimum

[58:53] of

[58:54] five returning citizens and coordinating

[58:56] currently with prince

[58:57] george's county returning citizens

[58:59] affairs division. We are going

[59:02] to have a kickoff starting

[59:04] february 23rd which is really an information

[59:08] session to share with

[59:10] those individuals who have gone through

[59:11] a six week training

[59:14] information about wssc as well

[59:17] as the opportunities that we have

[59:18] here

[59:20] to gain their interest

[59:21] and employment and find careers here

[59:23] at wssc . We

[59:25] are working closely with production

[59:26] and

[59:28] utility services entry-level positions,

[59:29] we will

[59:32] soon be

[59:33] expanding to community services and

[59:35] general services as

[59:38] other options for our

[59:41] returning citizens and also working

[59:44] with montgomery county

[59:47] source to expand the program so

[59:50] that we cover

[59:53] our

[59:54] territory. But with the initiative

[59:56] there will be job

[59:59] training, participants will

[1:00:01] be employees will come on as temporary

[1:00:02] and once they

[1:00:05] are hired they

[1:00:06] have the opportunity to be hired in

[1:00:08] a permanent status so that they can

[1:00:11] then have the resources such as full

[1:00:12] benefits, retirement and everything

[1:00:14] that they need to

[1:00:17] sustain and be back into

[1:00:20] the community. And helping to lead

[1:00:23] to success. We will be

[1:00:25] working with counties to ensure there

[1:00:26] is

[1:00:28] job coaches, resources needed such

[1:00:29] as

[1:00:32] legal resources, transportation,

[1:00:35] there's housing concerns, as they

[1:00:36] get back

[1:00:38] on their feet we have a partner

[1:00:40] to be able to provide those services.

[1:00:41] so that is just one

[1:00:44] of the initiatives that we have that

[1:00:45] we are

[1:00:46] very proud of and we look forward

[1:00:47] to extending here at

[1:00:50] wssc. The first cohort

[1:00:53] we expect to hire

[1:00:56] in april which is

[1:00:58] national second chance month. So we

[1:00:59] will definitely

[1:01:02] make sure you are aware of when that

[1:01:05] first cohort comes in and if

[1:01:08] you're interested in meeting the group

[1:01:09] we

[1:01:11] will extend that invitation. Thank

[1:01:12] you.

[1:01:13] >>

[1:01:14] thank you valerie. Next

[1:01:17] up is limited you have

[1:01:19] any questions?

[1:01:20] >> just to say that

[1:01:21] I would

[1:01:22] be very, I'm sure my fellow commissioners

[1:01:23] would be very interested in

[1:01:26] attending any welcome ceremony that

[1:01:29] you

[1:01:32] have.

[1:01:33] >> I just wanted

[1:01:34] to follow-up. How will you select

[1:01:37] the five?

[1:01:38] >> we are working closely

[1:01:39] with returning citizens

[1:01:40] affairs division with prince george's

[1:01:41] county

[1:01:44] and individuals

[1:01:46] will be they have to meet the qualifications

[1:01:47] of

[1:01:49] the positions, they have to have completed

[1:01:50] career

[1:01:52] development training provided through

[1:01:53] one of their

[1:01:55] partner organizations and then they

[1:01:56] will apply

[1:01:59] for

[1:02:01] a position. We want to give them the

[1:02:02] experience they need in order to

[1:02:05] compete for

[1:02:08] employment but the jobs will be just

[1:02:09] for

[1:02:11] those individuals who have completed

[1:02:12] or successfully

[1:02:14] completed

[1:02:16] those requirements. We are not sure

[1:02:17] how many will

[1:02:20] be interested. The

[1:02:23] information session will give

[1:02:25] us a gauge of how many people might

[1:02:28] be interested in the positions made

[1:02:31] available. But they will be selected

[1:02:32] through an interview process

[1:02:35] just like every other candidate.

[1:02:36] >>

[1:02:38] thank you. Sounds like an excellent

[1:02:39] opportunity.

[1:02:40] >>

[1:02:41] thank

[1:02:44] you.

[1:02:45] >> thank you mr. German. I would

[1:02:46] also be

[1:02:47] interested in

[1:02:50] whatever that initial kickoff participating

[1:02:51] in

[1:02:53] that. And then also I'd like to touch

[1:02:57] base separately about the

[1:03:00] connection with prince george's

[1:03:03] county liaison

[1:03:08] returning citizens.

[1:03:09] >> thinking. >>

[1:03:10] thank

[1:03:12] you

[1:03:13] so much. I'm going to turn to customer

[1:03:15] engagement and

[1:03:18] partnership. We had more

[1:03:20] good news, we received a letter from

[1:03:24] one of our customers, mr.

[1:03:27] goldberg who sent us a nice

[1:03:30] message about the service that

[1:03:33] he received where he had

[1:03:36] an issue. Brandon stewart

[1:03:39] is there, also

[1:03:42] michelle rodriguez who is a contractor

[1:03:45] in our pipeline

[1:03:48] construction division.

[1:03:51] michelle, if you could

[1:03:54] stand and be

[1:03:57] recognized michelle. And she has

[1:04:00] a tremendous

[1:04:01] story. She has been wanting to work

[1:04:03] with wssc water

[1:04:04] and was just so thankful that she

[1:04:09] was recognized in this way

[1:04:10] and so I just wanted to make sure

[1:04:12] that we highlighted her in the work

[1:04:15] that she is doing.

[1:04:16] very committed and dedicated to wssc

[1:04:18] water.

[1:04:21] again,

[1:04:24] our values are extending

[1:04:27] beyond just our direct team

[1:04:30] members but everybody on our team.

[1:04:33] you may

[1:04:34] remember commissioners late last year

[1:04:36] I shared that we would

[1:04:38] be launching an initiative to transform

[1:04:39] our

[1:04:42] service delivery. I

[1:04:43] talked about sustained and transformative

[1:04:45] change and that doesn't happen

[1:04:48] without real elbow grease.

[1:04:51] and so just last week we kicked

[1:04:54] off our what

[1:04:57] we are calling operation

[1:05:00] true north. For sustained and

[1:05:02] transformative change. But this is

[1:05:03] a real initiative.

[1:05:06] we had several individuals

[1:05:09] from across the commission, different

[1:05:10] departments across the commission

[1:05:12] come together to start

[1:05:15] working on the framework for

[1:05:18] true north. The focus is going

[1:05:21] to start with our external

[1:05:24] facing customer

[1:05:26] service groups, not only customer

[1:05:27] service division but we

[1:05:29] are starting with the customer service

[1:05:30] department

[1:05:32] and then we will continue with all

[1:05:36] of

[1:05:38] the groups that have customer facing

[1:05:41] responsibilities. But the goal is

[1:05:45] to understand from the employees what

[1:05:47] would improve the employee experience

[1:05:48] but

[1:05:49] most importantly what will improve

[1:05:51] the customer experience. In a

[1:05:54] sustainable

[1:05:56] way. We want to make sure that we

[1:05:57] are meeting service level targets,

[1:05:58] that

[1:06:00] we are really responsive to the

[1:06:03] feedback we have

[1:06:06] received and we are building on the

[1:06:07] change

[1:06:09] management model.

[1:06:11] first really promoting awareness of

[1:06:12] this

[1:06:14] initiative internally, we will do

[1:06:15] the

[1:06:18] same externally.

[1:06:21] creating a desire within our

[1:06:23] team to make the changes that we need

[1:06:24] to

[1:06:30] make. And building our knowledge

[1:06:32] base internally, closing any gaps

[1:06:33] so that we can provide

[1:06:36] the best service possible, making

[1:06:37] sure that

[1:06:38] our team members have the ability

[1:06:39] and are equipped

[1:06:42] to serve. And reinforcing what we

[1:06:48] are learning. Last week I had an opportunity

[1:06:50] to spend some time and our customer

[1:06:51] service center call center answering

[1:06:57] calls and I was assistant to

[1:07:00] answer those calls. And we were able

[1:07:01] to

[1:07:02] identify some immediate things that

[1:07:03] we can

[1:07:06] do to provide better service to

[1:07:09] our customers. But also make it

[1:07:12] easier for our team members to provide

[1:07:13] the service

[1:07:14] that we are looking for, that our

[1:07:15] customers are

[1:07:18] expecting and

[1:07:20] we are going to spend some time with

[1:07:21] them. Part of

[1:07:23] this initiative is to close so that

[1:07:24] we can have dedicated

[1:07:27] service training and we

[1:07:30] will provide specifics

[1:07:33] around that, we are targeting getting

[1:07:36] this done

[1:07:38] before april. So we will provide some

[1:07:39] specifics around

[1:07:45] the framework , the closure of the

[1:07:46] call

[1:07:47] center and customer service so that

[1:07:48] we can really truly focus. A few years

[1:07:53] ago when starbucks had some challenges,

[1:07:54] they

[1:07:57] closed for a day or two. They

[1:08:00] had some service training with the

[1:08:01] thought that

[1:08:02] when they reopened there would be

[1:08:03] a

[1:08:04] difference visible difference from

[1:08:06] the customer perspective

[1:08:08] in the service they were providing.

[1:08:09] and that's

[1:08:12] what we are attempting

[1:08:15] to do. So I think everyone is

[1:08:20] on board. We went to really understand

[1:08:21] from our team members this is an

[1:08:24] opportunity for them to

[1:08:27] be heard. They

[1:08:29] have the lived experience, they are

[1:08:30] closest to the work and it's

[1:08:33] very difficult when they can't get

[1:08:34] away

[1:08:36] from phones and taking

[1:08:38] payments and such, it's very difficult

[1:08:39] for them

[1:08:41] to provide meaningful feedback and

[1:08:42] really get the information in a

[1:08:45] way that is most helpful to them.

[1:08:46] two

[1:08:47] again improve the customer service.

[1:08:48] we will keep you

[1:08:51] posted on true north.

[1:08:54] I

[1:08:56] have shared and you shared during

[1:08:57] our budget

[1:09:00] hearings that confirmation of our

[1:09:01] aaa rating

[1:09:03] for the 25th year in a row. This is

[1:09:04] part

[1:09:07] of the 379 point

[1:09:10] $4

[1:09:11] million bond sale that is closing

[1:09:15] this week. The offering includes 20.5

[1:09:16] million in green

[1:09:19] months that

[1:09:20] will support environmentally beneficial

[1:09:22] water and

[1:09:25] wastewater

[1:09:28] projects.

[1:09:29] and also noted the rating outlook

[1:09:31] continues to be

[1:09:34] stable. And quoting from s&p

[1:09:37] rating overview wssc water

[1:09:40] credit quality anchored by the

[1:09:41] extremely strong management team that

[1:09:43] has historically demonstrated

[1:09:46] an ability and

[1:09:47] willingness to reduce expenditures

[1:09:48] and increase rates to maintain sufficient

[1:09:52] coverage and liquidity.

[1:09:55] we also received

[1:09:57] similar comments from the other rating

[1:09:59] agencies and this is why we are in

[1:10:01] the

[1:10:02] midst of ramping up an ambitious capital

[1:10:04] improvement program replacing

[1:10:07] aging infrastructure, strengthening

[1:10:10] reliability and resilience. So the

[1:10:13] need to maintain our aaa

[1:10:16] rating and highest

[1:10:18] credit rating that allows us to borrow

[1:10:19] at lower

[1:10:21] interest rate which reduces financing

[1:10:22] cost

[1:10:24] and helps keep rates more affordable

[1:10:25] in the end for

[1:10:28] the communities that we serve.

[1:10:30] so this is a clear validation of our

[1:10:31] financial

[1:10:34] discipline and financial

[1:10:36] strategy that you have put in place

[1:10:37] and

[1:10:40] supported commissioners.

[1:10:42] continuing the good news on the finance

[1:10:43] front, the recently

[1:10:46] passed

[1:10:47] fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill

[1:10:49] includes nearly 2.2 million

[1:10:51] in federal funding to support two

[1:10:52] critical

[1:10:56] infrastructure projects. One in prince

[1:10:57] georges county and one in montgomery

[1:10:58] county. Which will

[1:11:01] help modernize aging systems

[1:11:04] to protect public health and safeguard

[1:11:06] local waterways. In montgomery county

[1:11:07] we

[1:11:08] have approximately 1.1 million which

[1:11:10] will

[1:11:11] support sewer improvement along the

[1:11:13] northwest branch

[1:11:16] of the river and

[1:11:17] silver spring where existing sewer

[1:11:19] mains are more than 75

[1:11:20] years old. Construction is expected

[1:11:22] to begin in september

[1:11:25] of 2026 and be completed in

[1:11:28] october of 2027. Prince georges

[1:11:31] county we

[1:11:33] have approximately 1.1 million which

[1:11:34] is allocated to improve

[1:11:37] deteriorating sewer mains in

[1:11:39] hillcrest heights where some are more

[1:11:40] than 75

[1:11:42] years old. The project includes rehabilitation

[1:11:45] and replacement of just under a mile

[1:11:46] of

[1:11:49] sewer main and upgrade to 19 manholes.

[1:11:52] construction is estimated

[1:11:54] to begin in the fall of 2026 and be

[1:11:55] completed in the

[1:11:58] fall

[1:12:00] of 2027. On behalf of wssc water I

[1:12:01] want to think

[1:12:04] u.s. Senators chris van hollen

[1:12:07] and angela brooks as well as

[1:12:09] representatives glenn ivey and jamie

[1:12:10] raskin

[1:12:12] for securing this federal funding.

[1:12:13] and

[1:12:16] special thanks also go to

[1:12:17] state, county and local leaders for

[1:12:19] their support of this

[1:12:22] congressional directed spending request

[1:12:23] and

[1:12:24] just a point of personal privilege

[1:12:25] I'd like to think

[1:12:27] representative raskin for his call

[1:12:28] to deliver the good

[1:12:31] news personally.

[1:12:34] continuing with updates from

[1:12:36] the hill. The fiscal year 2026 appropriations

[1:12:40] bill passed, the fiscal year 27 appropriations

[1:12:41] process

[1:12:43] has began.

[1:12:45] epa program reauthorization bill is

[1:12:49] on deck and they're looking

[1:12:52] to authorize the

[1:12:55] expiring provisions of the infrastructure

[1:12:56] investment and

[1:12:58] jobs act. We continue to stay close

[1:13:00] to that. And the water resources development

[1:13:04] act is underway. Congress

[1:13:07] will work to pass

[1:13:10] the biannual w rda

[1:13:13] this week this year

[1:13:15] and we did some request for the bill

[1:13:16] to make sure that

[1:13:19] we have funding authorized and

[1:13:22] appropriated

[1:13:25] that measure. Under

[1:13:28] asset management I shared that I would

[1:13:29] touch on general

[1:13:31] services fleet

[1:13:33] division again. They are definitely

[1:13:34] full speed ahead. I

[1:13:37] don't

[1:13:39] know how we lucked up getting such

[1:13:40] a

[1:13:42] great department, the best in the

[1:13:43] country but

[1:13:46] we

[1:13:49] do. And I'm glad we

[1:13:51] have them. In december of 2022 there

[1:13:55] were 326 overdue preventative

[1:13:57] maintenance items. But by december

[1:13:58] 2023 they had

[1:14:01] been decreased to 96.

[1:14:03] in december of 2024 they were down

[1:14:04] to

[1:14:07] 51 and december

[1:14:10] of 2025 they closed the year with

[1:14:13] zero overdue

[1:14:16] preventative maintenance.

[1:14:25] thanks again to the

[1:14:27] fleet management team. Now I will

[1:14:28] turn to

[1:14:31] optimizing operations. Will share

[1:14:32] where

[1:14:34] we are with our

[1:14:37] biosolids marketing.

[1:14:38] >> thank

[1:14:40] you general manager powell and good

[1:14:41] morning

[1:14:43] mr. Chair, commissioners.

[1:14:46] madam corporate secretary

[1:14:49] and madam general manager. Team h2o

[1:14:52] and customers. I am

[1:14:56] deputy general manager for

[1:14:59] operation and before

[1:15:02] I get into

[1:15:05] class a marketing,

[1:15:08] let me begin with a clear

[1:15:11] value statement regarding class

[1:15:14] a biosolids. As we on the

[1:15:17] they are

[1:15:19] nutrient rich organic materials that

[1:15:23] provide significant value

[1:15:26] both as a fertilizer and

[1:15:30] soil. Because they make strict federal

[1:15:32] and state pathogen

[1:15:35] reduction standards

[1:15:38] with pathogen indicators

[1:15:41] below limits

[1:15:42] they can be distributed to the general

[1:15:44] public without

[1:15:48] restrictions. Reducing reliance on

[1:15:49] commercial synthetic fertilizers.

[1:15:53] so this value translates to

[1:15:56] economic value. When

[1:15:59] properly marketed and creating

[1:16:02] opportunities for the commission

[1:16:05] to achieve cost recovery as

[1:16:08] well as

[1:16:10] potential revenue. Wssc water has

[1:16:11] the potential

[1:16:14] to market

[1:16:17] approximately 65,000 tons

[1:16:20] a year. Of class a

[1:16:23] biosolids produced at

[1:16:26] the piscataway facility as

[1:16:29] well as its share of class

[1:16:32] a biosolids planes

[1:16:35] about 60,000 tons

[1:16:38] a year or 42% of

[1:16:41] the 144,000 generated

[1:16:44] annually. However, realizing this

[1:16:47] benefit requires three

[1:16:50] major items. First, obtaining

[1:16:53] the required state certification

[1:16:56] and permits such as the maryland

[1:16:59] department of

[1:17:01] the environment that certifies class

[1:17:08] a quality and safety through

[1:17:11] an approved control and monitoring

[1:17:12] plan.

[1:17:13] and maryland department of agriculture

[1:17:14] product

[1:17:17] registration to market

[1:17:20] the material as a fertilizer and

[1:17:23] soil amendment. We

[1:17:26] have submitted a

[1:17:29] utilization permit

[1:17:30] application to maryland department

[1:17:32] of the environment in

[1:17:35] november 2025. With a revised package

[1:17:38] that was submitted in january of

[1:17:41] this year.

[1:17:44] feedback received. Second,

[1:17:47] it requires

[1:17:50] developing

[1:17:53] products tailored to specific market

[1:17:54] needs.

[1:17:56] such as bulk fertilizers and

[1:17:59] soil amendments

[1:18:02] for agriculture. Landscaping

[1:18:08] et cetera.

[1:18:17] it requires marketing strategy

[1:18:20] with targeted outreach

[1:18:23] to educate potential users. And

[1:18:26] build networks

[1:18:29] and partnership such as farmers

[1:18:32] and landscapers. However, there

[1:18:35] are

[1:18:36] challenges. Primarily the evolving

[1:18:38] regulatory

[1:18:40] landscape including regulations related

[1:18:41] to

[1:18:44] p fas. This can be addressed

[1:18:47] through solutions such as

[1:18:50] source control and treatment

[1:18:53] option to reduce p fas in the

[1:18:56] final

[1:18:59] product. They also require

[1:19:02] active engagement with the

[1:19:05] regulators. And partnership across

[1:19:11] the region.

[1:19:14] this

[1:19:17] will lead to

[1:19:20] this slide on partnership for

[1:19:23] sustainable management. And as you

[1:19:26] all know solving

[1:19:29] emerging biosolids challenges requires

[1:19:30] strategic

[1:19:33] regional partnership that can pull

[1:19:35] resources and expertise from

[1:19:38] the region. So

[1:19:41] the vision and purpose of this partnership

[1:19:44] is to reduce regional silos.

[1:19:47] enhance alignment. Build trust

[1:19:52] and relationships with partners and

[1:19:53] as the

[1:19:56] largest utility in the region, position

[1:19:57] as

[1:19:59] an anchor to such

[1:20:04] a partnership. The scope of the partnership

[1:20:05] is to advocate

[1:20:08] for science-based policies.

[1:20:11] share technical expertise

[1:20:14] and resources, advanced research and

[1:20:15] development, manage

[1:20:17] emerging contaminants such as p fas

[1:20:19] and advance beneficial reuse of this

[1:20:24] valuable product. The who or

[1:20:28] the participants include a coalition

[1:20:29] of water utilities, municipalities,

[1:20:30] regulators and

[1:20:33] research institutes

[1:20:34] such as universities, agriculture

[1:20:35] partners and private entities who

[1:20:39] can have funds that

[1:20:42] can invest in such partnership.

[1:20:45] among others.

[1:20:46] the how to start this partnership

[1:20:48] is through

[1:20:50] a deliberate listen first engagement

[1:20:54] model. That uses

[1:20:57] phased

[1:20:58] to define shared priorities and document

[1:21:00] solutions. This is

[1:21:03] all about coming

[1:21:05] to solutions. There are other entities

[1:21:11] like associations there but this is

[1:21:12] primarily

[1:21:15] solutions to issues

[1:21:18] that opportunities we have in

[1:21:21] the region. Pertaining to biosolids

[1:21:23] management. We have a workshop scheduled

[1:21:24] with

[1:21:27] this objective that will be held at

[1:21:30] wssc water on march 6th.

[1:21:32] to discuss on this partnership as

[1:21:36] well as to focus during

[1:21:39] this workshop on the

[1:21:42] treatment authority that will be

[1:21:45] useful to enhance

[1:21:48] source control.

[1:21:57] an update on

[1:22:00] the potomac

[1:22:01] interceptor. A high level overview

[1:22:03] of the

[1:22:06] potomac interceptor collapse.

[1:22:09] d.c. Water owns, operates and maintains

[1:22:12] the potomac interceptor. 54

[1:22:18] mile sanatorium--

[1:22:20] sanitary system built in the 1960s

[1:22:21] pursuant to an act

[1:22:24] of congress. The

[1:22:26] interceptor ranges in diameter and

[1:22:27] serves

[1:22:29] approximately 376 square miles and

[1:22:33] conveys flows from fairfax and

[1:22:36] loudoun

[1:22:38] county, town of vienna, dulles airport

[1:22:39] in

[1:22:41] virginia and portions of montgomery

[1:22:42] county,

[1:22:45] maryland to d.c. Water for the

[1:22:48] treatment plant. On average it

[1:22:51] carries between 40 to

[1:22:54] 60 million gallons per

[1:22:57] day from a regulatory

[1:23:00] standpoint d.c. Water is primarily

[1:23:01] overseen by

[1:23:02] the u.s. Environment rejection agency.

[1:23:03] which enforces

[1:23:06] federal drinking water and

[1:23:12] wastewater standards.

[1:23:21] a section

[1:23:23] collapsed on monday, january 19th

[1:23:24] 2026

[1:23:27] along

[1:23:29] the parkway and the 495 interchange

[1:23:30] in montgomery

[1:23:33] county. Causing a

[1:23:36] signatory overflow

[1:23:39] in the national canal

[1:23:42] historic park that enters the

[1:23:44] potomac river. The reinforced concrete

[1:23:45] pipe is

[1:23:48] 72 inches in diameter at the location

[1:23:49] of

[1:23:51] the break. To contain

[1:23:54] the overflow, a plan was developed

[1:23:57] by d.c. Water and d.c.

[1:24:02] water mobilized a bypass pumping system

[1:24:03] that

[1:24:06] was activated on january 24th. During

[1:24:07] the first

[1:24:09] five days before

[1:24:12] the bypass activated 194 million gallons

[1:24:15] of overflow and there

[1:24:18] have been approximately 243

[1:24:20] million gallons that overflow since

[1:24:24] the incident. D.c. Water

[1:24:27] bypass system is up and running and

[1:24:28] is being

[1:24:30] monitored 24/7. The capacity

[1:24:36] is now 60 but d.c. Water plans to

[1:24:37] increase

[1:24:39] this to 100 by constructing

[1:24:42] a

[1:24:45] third chamber.

[1:24:48] work is ongoing to construct

[1:24:50] the bulkhead to isolate the section

[1:24:51] of the pipe where the break is

[1:24:53] located. To access the pipe and remove

[1:24:57] large boulders at the bottom of

[1:25:00] the pipe. D.c. Water estimates it

[1:25:01] will take another

[1:25:03] four to six weeks

[1:25:06] to excavate, clear the

[1:25:09] pipe luggage and install additional

[1:25:12] file past chambers. And another

[1:25:15] nine months for permanent

[1:25:18] repairs using construction method.

[1:25:21] according to

[1:25:24] d.c. Water they are developing a

[1:25:27] restoration

[1:25:29] plan in conjunction with federal state

[1:25:30] and local regulators

[1:25:33] and also conducting daily water quality

[1:25:34] sampling. They

[1:25:36] also have a dedicated

[1:25:39] webpage established for information

[1:25:40] on the potomac

[1:25:42] interceptor collapse.

[1:25:45] in terms

[1:25:47] of messaging to customers we will

[1:25:48] continue to clearly

[1:25:51] and consistently maintain

[1:25:54] the potomac water filtration plant

[1:25:55] intake

[1:25:58] is located upstream of the sewer

[1:26:00] break and water quality has not been

[1:26:05] impacted. And that drinking water

[1:26:10] remains safe. We have

[1:26:13] a clip that shows the location

[1:26:16] of the potomac water filtration

[1:26:19] plant upstream of the

[1:26:25] break location

[1:26:31] that's

[1:26:34] the potomac water filtration plant.

[1:26:36] and in relation to the break location.

[1:26:37] which

[1:26:43] is downstream. We

[1:26:46] are

[1:26:49] also posting paid messaging

[1:26:52] to targeted montgomery county

[1:26:55] with flows

[1:26:57] to the potomac interceptor to enhance

[1:26:58] outreach

[1:27:01] related to encouraging residents

[1:27:04] to avoid

[1:27:07] flushing wipes and may

[1:27:10] impact the stations they have installed.

[1:27:12] on friday february 13th there was

[1:27:16] a briefing on this issue

[1:27:19] before the maryland general

[1:27:22] assembly and where d.c.

[1:27:25] water

[1:27:26] presented updates that can be provided

[1:27:31] to you for

[1:27:33] your review. With that I completed

[1:27:37] my presentation.

[1:27:38] >>

[1:27:40] thank you. I will end on

[1:27:43] this slide. This

[1:27:46] is a snapshot of the business of the

[1:27:47] day.

[1:27:49] we have four new awards. One

[1:27:51] change order and a two option terms

[1:27:52] totaling more than 35

[1:27:55] million. We also

[1:27:56] have six information only presentations

[1:27:58] from the team which we

[1:28:01] will get through in

[1:28:03] their time based on other things that

[1:28:04] are happening. And

[1:28:07] my last point, I wanted

[1:28:10] to just

[1:28:13] make sure I recognize all of

[1:28:15] the team. This is what happens when

[1:28:16] you start

[1:28:18] naming names. General counsel office

[1:28:19] and

[1:28:23] supplier and the office of supplier

[1:28:25] and diversity. And again,

[1:28:27] the general manager office of performance

[1:28:28] and

[1:28:30] accountability were also part of our

[1:28:34] response and very, very

[1:28:37] important part of

[1:28:39] team h2o. So I want to make sure they

[1:28:40] are recognized as

[1:28:41] well. And happy birthday to all the

[1:28:43] february

[1:28:46] birthday

[1:28:49] hammers including.

[1:28:52] and commissioner

[1:28:54] speed-bost. And vice chair powell.

[1:28:58] happy birthday

[1:29:04] to you

[1:29:07] .

[1:29:08] >> I had a question for

[1:29:10] the commissioner. The

[1:29:13] potomac interceptor. Joint

[1:29:15] use facility and just wondering if

[1:29:19] you know if that

[1:29:22] is attributed to wssc for our portion

[1:29:23] of

[1:29:25] the flows.

[1:29:26] >> that's

[1:29:28] a great question. Depending on

[1:29:31] the location through

[1:29:34] the jurisdictions depending on location

[1:29:35] of

[1:29:37] the pi. At this location I think

[1:29:40] our share of cost

[1:29:43] is

[1:29:46] approximately 30%.

[1:29:47] >> I also

[1:29:49] understand that repairs have

[1:29:50] been planned and underway for quite

[1:29:52] a while. Do you think these are going

[1:29:53] to

[1:29:54] lead to significant increase cost

[1:29:55] to

[1:29:58] wssc beyond

[1:30:01] already planned? Maybe

[1:30:03] that is for later in the discussion.

[1:30:04] >> that's to

[1:30:07] be determined. It depends on their

[1:30:08] assessment as well

[1:30:10] as the plan. Currently they do have

[1:30:16] a plan

[1:30:19] that was done prior to this incident.

[1:30:20] they

[1:30:22] had

[1:30:24] a plan that would cost higher than

[1:30:25] 600

[1:30:27] million but depending on the findings

[1:30:28] and what needs to be

[1:30:31] done moving forward. So we will give

[1:30:34] you updates as we learn more

[1:30:37] about that.

[1:30:38] >>

[1:30:40] thank you.

[1:30:41] >> any

[1:30:43] additional questions? Thank you gm.

[1:30:44] >>

[1:30:49] thank you.

[1:30:58] heard the

[1:31:01] recusal statement at this time we

[1:31:04] want to

[1:31:07] allow commissioner

[1:31:09] espy-williams the opportunity to exit

[1:31:10] as we prepare to be

[1:31:12] briefed on the first contract item.

[1:31:13] we will now move through the contract

[1:31:14] approvals

[1:31:19] by department, commissioners would

[1:31:20] like to clarify that

[1:31:21] the absence of questions is not due

[1:31:23] to a lack of review but rather

[1:31:24] indication that we are satisfied with

[1:31:26] the

[1:31:29] contact and directors presenting

[1:31:31] contract items may now proceed to

[1:31:35] the table in preparation for

[1:31:36] the presentations. Our goal is to

[1:31:38] review and approve all contracts

[1:31:41] at one time. We will begin with

[1:31:42] engineering and construction and I

[1:31:44] will recognize

[1:31:47] chief engineer

[1:31:48] to present the first three items.

[1:31:49] >> good morning chair smith. Vice

[1:31:53] chair powell.

[1:31:56] commissioners. Corporate secretary.

[1:31:59] and general manager powell. My

[1:32:02] name is alan wong,

[1:32:05] chief engineer. This first

[1:32:06] commission package requests approval

[1:32:08] to award a contract

[1:32:14] number 76596 729-6822. Parkway

[1:32:17] water resource facility

[1:32:19] electrical operations. Progressive

[1:32:26] design built. In the amount of

[1:32:29] 14 million

[1:32:32] $305,504. This authorizes the

[1:32:35] preliminary stage where under

[1:32:38] the

[1:32:39] progression including study and report

[1:32:40] services, development of preliminary

[1:32:41] technical

[1:32:44] documents,

[1:32:45] construction planning including preparation

[1:32:47] of

[1:32:53] a compose stage and early

[1:32:54] procurement of long lead electrical

[1:32:55] equipment including the purchase of

[1:32:56] transformers

[1:32:57] and generator for preliminary stage

[1:32:59] term of 360

[1:33:01] working days. At the conclusion of

[1:33:02] the

[1:33:04] pulmonary states engineering and construction

[1:33:05] will return to

[1:33:08] the commission to

[1:33:09] request approval of a binding completion

[1:33:11] stage price and associated

[1:33:15] contract modification. Which includes

[1:33:19] final design construction, startup,

[1:33:23] testing services,

[1:33:25] a separate subcontracting will apply

[1:33:26] to the completion stage and will

[1:33:29] be committed

[1:33:32] to the commission

[1:33:34] as part of the review and approval.

[1:33:35] this object will

[1:33:38] modernize the upgrade of

[1:33:41] key infrastructure to improve reliability,

[1:33:44] resilience and

[1:33:45] operational performance. The planned

[1:33:46] upgrades include improvements to the

[1:33:47] facilities electrical

[1:33:50] power

[1:33:52] generation, systems, mechanical process

[1:33:53] equipment and supporting

[1:33:55] planned infrastructure. Under the

[1:33:56] progressive

[1:33:59] design build

[1:34:00] approach, construction will validate

[1:34:02] existing

[1:34:03] conditions and develop the detailed

[1:34:08] technical reports, construction documents

[1:34:09] and specifications for wssc review

[1:34:14] and approval. For structures at the

[1:34:15] facility

[1:34:17] where work will be performed. The

[1:34:20] design builder will procure deliverables

[1:34:21] across multiple disciplines including

[1:34:26] electrical, civil, structural,

[1:34:29] heating and ventilating,

[1:34:30] fire protection and digital process

[1:34:32] control

[1:34:35] systems

[1:34:36] in addition will coordinate shutdowns

[1:34:38] with plant operations staff

[1:34:41] and provide temporary power as needed

[1:34:44] to maintain

[1:34:47] critical operation.

[1:34:49] this project is necessary to improve

[1:34:53] the reliability, resiliency and

[1:34:56] operational performance

[1:34:58] of the parkway water resource recovery

[1:34:59] facility by addressing critical infrastructure

[1:35:00] needs

[1:35:02] that have resulted from

[1:35:04] aging equipment, evolving operational

[1:35:05] demand and increased vulnerability

[1:35:06] to

[1:35:08] flood

[1:35:11] events. Are there

[1:35:14] any questions?

[1:35:17] >>

[1:35:20] seeing none. For contract 76596 do

[1:35:23] I have a motion.

[1:35:24] >>

[1:35:26] I hereby move that

[1:35:29] the

[1:35:30] committee approve parkway water resource

[1:35:32] recovery facility

[1:35:35] design

[1:35:38] build in the amount of

[1:35:41] 14 million for a

[1:35:44] preliminary stage as

[1:35:47] recommended by committee.

[1:35:48] >>

[1:35:50] is there a second?

[1:35:53] any discussion? All those in favor

[1:35:56] signify by saying aye.

[1:35:59] any nays? The motion

[1:36:02] carried unanimously. With

[1:36:05] one recusal and the contract is approved.

[1:36:06] we

[1:36:08] will hold for commissioner

[1:36:11] espy-williams .

[1:36:12] >> thank you

[1:36:18] chair smith.

[1:36:30] you may

[1:36:33] now proceed.

[1:36:34] >>

[1:36:35] thank you. This commission package

[1:36:37] requests approval to award a contract

[1:36:39] number 82587

[1:36:42] tilden lane large

[1:36:43] valve replacement to ross contracting

[1:36:45] in the amount

[1:36:50] of 2,208,000 four a contract term

[1:36:54] of 675

[1:36:57] calendar

[1:36:58] days. This consists of the installation

[1:37:00] of approximately

[1:37:05] 190 of water main, a 48 inch vertical

[1:37:06] gate valve

[1:37:07] and a new valve involved in tilden

[1:37:09] lane in north

[1:37:12] bethesda montgomery

[1:37:15] county, maryland. You can

[1:37:17] refer to. The work will replace the

[1:37:18] existing valves

[1:37:21] and associated valves that

[1:37:24] have reached the end of their useful

[1:37:26] life. As part of the public outreach

[1:37:27] efforts

[1:37:30] the fact sheets were mailed on

[1:37:33] june 6th, 2025 to affected customers

[1:37:36] and the honorable councilmember

[1:37:39] kate

[1:37:40] stewart. The community outreach will

[1:37:42] be conducted approximately

[1:37:43] four to six weeks prior to the start

[1:37:45] of

[1:37:48] construction

[1:37:49] with cards mailed to impacted customers

[1:37:50] and councilmember stuart. During these

[1:37:51] meetings we

[1:37:54] will stress that tilden lane is a

[1:37:57] localized project with minimal

[1:38:00] traffic

[1:38:01] impact. One lane will be closed on

[1:38:03] tilden lane allowing travel

[1:38:06] under

[1:38:09] the direction.

[1:38:12] the existing

[1:38:13] valve is one of the mainline valves

[1:38:18] along a

[1:38:20] transmission main. That conveys water

[1:38:21] from

[1:38:24] the potomac water

[1:38:25] filtration plant. In 2021 the valve

[1:38:28] was evaluated by systems control and

[1:38:30] recommended

[1:38:32] for replacement due to ongoing operational

[1:38:33] deficiency. The evaluations

[1:38:36] showed that the valve was experienced

[1:38:38] leakage, does not fully seat and does

[1:38:39] not divide a

[1:38:42] reliable shut off.

[1:38:44] in addition the valve is currently

[1:38:45] broken and has required

[1:38:47] multiple repairs. Continued operation

[1:38:48] of

[1:38:51] this valve represents

[1:38:54] a risk to system reliability and

[1:38:57] could impact wssc's ability to maintain

[1:38:58] service levels

[1:39:00] including the ability to supply water

[1:39:01] to

[1:39:03] critical facilities such as the

[1:39:04] standpipe and customers throughout

[1:39:06] montgomery and prince

[1:39:09] george's county. Are there

[1:39:12] any questions?

[1:39:13] >> thank

[1:39:14] you chief engineer. Vice chair powell.

[1:39:15] >> just

[1:39:18] curious why is the

[1:39:21] contract term

[1:39:24] so long?

[1:39:26] >> the question from vice chair powell

[1:39:27] is why is the contract term

[1:39:30] so long.

[1:39:31] >> correct.

[1:39:33] >> we have the staging of

[1:39:36] the project. The map on

[1:39:39] the

[1:39:40] facility. And that planning has to

[1:39:42] take place before any

[1:39:45] construction work. There's

[1:39:48] going to be procurement of

[1:39:51] the valve systems and equipment that

[1:39:52] need

[1:39:54] to be provided. And so there is some

[1:39:57] construction

[1:40:00] time, vice chair powell, that proceeds

[1:40:01] the

[1:40:02] construction activity and then there

[1:40:03] is the

[1:40:06] issue of when the construction

[1:40:09] can start after the community involvement

[1:40:12] and the understanding of

[1:40:15] the

[1:40:18] traffic flow.

[1:40:19] >> inks for

[1:40:21] the clarification. Any

[1:40:24] additional questions? Do I have

[1:40:29] a motion?

[1:40:30] >> I move that the commission

[1:40:31] approved construction

[1:40:33] contract 82587 two replacement to

[1:40:34] ross contracting

[1:40:36] inc. In the amount

[1:40:42] of 2,208,000 four a contract term

[1:40:45] of 675 days as recommended

[1:40:48] by management.

[1:40:49] >> thank you commissioner

[1:40:50] espy-williams.

[1:40:51] >> mr. Chair I second.

[1:40:52] >>

[1:40:54] any discussion? All

[1:40:56] those in favor signify by saying aye.

[1:40:57] any

[1:41:00] nays ? The motion carried unanimously

[1:41:01] by a

[1:41:03] vote of six to zero and the contract

[1:41:06] is approved. Chief engineer you

[1:41:08] may now proceed to your final contract

[1:41:09] for

[1:41:12] 85 51 capitol heights

[1:41:15] sewer rehabilitation.

[1:41:16] >>

[1:41:18] in queue. The commission package requests

[1:41:19] approval

[1:41:21] to award contract number 48551

[1:41:24] capitol heights sewer

[1:41:26] rehabilitation to rivers construction

[1:41:27] group limited in the

[1:41:30] amount

[1:41:33] of 5,299,000 four contract term of

[1:41:34] 290

[1:41:36] calendar days. This provides

[1:41:40] for the repair,

[1:41:43] rehabilitation and replacement

[1:41:44] of approximately 2.25 miles of deficient

[1:41:46] sanitary mains and

[1:41:49] laterals within the basin of prince

[1:41:55] georges county.

[1:41:56] there's a map on the screen that you

[1:41:58] can refer to. The work

[1:41:59] will be performed using multiple construction

[1:42:00] methods including the installation

[1:42:04] of 6644 linear

[1:42:07] feet of

[1:42:10] pipe. Lining. The replacement

[1:42:13] of approximately 5233

[1:42:15] linear feet of sanitary sewer main

[1:42:16] utilizing

[1:42:19] open cut construction

[1:42:22] methods and rehabilitation of

[1:42:28] approximately 2274.

[1:42:31] approximately 2274

[1:42:34] linear feet of defective

[1:42:38] sanitary laterals. The project also

[1:42:39] includes repair and replacement of

[1:42:40] approximately 60 manholes

[1:42:43] requiring

[1:42:44] corrective action. As part of the

[1:42:45] public outreach and stakeholder engagement

[1:42:47] process information fact sheets will

[1:42:49] be mailed to

[1:42:52] affected customers,

[1:42:53] community outreach will be held a

[1:42:54] proximally four to six weeks prior

[1:42:55] to the start

[1:42:56] of construction and an invitation

[1:42:58] to participate will be extended to

[1:42:59] the

[1:43:00] honorable edward burrows the third

[1:43:01] is george's county

[1:43:04] district 8. As part of

[1:43:05] this particular community outreach

[1:43:07] activity we

[1:43:10] will stress to the

[1:43:13] community that half of the capital

[1:43:16] heights project is planned

[1:43:19] to be

[1:43:20] done through lining which is directional

[1:43:25] work. And have a smaller

[1:43:26] footprint and less impact to the traffic

[1:43:28] compared to open

[1:43:31] cut project.

[1:43:33] during design the designer will look

[1:43:34] for opportunities to

[1:43:37] utilize lining methods as much

[1:43:40] as possible. For the

[1:43:43] open cut portion there will be

[1:43:46] one traveling for all open

[1:43:49] cut work. There

[1:43:51] will be flags required to direct pedestrians

[1:43:52] in and out

[1:43:54] of the area. For the manholes some

[1:43:55] will be located

[1:43:58] in the

[1:43:59] right-of-way and some will be located

[1:44:01] in the street. So these

[1:44:07] are the

[1:44:08] community impact discussions that

[1:44:10] we will have

[1:44:11] and make sure that the community is

[1:44:13] aware of

[1:44:16] these conditions. And they

[1:44:19] will be kept closely

[1:44:22] informed as the various stages of

[1:44:23] the

[1:44:25] project proceed.

[1:44:28] the project

[1:44:33] is required because the facilities

[1:44:37] have been installed starting

[1:44:40] in 1924 1969 and they

[1:44:43] have exceeded their intended

[1:44:49] service life.

[1:44:50] assessments have identified numerous

[1:44:54] deficiencies. Including root intrusion,

[1:44:55] groundwater infiltration,

[1:45:01] structural defects. This rehabilitation

[1:45:02] project is

[1:45:04] essential to restoring system

[1:45:06] integrity, improving reliability,

[1:45:07] mitigating risks associated with

[1:45:08] aging infrastructure. The project

[1:45:10] is also

[1:45:11] funded through the maryland department

[1:45:13] of environment through a

[1:45:16] loan with obligates

[1:45:18] the commission to complete the work

[1:45:19] in accordance with the

[1:45:22] approved schedule and funding apartments.

[1:45:25] approval of this board

[1:45:26] supports wssc waters long-term infrastructure

[1:45:28] renewal objectives. Are there any

[1:45:29] questions

[1:45:31] on this?

[1:45:34] >> any questions?

[1:45:36] seeing none. Chief engineer, I just

[1:45:37] want to thank

[1:45:40] you for the extra effort

[1:45:43] of understanding the

[1:45:46] area and those of us

[1:45:49] that are traversed that road

[1:45:52] every day as I'm

[1:45:55] sure 1 million other cars twice

[1:45:58] in and out of the

[1:46:01] washington, d.c. Area, I appreciate

[1:46:02] all the work you

[1:46:03] and your team are doing to minimize

[1:46:04] traffic impact and facilitate ease

[1:46:05] through

[1:46:07] this major in

[1:46:10] and out.

[1:46:11] >> thank you chair

[1:46:13] smith.

[1:46:14] >> do I have a

[1:46:18] motion?

[1:46:19] >> mr. Chairman, I hereby

[1:46:20] move that the commission

[1:46:22] approved contract

[1:46:25] for 8551-125 capitol heights sewer

[1:46:28] rehabilitation to ross construction

[1:46:29] group limited

[1:46:31] in the amount

[1:46:34] of 5,299,000 four a contract

[1:46:37] term of 290 calendar days recommended

[1:46:40] by management.

[1:46:41] >> thank you commissioner

[1:46:43] speed-bost. Is there

[1:46:47] a

[1:46:48] second?

[1:46:49] >> I second. >> all those

[1:46:50] in favor signify by saying aye.

[1:46:53] any nays or

[1:46:54] abstentions? Hearing on the motion

[1:46:55] carried unanimously and the contract

[1:47:01] is approved.

[1:47:02] >> thank you chair smith.

[1:47:03] >> thank you

[1:47:04] to you and your team. We will now

[1:47:05] recognize director of general services

[1:47:07] allison wilson to present contract

[1:47:08] 86589

[1:47:11] temple hills

[1:47:12] garage construction.

[1:47:13] >> good morning

[1:47:16] chair smith. The mission is, corporate

[1:47:17] secretary, gm powell,

[1:47:19] wssc water stakeholders, team h2o

[1:47:20] and

[1:47:23] the public. For the record, I am

[1:47:24] allison wilson, director of general

[1:47:26] services.

[1:47:28] in this commission package requests

[1:47:29] the

[1:47:32] approval to award contract

[1:47:35] number 86589 based

[1:47:38] in landover,

[1:47:41] maryland

[1:47:44] for 2,135,000 with a contract term

[1:47:47] of

[1:47:48] 355 days. The construction of this

[1:47:50] garage is needed

[1:47:53] to protect trucks

[1:47:56] and closed-circuit inspection

[1:47:59] equipment from winter freezing

[1:48:00] conditions improving reliability and

[1:48:02] reducing

[1:48:04] maintenance by sustaining temperatures

[1:48:05] above

[1:48:08] 50

[1:48:11] degrees. This contract covers

[1:48:13] the construction of a 5500 square

[1:48:17] foot pre-engineered metal

[1:48:20] garage with six jet

[1:48:26] truck base, hvac, lighting and

[1:48:27] electrical and mechanical systems

[1:48:28] and outdoor parking spaces and associated

[1:48:29] site work

[1:48:32] at 8444 temple

[1:48:35] hills

[1:48:36] road. B jet truck garage is needed

[1:48:38] to support utility services divisions

[1:48:41] cc tv and jet

[1:48:44] truck operations. During

[1:48:47] the months jet trucks

[1:48:49] have experienced significant operation

[1:48:50] and maintenance issues caused

[1:48:52] by freezing temperatures including

[1:48:53] ice in

[1:48:56] the system and

[1:48:57] damaged palms. Freezing conditions

[1:48:59] have also

[1:49:01] negatively affected electronic equipment

[1:49:02] used

[1:49:05] in the trucks for sewer

[1:49:06] inspection. The construction of this

[1:49:08] garage will

[1:49:09] allow the vehicles to be stored in

[1:49:11] a temperature

[1:49:12] controlled environment during the

[1:49:14] winter months

[1:49:17] preventing damage, improving

[1:49:18] operational reliability and reducing

[1:49:20] future maintenance

[1:49:23] and downtime. I'm pleased

[1:49:24] to answer any questions you may have

[1:49:26] as it relates to this contract and

[1:49:28] respectfully request the commission

[1:49:32] approved contract temple hills

[1:49:35] jet truck garage at

[1:49:38] this time.

[1:49:39] >>

[1:49:40] thank you director wilson. Any questions?

[1:49:41] I just have a

[1:49:43] very quick question. Just for the

[1:49:44] record. Just want to make sure

[1:49:47] that

[1:49:50] everyone knows 8444 temple hills road

[1:49:51] is

[1:49:54] which facility?

[1:49:55] >> the temple hills

[1:49:56] jet

[1:49:59] truck garage.

[1:50:00] >> on existing

[1:50:02] wssc property.

[1:50:03] >>

[1:50:05] yes sir.

[1:50:06] >> the depot. >>

[1:50:08] thank you. Do I have a

[1:50:11] motion?

[1:50:12] >>

[1:50:13] I hereby move that the commission

[1:50:14] approved construction

[1:50:16] contract 86589 temple hills jet truck

[1:50:20] garage construction in the amount

[1:50:23] of 2,135,000 for a

[1:50:26] contract of 365 days as recommended

[1:50:32] by management.

[1:50:33] >> thank you commissioner

[1:50:34] seltzer.

[1:50:35] is there a second?

[1:50:36] >> I second mr.

[1:50:37] chair.

[1:50:38] >> all those

[1:50:39] in favor signify by saying aye. Any

[1:50:40] nays or

[1:50:41] abstentions? The motion carried unanimously.

[1:50:42] the

[1:50:44] contract is

[1:50:47] approved. Ms. Wilson, you may now

[1:50:48] continue to option

[1:50:50] term one on the

[1:50:53] contract 77570 regular cab

[1:50:56] and chassis.

[1:50:57] >> requesting approval to exercise

[1:50:59] the first option term to beltway

[1:51:02] international trucks llc for a contract

[1:51:03] in

[1:51:05] the amount of $10 million to purchase

[1:51:06] international

[1:51:08] regular cab and

[1:51:11] chassis vehicles for wssc water

[1:51:14] fleet. This contract aims to add additional

[1:51:15] capacity

[1:51:17] to replace aging vehicles,

[1:51:20] support essential water and

[1:51:26] wastewater operations.

[1:51:29] with full factory warranties, delivery

[1:51:30] readiness

[1:51:32] for service are also included in

[1:51:37] the scope. Our heavy fleet plays a

[1:51:38] critical role in supporting the daily

[1:51:39] operations

[1:51:41] of water and wastewater maintenance,

[1:51:42] repairs and

[1:51:44] emergency response.

[1:51:45] a significant portion of the fleet

[1:51:47] is approaching and

[1:51:50] has exceeded its expected

[1:51:52] service life. Reduced reliability

[1:51:53] and risk of operational delays due

[1:51:56] to

[1:51:58] the downtime. This is aligned with

[1:51:59] our fleet services

[1:52:02] replacement plan. And this contract

[1:52:03] will

[1:52:04] provide additional purchasing capacity

[1:52:05] for

[1:52:09] factory warranty cab

[1:52:10] and chassis. Timely replacement of

[1:52:15] aging fleet. This also

[1:52:18] proves

[1:52:19] additional access to repair maintenance

[1:52:21] parts and services increasing

[1:52:24] this capacity for faster

[1:52:27] response times and

[1:52:28] quicker return of fleet vehicles to

[1:52:30] service strengthening our

[1:52:34] overall readiness. It further ensures

[1:52:35] access to the most cost advantageous

[1:52:36] repair parts

[1:52:37] and services promoting efficiency

[1:52:39] and

[1:52:43] fiscal responsibility . Our strategic

[1:52:45] focus on fleet

[1:52:48] asset improvement wssc

[1:52:49] water will continue to evaluate additional

[1:52:51] pathways to ensure

[1:52:54] ongoing access to

[1:52:57] most competitive and high-value

[1:52:59] services available. Pleased to answer any questions

[1:53:00] as

[1:53:01] it relates to this contract and request

[1:53:03] commission

[1:53:06] approval for contract 77570 at

[1:53:09] this time.

[1:53:10] >> thank you

[1:53:11] director wilson. Commissioner comments

[1:53:12] or questions? We will

[1:53:15] have

[1:53:16] a motion.

[1:53:17] >> mr. Chairman, I hereby

[1:53:18] move the commission

[1:53:19] approve option term one for goods and

[1:53:21] services

[1:53:24] contract 77570 regular cab

[1:53:25] and chassis to beltway international

[1:53:30] trucks llc and not to exceed

[1:53:32] amount of $10 million for an option

[1:53:33] term of

[1:53:36] one year as recommended

[1:53:37] by management.

[1:53:38] >> thank you commissioner

[1:53:40] speed-bost.

[1:53:41] >> I second. >> thank

[1:53:42] you commissioner foster.

[1:53:44] any discussion? Hearing none, all

[1:53:45] those

[1:53:47] in favor signify by saying aye. Any

[1:53:48] nays or

[1:53:50] abstentions? The motion carried unanimously

[1:53:51] by a vote

[1:53:54] of six to zero. Option

[1:53:57] turn one is approved. Inky

[1:53:59] ms. Wilson. We will now hear from

[1:54:00] director of

[1:54:03] utility services mr. Glenn

[1:54:06] diaz to present option term one on

[1:54:09] contract 29447 metallic main

[1:54:12] condition assessment.

[1:54:13] >>

[1:54:15] good morning chair smith, vice chair

[1:54:19] powell, commissioners, madam corporate

[1:54:21] secretary, team

[1:54:24] h2o and our valued customers.

[1:54:25] for the record, my name is glenn diaz,

[1:54:27] director of

[1:54:30] utility services. Request approval

[1:54:33] to exercise option term one for contract

[1:54:36] number 29447. Metallic main

[1:54:39] condition assessment basic

[1:54:42] agreement with the amount of

[1:54:45] $1 million for one year

[1:54:46] term. Exercising this option will

[1:54:47] provide can get funding to support

[1:54:51] ongoing metallic water main

[1:54:52] inspection prioritization and condition

[1:54:54] assessment services

[1:54:57] throughout

[1:54:59] water service. On this contract the

[1:55:00] contractor

[1:55:02] performs inspections prioritization

[1:55:03] and assessment of metallic

[1:55:06] water mains

[1:55:07] as needed. These include evaluation

[1:55:09] of

[1:55:12] pipe condition and recommendations

[1:55:13] for

[1:55:14] appropriate assessment technologies

[1:55:15] related

[1:55:21] to identification, structural

[1:55:24] integrity and surrounding soil and

[1:55:29] material conditions. In addition it

[1:55:30] evaluates and

[1:55:33] provides recommendations on new

[1:55:34] and emerging technologies to enhance

[1:55:36] water main abilities

[1:55:39] and support data-driven

[1:55:42] asset management and long-term system

[1:55:44] reliability planning. These are critical

[1:55:45] to

[1:55:48] water proactive infrastructure management

[1:55:50] strategy. The ability to assess metallic

[1:55:51] water main

[1:55:54] condition before

[1:55:56] failures occur allows us to better

[1:55:57] prioritize

[1:56:00] replacement projects. Reduce service

[1:56:03] disruptions, minimize emergent

[1:56:06] and ensure efficient deployment of

[1:56:07] resources

[1:56:09] across

[1:56:11] the system. Staff recommends approval

[1:56:12] to exercise option term one of

[1:56:15] contract 29447 in

[1:56:18] the amount of

[1:56:20] $1 million. And I am here to answer

[1:56:21] any questions you may

[1:56:24] have.

[1:56:25] >> any commission or questions?

[1:56:26] seeing none,

[1:56:27] do I have a motion.

[1:56:28] >>

[1:56:29] mr. Chair, I hereby move that the

[1:56:30] commission approve option term one

[1:56:33] on architecture and engineering

[1:56:36] contract 29447 metallic main

[1:56:39] condition assessment basic ordering

[1:56:40] agreement

[1:56:41] to cover low engineers incorporated

[1:56:42] in the amount of

[1:56:45] $1 million for a term of one year

[1:56:48] as recommended by management.

[1:56:49] >> thank

[1:56:51] you vice chair powell. Is there

[1:56:57] a second?

[1:56:58] >> I second. >> thank you

[1:56:59] commissioner speed-bost. All

[1:57:00] those in favor signify by aye. Any

[1:57:01] nays or abstentions? The motion carries

[1:57:03] by a vote

[1:57:06] of 6-0 and option term one

[1:57:12] is approved.

[1:57:30] >> thank you again, chief engineer

[1:57:33] and to the team.

[1:57:45] >> good

[1:57:48] afternoon, chair smith. Vice

[1:57:50] chair powell. Commissioners. Madam

[1:57:51] corporate

[1:57:54] secretary. Madam

[1:57:56] general managers. Team h2o and valued

[1:57:57] customers. For the record I

[1:57:59] am james with the general counsel's

[1:58:00] office. This

[1:58:02] item concerns a request from pipeline

[1:58:04] design division for authority for

[1:58:06] gso to

[1:58:09] file a condemnation proceeding to acquire

[1:58:10] temporary easement interests and access

[1:58:12] rights to property owned by

[1:58:15] south stone gate homeowner's

[1:58:17] association inc. As described in exhibit

[1:58:18] 7 and the

[1:58:21] information packet provided

[1:58:24] to the

[1:58:26] commission. Temporary construction

[1:58:27] easement is

[1:58:29] ensure wssc water has the necessary

[1:58:30] property

[1:58:33] rights to move forward with

[1:58:36] the plan north sherwood forest

[1:58:38] esa project. 2.9 miles of sewer main inclusive

[1:58:39] of

[1:58:42] the

[1:58:48] sewer lines. The property at issue

[1:58:51] is subject to a variable with

[1:58:53] wssc water, sewer easement that existed since

[1:58:54] the

[1:58:55] time this property was transferred

[1:58:57] to

[1:59:00] the

[1:59:02] south stonegate hoa. Temporary construction

[1:59:03] easement would

[1:59:06] allow wssc water the right to access

[1:59:07] and

[1:59:09] stage material and equipment in

[1:59:11] certain areas immediately adjacent

[1:59:12] to wssc water's

[1:59:13] existing easement and conduct the

[1:59:15] necessary work within the

[1:59:18] easement itself. Wssc water has

[1:59:20] secured all other right of entry agreements

[1:59:21] needed to proceed

[1:59:24] with this project and acquiring this

[1:59:27] particular -- these particular

[1:59:30] access rights around novacourt would

[1:59:31] satisfy all

[1:59:32] land right requirements necessary

[1:59:33] for

[1:59:36] this project. Wssc water has attempted

[1:59:38] to reach south stonegate homeowner's

[1:59:39] association inc. Several times and

[1:59:41] to date there have been no responses

[1:59:45] to those outreach efforts. South

[1:59:48] stonegate hoa status is forfeited

[1:59:49] according

[1:59:51] to the maryland state

[1:59:53] department of assessment and taxation. And

[1:59:57] the corporate entity appears to be

[1:59:58] defunct. At this

[1:59:59] stage of the process the only option

[2:00:00] to secure

[2:00:02] the necessary property rights is through

[2:00:03] filing

[2:00:06] a condemnation proceeding

[2:00:08] in montgomery county circuit court. If

[2:00:09] you have questions I'm prepared to

[2:00:12] answer them

[2:00:15] at this time. Thank you.

[2:00:16] >>

[2:00:17] thank you. Any questions? Seeing none,

[2:00:18] do

[2:00:21] I

[2:00:24] have

[2:00:30] a motion?

[2:00:35] >> mr. Chairman, I hereby move that

[2:00:36] the

[2:00:40] commission adopt resolution 2026-24

[2:00:42] --let me start

[2:00:45] over. I move that the commission

[2:00:48] adopt resolution 2026-2415 authorizing the institution

[2:00:51] of eminent domain

[2:00:53] by condemnation proceedings for the

[2:00:54] temporary construction

[2:00:56] easement as recommended by management.

[2:00:57] >>

[2:00:58] thank you, commissioner foster. Is

[2:01:00] there a second?

[2:01:01] >> I second, mr.

[2:01:03] chair.

[2:01:04] >> thank you,

[2:01:05] commissioner espy-williams. Any discussion? All

[2:01:06] those in favor signify

[2:01:09] by saying aye. Any

[2:01:11] nays or abstentions? The vote carries

[2:01:12] by a

[2:01:18] vote of 6-0. Resolution 2026-2415

[2:01:21] is approved. Thank you. Again, thank you

[2:01:22] mr.

[2:01:24] gregor. We will now hear from director of

[2:01:27] production ben

[2:01:30] thompson to present

[2:01:36] resolution 2026-2421. Mr. Thompson.

[2:01:37] >>

[2:01:38] good afternoon, chair smith. Vice

[2:01:40] chair powell. Commissioners. Madam

[2:01:42] corporate secretary. General manager

[2:01:45] powell and team. For the record my

[2:01:46] name

[2:01:48] is ben thompson. I'm here

[2:01:51] to request

[2:01:54] approval of 2026-2421 which authorize

[2:01:55] as

[2:01:56] $50 one time water bill credit for customers

[2:01:57] who participate

[2:02:00] in our 2026 lead and copper

[2:02:01] rule sampling program. As required

[2:02:03] by the

[2:02:07] epa's lead and copper rule safe

[2:02:08] drinking water, wssc water must collect samples

[2:02:10] from homes

[2:02:12] every three years. During the upcoming

[2:02:15] monitoring period of june 1st through

[2:02:16] september 30th ,

[2:02:18] we are required to obtain at least

[2:02:22] 50 completed samples. Failure to do

[2:02:25] so would result in regulatory

[2:02:27] monitoring violation. In prior cycles,

[2:02:28] wssc

[2:02:31] has offered bill credits of

[2:02:33] $10 and 20. Despite those incentives

[2:02:35] has been extremely challenging. To

[2:02:36] improve participation and to account

[2:02:37] for

[2:02:39] inflation we're proposing a $50 credit

[2:02:41] per completed sample. We are also

[2:02:43] working with communications

[2:02:44] to enhance all outreach materials

[2:02:46] and

[2:02:47] encourage greater customer participation and

[2:02:49] this year we will

[2:02:51] introduce a new online response option making it

[2:02:52] quick and

[2:02:54] easy for customers to indicate their willingness

[2:02:55] to participate. The total

[2:02:58] cost of the

[2:03:01] program is expected to range

[2:03:03] between $2500 and $5000. Would not

[2:03:04] exceed

[2:03:07] 100 samples. This is

[2:03:10] a modest

[2:03:13] investment

[2:03:14] to ensure compliance. I respectfully

[2:03:15] request the commissioner's approval

[2:03:16] and I'm here

[2:03:18] to answer any questions you may have.

[2:03:19] >>

[2:03:20] thank

[2:03:21] you, director thompson. Any questions

[2:03:22] from commissioners? Hearing none,

[2:03:23] do I

[2:03:24] have a motion?

[2:03:25] >> mr. Chairman, I

[2:03:26] hereby

[2:03:28] move that the

[2:03:30] commission adopt resolution 2026-2421

[2:03:34] authorizing a one time $50 lead

[2:03:36] and copper rule water sampling credit

[2:03:37] as recommended by

[2:03:40] management.

[2:03:41] >> thank you,

[2:03:42] commissioner speed-bost. Is there a

[2:03:43] second?

[2:03:44] >> I'll

[2:03:45] second. Any discussion? Hearing none,

[2:03:46] all those in favor signify

[2:03:49] by saying aye. Aye. Any

[2:03:50] nays or abstentions? The motion carries by

[2:03:55] a vote of 6-0

[2:03:58] and resolution

[2:04:00] 2026-2421 is approved.

[2:04:01] >> thank you. >>

[2:04:02] thank you,

[2:04:03] mr. Thompson. We will now hear from

[2:04:04] the chief financial officer to present

[2:04:07] a series of items for vote

[2:04:10] and

[2:04:11] one item for information. You may

[2:04:13] begin with the

[2:04:15] mid cycle update.

[2:04:16] >> good afternoon,

[2:04:17] chair smith. Vice

[2:04:18] chair powell. Commissioners. General

[2:04:22] manager. Madam

[2:04:25] corporate secretary. The

[2:04:28] first item that we

[2:04:31] would like to request is

[2:04:34] a transaction to amend

[2:04:37] the proposed fy 2027 to 32

[2:04:38] capital improvements program. There

[2:04:40] is a total

[2:04:41] increase of $19.23 million in year

[2:04:43] one

[2:04:46] which is fiscal year 2027

[2:04:47] across five programs. Four programs

[2:04:49] are blue plains waste water

[2:04:50] treatment plants. And the revision

[2:04:52] is a result from

[2:04:54] us receiving updated expenditure schedules

[2:04:55] from

[2:04:57] dc water that pulled forward programmed

[2:04:58] expenses

[2:05:01] and

[2:05:04] this was a

[2:05:07] 28.64

[2:05:10] million increase.

[2:05:16] based on actual

[2:05:17] year end costs versus budgeted costs

[2:05:19] that were presented which is earlier

[2:05:22] on in the year. And this

[2:05:24] resulted in the $9.41 million decrease. This

[2:05:25] change is

[2:05:28] within the fy 2027 recommended

[2:05:29] rate revenue enhancement and it does

[2:05:31] not impact our

[2:05:32] metrics. I request the commissioners approve

[2:05:34] this mid cycle update and I'm

[2:05:37] available for any questions.

[2:05:38] >>

[2:05:40] thank you. Any

[2:05:42] questions?

[2:05:43] >> hearing none, do I have

[2:05:45] a motion?

[2:05:46] >> mr. Chair, I hereby move

[2:05:47] that the commission

[2:05:49] approve for transmittal to the county executives

[2:05:51] of prince george's and montgomery

[2:05:52] counties the proposed

[2:05:55] mid cycle

[2:05:58] amendments for fiscal years 2027 through 2032

[2:06:01] capital improvements program as recommended

[2:06:03] by management.

[2:06:04] >> thank you, vice

[2:06:06] chair powell. Second?

[2:06:07] >> I second. >>

[2:06:08] any discussion? Hearing none, all

[2:06:10] those in favor signify by

[2:06:12] saying aye. Any nays or abstentions? Hearing

[2:06:13] none

[2:06:14] the motion carries unanimously by

[2:06:16] a vote

[2:06:19] of 6-0. The transmittal of the amendments

[2:06:22] is approved. Mr. Musara you may

[2:06:25] proceed to fiscal year 2027

[2:06:27] operating and capital budget for transmittal to

[2:06:28] the counties.

[2:06:29] >> next

[2:06:31] we are requesting approval to

[2:06:33] transmit the fy 2027 proposed budget

[2:06:37] to the montgomery and prince george's county

[2:06:38] executives. The

[2:06:40] budget consists of $1.97 billion and

[2:06:43] is supported by an overall

[2:06:45] 6% revenue enhancement comprised of

[2:06:46] a 5% average

[2:06:49] water and sewer

[2:06:52] volume metric and fixed fee rate supplemented

[2:06:53] by

[2:06:54] 1% in one time revenue from interest

[2:06:55] income and the

[2:06:57] temporary rate stabilization fund. The

[2:06:58] rate increase

[2:07:01] will add approximately $4.92

[2:07:04] per month. $14.75

[2:07:06] per quarter. Or $59 per year to the

[2:07:07] bill

[2:07:10] of a customer using

[2:07:11] 145-gallons per day. The operating

[2:07:13] budget of $1.2 billion

[2:07:16] is an increase of 63.5 million

[2:07:19] over fy 2026. And the capital budget

[2:07:22] is $770 million

[2:07:25] an increase of $73.4 million over

[2:07:26] fy

[2:07:27] 2026. One note for the commissioners is

[2:07:28] we

[2:07:30] received updated projections related

[2:07:31] to

[2:07:33] the commission share of waste water treatment

[2:07:34] costs

[2:07:36] for regional sewage disposal at blue

[2:07:37] plains and this

[2:07:39] went up by $2.2 million and we're

[2:07:40] going

[2:07:42] to absorb that amount in the existing

[2:07:43] budget. With that I

[2:07:46] ask for your approval to transmit

[2:07:47] the

[2:07:48] fy 2027 proposed budget and I'm available

[2:07:49] for any

[2:07:52] questions.

[2:07:53] >> thank you,

[2:07:55] chief financial officer munetsi

[2:07:57] musara. I want to comment for you

[2:07:58] and the entire team,

[2:08:01] your hard work and diligence do

[2:08:04] keep our rates as low as possible. And

[2:08:07] the impact of $4.92

[2:08:09] per month I know that was the target

[2:08:10] --or that

[2:08:13] was an intentional goal. So I

[2:08:16] think that's

[2:08:19] a very reasonable reflection of the great

[2:08:22] work you've

[2:08:24] done. Any other questions? Do I have a

[2:08:25] motion?

[2:08:26] >> mr. Chair, I

[2:08:27] move that the commission approval

[2:08:28] for transmittal to the

[2:08:31] county executives of prince george's and

[2:08:34] montgomery counties wssc's water proposed fiscal

[2:08:36] year 2027 operating and capital budget

[2:08:37] as recommended by

[2:08:40] management.

[2:08:41] >> thank you,

[2:08:42] commissioner seltzer. Is there a second?

[2:08:43] >>

[2:08:44] ask I second.

[2:08:45] >> thank

[2:08:46] you, commissioner speed-bost. Any

[2:08:47] discussion? All those in favor

[2:08:48] signify by saying aye. Aye. Any nays

[2:08:51] or abstentions? Hearing none the motion

[2:08:52] carries unanimously by a

[2:08:55] vote of 6-0 and the transmittal of

[2:08:58] the proposed fiscal year 2027 operating

[2:08:59] and capital

[2:09:01] budgets is approved. Mr. Musara, you

[2:09:03] may now proceed to the front foot

[2:09:04] benefit charge appeals

[2:09:07] hearing date and hearing officer

[2:09:09] selections.

[2:09:10] >> thank you, chair smith. In

[2:09:11] early

[2:09:13] spring customers will receive notification

[2:09:14] of

[2:09:15] front foot benefit assessments based on

[2:09:16] last calendar

[2:09:17] year's activity and this will include

[2:09:19] a date and time

[2:09:22] for an assessment appeal hearing with

[2:09:23] the

[2:09:25] wssc water commissioner if they have

[2:09:26] any concerns that

[2:09:28] remain from their followup with the

[2:09:30] property assessments team. We are

[2:09:31] requesting

[2:09:34] the commission set thursday, may

[2:09:37] 21st, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. As the date

[2:09:40] and time for the 2026 front

[2:09:42] foot benefit assessment appeal hearing. And

[2:09:43] that one commissioner be selected

[2:09:44] to

[2:09:45] serve as the hearing officer. And

[2:09:46] that the

[2:09:49] hearing be conducted via teams. I'm available

[2:09:50] for

[2:09:52] any questions and thank you.

[2:09:53] >> thank

[2:09:55] you, sir. Any questions? Hearing none,

[2:09:56] do I

[2:09:58] have a motion?

[2:09:59] >>

[2:10:00] mr. Chair, I hereby move that the

[2:10:01] commission set

[2:10:04] the 2026 front foot benefit assessment appeal

[2:10:07] hearing on thursday, may

[2:10:10] 21st , 2026 at 3:30

[2:10:13] p.m. Conducted virtually via

[2:10:16] teams platform with

[2:10:18] commissioner seltzer serving as hearing

[2:10:19] officer.

[2:10:20] >> thank you. Is there a

[2:10:22] second?

[2:10:23] >>

[2:10:25] second.

[2:10:26] >> thank you, commissioner espy-williams. All those

[2:10:29] in favor signify

[2:10:32] by saying aye. Aye. Any nays

[2:10:34] or abstentions? Hearing none the motion

[2:10:35] carries unanimously. The hearing

[2:10:38] date and hearing officer are

[2:10:39] approved. Thank you, commissioner

[2:10:41] seltzer for serving

[2:10:42] adds hearing officer. Mr. Musara,

[2:10:44] you may proceed to your

[2:10:46] final item. The financial report for

[2:10:50] q 2 fy 2026.

[2:10:51] >> thank you,

[2:10:52] chair smith. Providing our informational update

[2:10:56] for the

[2:10:59] q2

[2:11:02] financial status report. For q2

[2:11:04] fy2026 we had a targeted 50% spend

[2:11:05] which are represented by

[2:11:08] the

[2:11:10] green bars. And for capital actual

[2:11:11] spend

[2:11:13] is 34% and for operating it's at 44%

[2:11:15] shown by the blue bars. I just want

[2:11:17] to provide a clarification

[2:11:20] as it relates to the capital

[2:11:22] budget. In these numbers here I'm

[2:11:23] simply presenting

[2:11:25] the high level aggregate information

[2:11:26] on the capital budget

[2:11:27] and details on the program activity

[2:11:29] and

[2:11:31] the break out of its various categories

[2:11:34] including wssc water control projects

[2:11:35] versus

[2:11:36] projects driven by other parties will

[2:11:38] be discussed

[2:11:40] in the quarterly capital report that

[2:11:41] is

[2:11:42] being presented by our chief engineer later

[2:11:44] in

[2:11:46] today's commission meeting. In the

[2:11:48] operating budget, tracking the budget

[2:11:50] versus actual

[2:11:52] by major expense category, we see

[2:11:55] that salaries and wages, heat, light

[2:11:57] and power. Regional sewage disposal

[2:11:59] and debt service are within

[2:12:00] the expected range. The activity and

[2:12:02] the

[2:12:03] all other category is lagging but

[2:12:05] we expect this to pick up as

[2:12:08] the fiscal year progresses. Here

[2:12:10] we present the dollar comparison by

[2:12:14] major expense category for both

[2:12:17] operating and capital. Q2

[2:12:20] 25 compared to 26. Operating

[2:12:23] gross expenses

[2:12:26] at $501 million. And again we

[2:12:29] expect to see an uptick in

[2:12:30] expenditure activity and all other

[2:12:31] categories for operating and capital,

[2:12:32] as well as

[2:12:34] contract work and consulting engineers

[2:12:35] in the

[2:12:38] capital budget over the next

[2:12:40] two quarters. The monthly revenues

[2:12:41] from q2

[2:12:43] are tracking along with the budget. The

[2:12:44] december

[2:12:45] revenues were strong and the concern

[2:12:47] we had from revenue

[2:12:49] collections coming out of october

[2:12:50] government shutdown has become

[2:12:52] less of an issue as we are slightly

[2:12:53] behind our

[2:12:56] linear trend

[2:12:58] right now. Just for reference, revenues collected

[2:12:59] in

[2:13:02] november related to october were $70.5

[2:13:05] million. And revenues

[2:13:07] collected in december were $88.5 million. Which

[2:13:08] is

[2:13:11] about the linear trend we expect

[2:13:14] for revenues. Q2 operating

[2:13:16] expenses are trending under the linear

[2:13:19] target and as noted earlier, in the presentation

[2:13:20] we are

[2:13:22] at 44%. Versus the targeted 50%. So

[2:13:23] activity

[2:13:25] is expected to pick up other the remainder

[2:13:28] of the fiscal year. This last slide

[2:13:32] is the updated five year trend for

[2:13:33] operating and capital budgets. And

[2:13:35] as mentioned we are

[2:13:38] in range for operating but

[2:13:41] the capital budget will be

[2:13:43] provided by the chief engineer. With

[2:13:44] that I'm available for

[2:13:46] any questions.

[2:13:47] >> thank you, chief

[2:13:48] engineer. Sorry, thank

[2:13:50] you chief financial officer. Any

[2:13:53] questions

[2:13:54] from the commission? Hearing none,

[2:13:56] thank you, mr. Musara.

[2:13:57] >> thank

[2:13:59] you.

[2:14:00] >> we'll now

[2:14:01] recognize john curry to present the

[2:14:05] monthly customer

[2:14:11] service indicators.

[2:14:26] >> good afternoon,

[2:14:29] chair, vice chair, corporate

[2:14:32] secretary, gm customers and

[2:14:34] team h2o. My name is john curry. Director

[2:14:35] of customer

[2:14:37] service. And I was going to be joined

[2:14:38] by chuck. He may

[2:14:41] pop in. If not I'll cover

[2:14:43] his slides. We're presenting the performance indicators

[2:14:47] for the

[2:14:49] customer service department. He's

[2:14:50] made it. And this

[2:14:53] presentation

[2:14:56] is

[2:14:59] for informational purposes only. All

[2:15:00] right. Moving to the agenda here. In

[2:15:02] addition to the metrics we have

[2:15:05] an update on the successful get

[2:15:07] current program that ended at the

[2:15:08] end of

[2:15:11] january and we've also snuck in a

[2:15:14] bill format you probably know we updated

[2:15:15] the bill

[2:15:16] that went live in january. So some

[2:15:17] of you may

[2:15:20] have

[2:15:21] already received it. Looking at the

[2:15:23] call center metrics for the

[2:15:26] month of january, we can see a

[2:15:29] 21% increase in calls

[2:15:32] from $1,263 calls

[2:15:35] per day to 1,537. We

[2:15:38] resumed

[2:15:39] the collections outreach. The storm fern

[2:15:41] kind of dues that average because

[2:15:44] call volume was higher before

[2:15:47] fern and was real lively

[2:15:49] low during fern. Fern will also impact

[2:15:50] the customer service department

[2:15:53] for a few months as we

[2:15:55] work through any estimated bills or

[2:15:56] high bills that may

[2:15:58] have occurred during that period. Just

[2:15:59] want to thank

[2:16:01] the utility services department, especially meter

[2:16:02] readers who

[2:16:05] have done an excellent job of getting

[2:16:06] us reads

[2:16:07] in these difficult conditions. However,

[2:16:08] some of them

[2:16:11] were just not accessible or

[2:16:14] unsafe

[2:16:16] to access. We remained focused on

[2:16:17] assisting customers

[2:16:20] with understanding bills and

[2:16:23] financial stance. Through

[2:16:25] the resumption of turn ons through

[2:16:26] the next few months as well

[2:16:28] as any questions with fern. Our average speed

[2:16:29] of answer

[2:16:31] was approximately 9 minutes and the average

[2:16:32] handle time

[2:16:34] was approximately 9 minutes leaving us

[2:16:35] with a call

[2:16:38] answer rate of 90 percent. Moving

[2:16:39] to the next

[2:16:41] slide here, we have our customer

[2:16:44] e-mails and start stops. We maintained

[2:16:45] a

[2:16:47] relatively low number here

[2:16:50] as 861 items open an average

[2:16:52] of three days. Fern did create those

[2:16:53] hazardous conditions

[2:16:56] which also impacted any rereading

[2:16:57] or

[2:16:59] changing of meters that would

[2:17:01] also impact our start-stop processing

[2:17:02] and we're working

[2:17:03] with utility services to make sure

[2:17:05] that we've addressed any

[2:17:07] items that were open from them. And

[2:17:08] making sure

[2:17:11] that team h2o was

[2:17:13] safe. Over to payments here. The payments are

[2:17:14] in line

[2:17:17] with the previous month and

[2:17:20] we're continuing our outreach on the resumption

[2:17:21] of turn

[2:17:22] offs here that will happen in march

[2:17:23] and april. There is a

[2:17:25] three month cycle so that's going

[2:17:26] to

[2:17:28] cover our quarterly bills. It'll take

[2:17:29] a little longer to get through

[2:17:32] the whole account base. Fern's also

[2:17:35] impacted the estimated bills. They're now

[2:17:36] at

[2:17:38] 29,000 accounts. And that will

[2:17:39] impact delinquencies and payments

[2:17:41] other the next few

[2:17:44] weeks and months as those estimated

[2:17:45] bills

[2:17:47] get

[2:17:49] cured and rebilled. So with our delinquent

[2:17:50] accounts here they've risen

[2:17:52] slightly month over month. They really

[2:17:53] do vary every

[2:17:56] day. I get excited when they

[2:17:58] dip down below $70 million. And get

[2:17:59] a little depressed

[2:18:01] when they go over 70 million. That's

[2:18:02] just part

[2:18:05] of our

[2:18:08] normal ebb and flow. Holidays

[2:18:10] and weekends and meter reading do

[2:18:11] drive a lot

[2:18:14] of that cycle there. Next slide will

[2:18:17] highlight what's going on with

[2:18:19] that residential accounts being the

[2:18:20] 70%

[2:18:23] of the dollars and 95% of

[2:18:26] the total accounts. So our outreach

[2:18:29] occurs by robocalls and letters, in addition

[2:18:32] to text messages from promise

[2:18:34] our partner for payment plans. For

[2:18:35] the commercial

[2:18:37] and multifamily accounts and other types

[2:18:38] of accounts,

[2:18:41] we review large balances and contact customers

[2:18:42] to

[2:18:44] assist with any issues they may have

[2:18:47] in terms of the understanding the

[2:18:51] bill or needing

[2:18:53] a payment plan. On the next slide

[2:18:54] you

[2:18:56] can see the distribution of delinquencies

[2:19:00] as we resume turnoffs in march

[2:19:02] and april. We'll prioritize the largest accounts

[2:19:03] and

[2:19:04] we'll have worked through the engagement

[2:19:06] of those customers

[2:19:08] to avoid a turn off which can be done

[2:19:10] either through paying the balance

[2:19:12] or getting into a payment plan

[2:19:15] which is relative will

[2:19:18] I affordable. The next slide

[2:19:21] highlights that we have not had

[2:19:23] any turnoffs during the get current

[2:19:24] period. As

[2:19:26] we engage customers there are about

[2:19:27] 11,000 customers

[2:19:30] that are at risk of turn off for

[2:19:31] owing at least $500 and not being

[2:19:36] in a payment

[2:19:37] plan. So the new bill here you can

[2:19:39] see the front

[2:19:41] and the back. There are about nine

[2:19:42] key changes we've

[2:19:45] made to it to make it

[2:19:46] more understandable to customers. We

[2:19:48] took

[2:19:50] input from customers. Customer service

[2:19:51] advisors

[2:19:53] and various other stake holders. We

[2:19:54] are

[2:19:55] listening to the feedback as it comes

[2:19:57] in with

[2:19:59] the new bill format and are ready

[2:20:00] to

[2:20:03] make any more updates or

[2:20:04] explanations as needed. There's summaries

[2:20:06] of

[2:20:09] the nine key

[2:20:12] areas there. So switching to get current here. We

[2:20:14] have wound down the program for new

[2:20:15] enrollments. But

[2:20:18] it is still very

[2:20:20] much something that customer service and

[2:20:21] I.t. And

[2:20:22] our partners are working through on

[2:20:24] a daily basis. The

[2:20:26] payment plans for the most recent

[2:20:27] iteration go

[2:20:30] out 12 months. And there are

[2:20:32] still active payment plans. A total

[2:20:36] of about 3,181

[2:20:39] payment plans

[2:20:42] were started. There were 10,381

[2:20:45] time payers. 13,561 customers

[2:20:47] took advantage of the program. And

[2:20:50] we've collected almost 5.5 million

[2:20:53] through the program. An additional

[2:20:54] 867,000

[2:20:56] in revenue to be collected. That means

[2:20:58] we've given almost 5 million-dollars

[2:21:02] in assistance to our customers as many

[2:21:03] of those

[2:21:06] collections were matched

[2:21:09] dollar for dollar. Chuck

[2:21:12] will give you the update on the outreach.

[2:21:13] >>

[2:21:14] for the record, chuck brown. Funny

[2:21:15] story, I

[2:21:17] was downstairs in line for the bake

[2:21:18] sale

[2:21:20] where the proceeds are benefiting

[2:21:21] the water

[2:21:23] fund. Huge hit. So hopefully you guys

[2:21:24] would be able to make

[2:21:26] it down there. But then somebody said

[2:21:29] you're up next, you better get upstairs very

[2:21:30] quickly. You

[2:21:31] guys are running really ahead of schedule. I

[2:21:33] got out of line

[2:21:36] for the buntinis to make it up

[2:21:38] here on time. I'm told somebody got

[2:21:41] mine for me. Proceeds go to the water

[2:21:44] fund. This will be my last update. Get

[2:21:45] current

[2:21:46] officially has ended. So I just wanted

[2:21:48] to share with you

[2:21:51] some really

[2:21:54] good, really great

[2:21:55] numbers actually. Targeting those

[2:21:57] zip codes which have

[2:21:59] the highest rearages through a variety

[2:22:01] of tactics. Streaming impressions

[2:22:03] passed over a

[2:22:06] million up from

[2:22:09] 918,000 over last

[2:22:12] month. Web display

[2:22:13] impressions, 1.5 million. Community

[2:22:15] events, 123

[2:22:18] up from 111 last month. This is

[2:22:20] all driving customers or did drive

[2:22:21] customers to

[2:22:24] our get current web page

[2:22:26] making it the second most visited

[2:22:27] web

[2:22:30] page

[2:22:33] on our website. So it's been really

[2:22:34] an

[2:22:35] honor to market this and to promote

[2:22:36] this and to work with

[2:22:39] john and his team to ensure

[2:22:45] our customers were aware from get

[2:22:47] current. Our message did get out. Obviously,

[2:22:48] but based

[2:22:50] on these metrics. But we actually

[2:22:51] heard back from one of

[2:22:54] our customers. I wanted to

[2:22:57] share

[2:23:00] a video. Then hit play.

[2:23:01] >> okay, so time to drop something

[2:23:03] that could be

[2:23:06] a little bit helpful. Washington

[2:23:08] --wssc the water company, they have

[2:23:09] this promotion going

[2:23:11] on right now. They honestly have a

[2:23:12] lot of hardship financial

[2:23:14] programs or just programs you can

[2:23:15] apply

[2:23:17] for to lower your bill. This is the

[2:23:18] one of

[2:23:20] the month. January 31st is in a few

[2:23:21] days so if you

[2:23:23] have any kind of balance on their

[2:23:24] page,

[2:23:26] go to this program. So me being a

[2:23:27] homeowner or just a

[2:23:30] person who is trying to cut any costs

[2:23:31] and

[2:23:32] especially like you tillties, I did

[2:23:33] this and it did

[2:23:36] work for me. So just wanted to

[2:23:37] share on this beautiful thursday just

[2:23:39] in case it can apply and

[2:23:42] work for you.

[2:23:43] >> so, again, we get these

[2:23:44] from time to time. I wanted to share this

[2:23:45] last one with you

[2:23:48] as we close

[2:23:51] out and conclude get current. We are

[2:23:52] going to

[2:23:54] be sending her a nice gift basket

[2:23:55] for

[2:23:57] promoting this to all of her

[2:24:00] followers and thanking her for her participation

[2:24:02] in get current. And finally, my last

[2:24:03] slide here is we're continuing

[2:24:06] to work with john's team to

[2:24:09] inform our customers on the

[2:24:11] collection's outreach. Using a variety

[2:24:12] of tactics

[2:24:14] from paid broadcast outreach. Paid and

[2:24:18] free

[2:24:20] social media. A lot of stuff out through

[2:24:21] all of our

[2:24:24] channels. With march coming

[2:24:26] up with commercial collections resuming and

[2:24:27] april

[2:24:29] for residential, we want to ensure

[2:24:30] our customers are aware

[2:24:33] this is starting and it's not

[2:24:36] a surprise.

[2:24:42] with that we

[2:24:44] can take questions. Any questions? Seeing none. Thank

[2:24:45] you.

[2:24:46] >> mr.

[2:24:48] chair.

[2:24:49] >> I'm sorry. >> I

[2:24:50] have a comment and then something. I

[2:24:51] never thought I would see

[2:24:54] the day when a

[2:24:57] social media influencer would be promoting our

[2:24:58] customer

[2:24:59] assistance programs but I do want to

[2:25:00] say thank you. I want

[2:25:03] to sign the

[2:25:06] card personally when we

[2:25:09] send the wssc water

[2:25:11] swag. We should probably look at getting

[2:25:12] more influencers

[2:25:15] to promote all of our

[2:25:18] offerings and programs. I want

[2:25:20] to thank customers for being focused

[2:25:21] on paying

[2:25:23] the bill. It occurred to me while

[2:25:24] we were in the call

[2:25:27] center

[2:25:33] last weekend.

[2:25:42] it

[2:25:45] occurred to me that customers calling

[2:25:48] to enroll their bill into promise

[2:25:49] pay, so

[2:25:51] they can have a

[2:25:54] monthly bill to pay that are

[2:25:55] in effect becoming delinquent because

[2:25:57] they're not paying their whole

[2:25:58] bill on time. They're paying over

[2:26:00] the course of a couple months because

[2:26:01] they want to

[2:26:03] pay a

[2:26:06] monthly bill. So I think one of the

[2:26:08] things we'll try to achieve in this next

[2:26:09] month is to

[2:26:12] look at the impact of the

[2:26:15] promise pay payment plans on

[2:26:18] the delinquency numbers. I think

[2:26:20] that is incorporated in that and then

[2:26:21] try to figure

[2:26:24] out what's happening with those customers that

[2:26:26] are more than 365 days overdue. Thank

[2:26:27] you to the

[2:26:30] customers for signing up for

[2:26:33] promise pay. Calling to pay your bill. Wanting

[2:26:34] to

[2:26:36] pay your bill. But we can look at

[2:26:37] the

[2:26:39] influence of that on those

[2:26:45] numbers as well. I think there may

[2:26:46] be

[2:26:48] something positive to

[2:26:51] share.

[2:26:52] >> thank you. >> next we'll

[2:26:53] hear

[2:26:54] from

[2:26:57] chief engineer. To present the quarterly

[2:27:00] capital improvements

[2:27:03] program

[2:27:06] cip update.

[2:27:07] >> thank you,

[2:27:11] chair smith. Commissioners. Corporate

[2:27:12] secretary

[2:27:16] and

[2:27:17] general manager powell. We're pleased to

[2:27:19] present a quarterly update

[2:27:22] of

[2:27:23] the capital improvement program. The

[2:27:25] agenda is on

[2:27:28] the next slide. And this is the

[2:27:30] order we're going to take today. Review

[2:27:34] the spending to

[2:27:37] date. Look at

[2:27:38] the reconstruction program's mileage

[2:27:40] kpi

[2:27:41] that we're striving to meet. Going

[2:27:43] to next go

[2:27:46] to project highlights by program

[2:27:49] areas. And then we're going to

[2:27:52] go into the procurement

[2:27:53] and contracts status. Then vendor

[2:27:55] outreach. Then entertain any

[2:28:01] questions

[2:28:04] you may have. This first slide

[2:28:07] summaries the fy 2025 and fy

[2:28:09] 2026 spending to date. The blue line

[2:28:12] below represents the spending for

[2:28:13] 2025

[2:28:16] and the red

[2:28:17] line above represents 2026 which if

[2:28:19] you do the

[2:28:21] numbers at the end of these curves

[2:28:25] 2026 is a 30% increase. So this is

[2:28:28] just a summary

[2:28:31] of our spending in our

[2:28:34] scale

[2:28:35] of spending. This next slide summarizes

[2:28:37] the year to

[2:28:40] date

[2:28:41] actuals through december of 2025. So

[2:28:43] we

[2:28:46] see for fy 26

[2:28:49] the approved budget

[2:28:51] was 715,000,529. It includes not only

[2:28:55] the

[2:28:58] cip projects that engineering

[2:28:59] and construction is responsible to deliver,

[2:29:04] but also includes growth

[2:29:06] and interjurisdictional agreement

[2:29:07] projects. That

[2:29:10] total of

[2:29:12] $715 million includes all three. If

[2:29:13] you look

[2:29:16] at the

[2:29:19] cip

[2:29:22] budget alone,

[2:29:28] that's $

[2:29:30] 592,046,000. Which is about 83% of

[2:29:32] the total. The approved expenditures

[2:29:34] so

[2:29:37] far have been

[2:29:40] $235,532,000. Which is about 40%

[2:29:43] of the budget. And then

[2:29:46] the expenditures for wssc water

[2:29:48] programs and projects to date compared

[2:29:49] to

[2:29:52] the budget, budgeted

[2:29:55] amount

[2:29:58] is $195,666, 476. Which, again,

[2:30:01] is close to 83% of the

[2:30:04] budgeted

[2:30:05] expenditures through december. If

[2:30:06] you calculate the average burn rate

[2:30:07] just for

[2:30:09] ease of analysis as we go through

[2:30:10] the next

[2:30:12] series of slides. It's 32 million per

[2:30:16] month is

[2:30:17] the average monthly burn rate. Go

[2:30:19] to the next

[2:30:22] slide. This shows

[2:30:28] the monthly expenditures. Minus

[2:30:32] the interjurisdictional agreements projects. The

[2:30:34] 32 million line. The red

[2:30:37] line is the average monthly burn

[2:30:40] rate. You can see some

[2:30:41] variation but the since september

[2:30:46] we've been steady. We had a

[2:30:49] nice uptick in

[2:30:51] august. So the next two slides please bear

[2:30:52] with me,

[2:30:55] we'll do a

[2:30:58] deeper dive to analysis the health of our

[2:31:01] fy 26 cip budget. In order to do that

[2:31:04] deep

[2:31:07] dive, we wanted

[2:31:09] to identify some of the budgets that

[2:31:13] were originally in our budget. For

[2:31:14] various

[2:31:16] reasons we've not been able to

[2:31:18] spend that budget. So one example is

[2:31:19] at

[2:31:22] the

[2:31:25] very top. The orange highlighted row. We

[2:31:26] see

[2:31:28] for

[2:31:34] the I-495

[2:31:37] 495/270 traffic

[2:31:40] that was canceled. The

[2:31:42] variance in spending is all that amount

[2:31:43] because that project was canceled. So

[2:31:46] what we wanted to

[2:31:49] do with this

[2:31:52] deep dive is show a little more

[2:31:53] clarity in terms of how we're doing

[2:31:55] on the projects that we can

[2:31:58] control the spending

[2:32:01] on. Next two blue rows

[2:32:04] show the

[2:32:05] blue plains waste water treatment plant

[2:32:07] budgets that we are provided

[2:32:10] by blue

[2:32:12] plains through our interjurisdictional agreement. You

[2:32:13] can see

[2:32:16] the approved budget for the liquid

[2:32:19] treatment train is

[2:32:22] 13 million. And

[2:32:25] for the management is

[2:32:28] almost 6 million. Historically we've

[2:32:31] found there dc

[2:32:33] blue plains is pretty liberal in their

[2:32:34] budgets

[2:32:37] and they generally end up

[2:32:39] only spending maybe 50, maybe 60%

[2:32:43] max in terms of what they're

[2:32:45] budgeting. So what we're doing is

[2:32:46] taking a little bit

[2:32:49] of a haircut in terms of their

[2:32:51] budget. So that's not held against

[2:32:52] us because that money

[2:32:55] is

[2:32:57] not being spent. Below the blue lines are

[2:32:58] some of the projects that

[2:33:01] we do have control. Yes. Yes, chair

[2:33:03] smith.

[2:33:04] >> sorry to interrupt you,

[2:33:05] chief engineer. I don't want

[2:33:07] us to lose this. You're going quite

[2:33:10] in detail. Mr. Musara, could

[2:33:13] you please explain the impact when

[2:33:14] we receive

[2:33:16] a request and

[2:33:18] put into our budget 13.5 million and

[2:33:19] then as it trues

[2:33:22] up it's

[2:33:28] closer

[2:33:31] to 8.1.

[2:33:32] >> thanks, chair smith. Munetsi

[2:33:34] musara. If we are under

[2:33:36] budget because capital funding is

[2:33:37] multiyear, when we receive

[2:33:39] the debt for that particular year

[2:33:40] if the project

[2:33:42] isn't in place and the spending doesn't happen

[2:33:43] and it's delayed the

[2:33:45] funds that we don't spend carry over

[2:33:46] so they're available in

[2:33:49] the next year. What also happens is

[2:33:50] that between

[2:33:51] projects since there's so many of

[2:33:52] them

[2:33:55] you have projects that

[2:33:58] overspend, underspend, we can reallocate the resources. We

[2:34:00] want to be as close to the budget

[2:34:01] that way we're

[2:34:03] not overborrowing and having that additional

[2:34:04] debt service. From

[2:34:07] a budget perspective so long as there's

[2:34:09] availability we can reallocate based

[2:34:10] on what engineering and

[2:34:12] construction delays they can overcome

[2:34:13] versus what they

[2:34:16] have in place.

[2:34:17] >> thank you, mr. Musara. Any

[2:34:18] additional questions? My apologies. I just

[2:34:19] thought it was

[2:34:21] important to cover that point. Please

[2:34:22] proceed.

[2:34:23] >> thank

[2:34:25] you, chair smith. So if we go down the

[2:34:26] rest

[2:34:28] of the list and the first

[2:34:31] page, the green, the green

[2:34:34] are projects that we recognize are

[2:34:37] behind the spending that we, schedule

[2:34:40] that we budgeted. For various

[2:34:42] reasons they're behind. We're documenting

[2:34:43] what

[2:34:46] those reasons are so we can

[2:34:49] implement any possible changes to

[2:34:50] the delivery

[2:34:52] of that project to expedite

[2:34:55] the spending. These are basically

[2:34:57] projects on alert that we're watching

[2:34:59] very closely to

[2:35:02] see if we can find ways to

[2:35:04] expedite them. The next page also

[2:35:07] has some green projects. There's a

[2:35:08] couple

[2:35:09] more blue ones. The next blue one

[2:35:11] is

[2:35:14] the master planning. Facilities

[2:35:17] planning program. And

[2:35:20] that was

[2:35:22] liberally budgeted by wssc. We've

[2:35:25] recognized after the first year as

[2:35:27] well as looking at the scope going

[2:35:29] forward doesn't appear we're

[2:35:31] going to need to expend all those

[2:35:32] funds that were budgeted

[2:35:35] for the master plan. So we're

[2:35:38] taking

[2:35:40] that into account. Finally the other

[2:35:43] blue program is a lead reduction program. And

[2:35:44] the

[2:35:46] fact that we're underspending is good

[2:35:47] news. Because what

[2:35:50] that means is we're not

[2:35:53] finding as

[2:35:55] many lead services that were in the database. So

[2:35:56] that

[2:35:58] means there's less construction work

[2:36:01] needed and construction dollars that

[2:36:02] will be

[2:36:03] spent on this program. We're watching

[2:36:05] that closely. We

[2:36:07] are going to moderate our budgets

[2:36:11] going forward to

[2:36:12] reflect this type of information. I

[2:36:14] want to go to the

[2:36:16] next slide. Next slide kind of summarizes where

[2:36:17] we are

[2:36:20] in

[2:36:23] this analysis. This

[2:36:26] is a summary of

[2:36:28] our budget health for fy 26. We started

[2:36:32] on the left hand column with the original

[2:36:35] 12 month budget. We've

[2:36:38] reduced or

[2:36:41] subtracted the approved

[2:36:43] budgets for interjurisdictional agreements and

[2:36:44] growth

[2:36:46] projects. We were subtracting the

[2:36:49] 123. We're also subtracting the excessive

[2:36:50] or excess

[2:36:53] budget that we've identified in

[2:36:56] those projects I describe which is 65

[2:36:59] million. So we have an adjusted budget

[2:37:02] in the fourth

[2:37:05] column of 526. For the

[2:37:08] year. And then if you reduce it

[2:37:11] by 50% you

[2:37:13] get 263. For a six month budget you compare

[2:37:14] that to

[2:37:17] our spend for just our projects

[2:37:20] that we control. 195. We get a

[2:37:23] percentage of 74%. Now where we

[2:37:26] need to go is towards

[2:37:28] 90. That's the metric that engineering

[2:37:29] and

[2:37:30] construction has been provided. So

[2:37:32] we will continue

[2:37:35] to monitor this kpi and

[2:37:38] strive

[2:37:39] towards increasing the 74%. Are there

[2:37:41] any

[2:37:44] questions

[2:37:47] on this table?

[2:37:48] >> commissioner

[2:37:49] speed-bost.

[2:37:50] >> I was going to ask

[2:37:53] it relates also to slide

[2:37:56] --your slide three. Remind

[2:37:59] me again, I think I understand

[2:38:02] why we back

[2:38:05] out the interjurisdictional agreement amounts. Why

[2:38:08] do we back

[2:38:11] out growth projects?

[2:38:12] >> the growth

[2:38:14] projects are dictated

[2:38:17] by the developer projects that

[2:38:20] we are supporting. So initially they

[2:38:22] provide of course a projection in

[2:38:23] terms of what

[2:38:25] they're going to need in terms of

[2:38:29] our services. And when. But we

[2:38:31] don't have actual control, commissioner speed-bost,

[2:38:35] of the

[2:38:37] developer's schedule. And budget. But

[2:38:38] especially schedule. So what's probably

[2:38:40] going to happen in those projects, commissioner

[2:38:41] speed-bost,

[2:38:44] is that those funds that have

[2:38:46] not been spent to date could be pushed into

[2:38:47] the

[2:38:50] next fiscal year. But for

[2:38:53] analyzing our kpis for this fiscal

[2:38:56] year that's the reason why we're not

[2:38:58] counting those unspent funds.

[2:38:59] >> and

[2:39:00] so our

[2:39:02] budget,

[2:39:04] we create the budget or the developer?

[2:39:05] >>

[2:39:06] they create the

[2:39:08] schedule and their needs and then

[2:39:10] we together estimate the cost of the

[2:39:11] water or sewer service or

[2:39:14] other work that we have to do

[2:39:17] to support their

[2:39:20] project.

[2:39:21] >> is there any --this

[2:39:23] is the estimate for

[2:39:26] our capital expenditures

[2:39:27] associated with development projects.

[2:39:29] this doesn't go

[2:39:32] to the developer's

[2:39:35] portion.

[2:39:36] >> that's correct. Totally

[2:39:37] separate. It's on our side of the

[2:39:38] ledger.

[2:39:39] >>

[2:39:41] thank you. That helps.

[2:39:42] >> you're

[2:39:43] welcome, commissioner.

[2:39:44] >> if I may go

[2:39:45] to

[2:39:47] the next slide. This is

[2:39:50] one of our favorite slides. It took

[2:39:51] us a

[2:39:52] while to come up with the packing

[2:39:53] so

[2:39:55] much information into one chart. But

[2:39:56] I'll, I'll

[2:39:59] walk

[2:40:02] you through it. We have

[2:40:05] at chair

[2:40:08] smith's

[2:40:10] request analyzed our fy 23 through

[2:40:11] fy

[2:40:14] 26 spending on our

[2:40:15] approved capital projects. Just looking

[2:40:17] at the big

[2:40:20] chunks you can see a

[2:40:23] significant ramp up from 23 to

[2:40:26] 26 from 136

[2:40:29] million,

[2:40:32] 14

[2:40:34] projects. Fy 26. 239, 49 projects. We've

[2:40:35] provided two bars

[2:40:37] for each fiscal year. The first bar is

[2:40:38] a schedule bar. The

[2:40:41] second bar is a cost

[2:40:44] bar. And what the

[2:40:47] color coding legend is, let me just

[2:40:50] review that quickly. Anything

[2:40:52] in blue the schedule or the schedule

[2:40:53] is

[2:40:56] on time. Or if it's

[2:40:59] a cost bar, the budget is on

[2:41:02] budget. The project budget

[2:41:05] is on budget. If we see

[2:41:07] black for schedule, that represents

[2:41:08] a

[2:41:11] project that is between 1 to

[2:41:14] 15 days behind schedule. And

[2:41:17] then on the

[2:41:20] cost bar, black denotes 5%

[2:41:23] above budget. So these are

[2:41:26] warnings that we have. Developing

[2:41:29] for every single project in

[2:41:32] our cip budget. Anything

[2:41:35] in

[2:41:37] orange is worse. For schedule it's

[2:41:38] 60 days behind. More

[2:41:41] than 60 days behind. And for

[2:41:44] cost more than

[2:41:47] 5%

[2:41:50] above budget. So deputy chief engineer

[2:41:51] cavill is

[2:41:53] sitting next to me and

[2:41:56] she has all the information by every project

[2:41:57] in terms

[2:41:59] of their coding. So if you have any desire

[2:42:02] to ask any questions

[2:42:05] about specific projects, she's available

[2:42:08] to answer

[2:42:11] them today.

[2:42:12] >> any questions? You may

[2:42:14] proceed.

[2:42:15] >> okay. Thank

[2:42:17] you, chair smith. This next slide

[2:42:20] was

[2:42:23] generated from a question you posed

[2:42:24] a meeting

[2:42:26] ago. The question was how do

[2:42:29] we prioritize

[2:42:32] our

[2:42:35] cip

[2:42:38] projects? So we're using a way

[2:42:40] of prioritizing our projects. We have

[2:42:41] a process where

[2:42:44] we can adjust the math and

[2:42:45] adjust the prior cityization. This

[2:42:47] is the

[2:42:50] current prioritization

[2:42:53] scheme we have. Regulatory driven

[2:42:56] projects get a 30% score, if you will. Health

[2:42:59] and safety, another 30%. That's

[2:43:02] a

[2:43:05] total of 60. Level of

[2:43:08] service, 15. Reliability and resilience. Maintaining

[2:43:09] good

[2:43:11] repair is ten. That is connected

[2:43:14] to asset management program which

[2:43:17] we have many years of work

[2:43:20] developing that program. Then

[2:43:24] we have 5% score for

[2:43:27] what we

[2:43:30] call innovation,

[2:43:31] initiatives plans, policies. We're looking

[2:43:33] ahead in

[2:43:36] terms

[2:43:38] of emerging regulations. We're looking

[2:43:39] ahead

[2:43:42] at emerging economic shifts

[2:43:45] like

[2:43:48] data centers. So we want to give

[2:43:51] projects a score. To

[2:43:54] account for

[2:43:57] that type of value

[2:44:00] to the cip. Chair smith, if

[2:44:02] you would like some additional more

[2:44:05] detail on how we prioritize we'd be

[2:44:06] happy to provide

[2:44:12] that.

[2:44:13] >> questions? >> can you

[2:44:15] differentiate for me between

[2:44:18] the health and

[2:44:20] safety attribute or assessment and

[2:44:22] the reliability and resilience and how

[2:44:24] those

[2:44:26] are distinguished?

[2:44:27] >> so the question

[2:44:28] is how

[2:44:29] do we distinguish between the health and

[2:44:30] safety metric

[2:44:33] and the reliability metric?

[2:44:34] >>

[2:44:35] yes.

[2:44:36] >> commissioner speed-bost. Starting

[2:44:38] with health and safety. Again, that's

[2:44:39] also

[2:44:42] tied to regulations. But for

[2:44:44] example the pfas regulations that

[2:44:45] are

[2:44:47] pending and that could impact what

[2:44:48] we need to

[2:44:51] do down the road in terms

[2:44:54] of treatment at our

[2:44:57] water

[2:45:00] treatment plants. Or biosolids

[2:45:02] management. If it was a water treatment project

[2:45:05] or a biosolids project it would get

[2:45:06] a high score

[2:45:08] in it terms of health and safety. It

[2:45:09] also would get

[2:45:13] credit for reliability. All of our

[2:45:15] upgrades we

[2:45:18] do

[2:45:20] at our facilities they are rarely the entire

[2:45:21] system

[2:45:23] of the plant or the linear system. It's

[2:45:24] a

[2:45:27] component of it. So if there's

[2:45:29] a failure in part of the system then

[2:45:30] we

[2:45:33] have to fix it and may not be expending all

[2:45:35] the funds that we would have to to

[2:45:36] replace the

[2:45:39] system but it would get scored

[2:45:42] for reliability as well

[2:45:45] as

[2:45:48] health and safety.

[2:45:49] >> can I add something? >>

[2:45:51] please.

[2:45:52] >> I'll just add to

[2:45:53] help clarity for distinguishing between

[2:45:54] the two. For the

[2:45:55] reliability and resilience component that

[2:45:57] is for example if it

[2:45:59] we're adding redundancy to our network. So if

[2:46:00] we see

[2:46:03] that we have

[2:46:06] an area that is

[2:46:08] a major only being served by one major

[2:46:12] pipeline and adding a

[2:46:15] secondary pipeline. So if

[2:46:18] that major popline large area isn't

[2:46:19] without

[2:46:20] service for very long. That is an

[2:46:21] example of

[2:46:24] the resilience and reliability

[2:46:27] side of

[2:46:30] the scoring.

[2:46:31] >> I'm still

[2:46:32] not sure I'm there yet, but I don't

[2:46:33] have

[2:46:34] a specific question so I'll think

[2:46:36] about it some

[2:46:38] more maybe ask in a follow up meeting.

[2:46:39] >>

[2:46:40] this is

[2:46:41] a truncated version of the scoring

[2:46:42] within each of these

[2:46:44] there are subcategories. So maybe

[2:46:45] if we provide

[2:46:48] you with the more

[2:46:51] detailed chart it

[2:46:52] will help the thinking process between

[2:46:54] how we're assigning the scores. Would

[2:46:57] that be helpful?

[2:46:58] >> that

[2:47:00] may

[2:47:03] be helpful.

[2:47:04] >>

[2:47:05] thank you. You may proceed.

[2:47:06] >> I'll

[2:47:09] just

[2:47:11] add, commissioner speed-bost, it's

[2:47:12] important

[2:47:15] to have a method

[2:47:18] that every

[2:47:20] project is scored by. So these --

[2:47:21] this

[2:47:23] scoring system is something that we've developed

[2:47:24] over the course

[2:47:27] of the years. As

[2:47:30] our system needs evolve,

[2:47:32] this type of prioritization, these scoring

[2:47:33] systems

[2:47:36] will

[2:47:38] be adjusted.

[2:47:39] >> thank you for that. To

[2:47:40] be

[2:47:42] clear, I'm supportive of a ranking,

[2:47:44] if you will, of a process that can

[2:47:45] be applied across all

[2:47:48] of

[2:47:51] the projects. So we know we have a

[2:47:53] systematic way of approaching the work. Maybe

[2:47:54] I should have

[2:47:55] used the word definitions or something. I

[2:48:00] think the additional detail might

[2:48:01] help

[2:48:02] get me a better understanding of how each

[2:48:03] of the categories work so

[2:48:05] I have a better framework. I appreciate

[2:48:06] that.

[2:48:07] >> thank

[2:48:09] you,

[2:48:12] commissioner. We'll

[2:48:15] provide that. This

[2:48:20] next slide we wanted to summarize. In

[2:48:21] this table

[2:48:24] if you look at the top of the table

[2:48:25] and

[2:48:27] the two green areas, the design

[2:48:30] of sewer reconstruction projects and construction

[2:48:33] of sewer reconstruction projects

[2:48:36] left to right. You can see we have

[2:48:37] mileage goals. I

[2:48:38] know the commissioners are aware of

[2:48:39] this. So we

[2:48:42] have mileage goals

[2:48:45] that we track. These

[2:48:47] are actual mileage of infrastructure

[2:48:48] in the

[2:48:51] ground. This is based on what's

[2:48:54] happened in the field. So

[2:48:57] on the sewer construction program

[2:49:00] we see we're

[2:49:03] doing well. We've exceeded the

[2:49:04] design miles completed compared to

[2:49:09] the design mileage goals. For the

[2:49:11] sewer reconstruction program. For

[2:49:12] the large chunk sewer program

[2:49:14] we are about where we should be since

[2:49:15] we're

[2:49:18] about halfway through the

[2:49:21] year. We're over the

[2:49:24] 4.5 versus the 9 for

[2:49:27] the sewer program. Design wise

[2:49:30] we're in good shape. On the

[2:49:32] construction side, on the right you

[2:49:33] can

[2:49:36] see we've completed

[2:49:42] 6.6 miles. Compared to the goal

[2:49:45] we have. I'm going to provide

[2:49:47] some insight into that. On the sewer

[2:49:51] side we've completed two

[2:49:54] miles versus 16. The background

[2:49:57] here is that

[2:50:00] we have

[2:50:03] identified a procurement process that

[2:50:05] definitely expedites the number of

[2:50:06] projects that get

[2:50:08] through our procurement system faster

[2:50:09] and gives

[2:50:12] us the ability to

[2:50:15] award

[2:50:18] contracts faster. That is the prequalification contracting

[2:50:19] approach

[2:50:21] where we advertise and we

[2:50:24] get maybe 20, 30 firms. Maybe 40

[2:50:26] firms that respond. And then from

[2:50:30] that list of 30 or 40 we reduce it

[2:50:31] down

[2:50:33] to maybe half. Maybe 20 that

[2:50:36] are

[2:50:37] all prequalified. To do this construction

[2:50:39] work on our

[2:50:41] sewer pipelines. And then when we

[2:50:45] have these designs completed and

[2:50:48] we need a contractor on board to do

[2:50:51] the work we go to that prequalified 20

[2:50:54] list and say firm a

[2:50:57] we have this project, submit a proposal to

[2:51:00] do this project. There's no more proposals,

[2:51:03] if you will. It's

[2:51:06] basically pricing. There's no advertise. Not

[2:51:07] a

[2:51:09] lot of time lost in terms of

[2:51:12] securing that contractor. So that

[2:51:13] process has

[2:51:15] been in place for maybe 6 months

[2:51:18] or maybe a

[2:51:22] bit more. We know it is

[2:51:24] increasing our ability to have more

[2:51:26] projects in construction. I think

[2:51:28] the numbers

[2:51:31] if I'm not mistaken deputy

[2:51:34] chief is it 30? 32

[2:51:37] or 36 projects

[2:51:38] were awarded in the first half of

[2:51:40] the

[2:51:41] year? Yeah. Yeah.

[2:51:42] >> around 30. >>

[2:51:43] right. So we hope to

[2:51:46] pick up the pace. Same thing

[2:51:49] on

[2:51:51] the sewer reconstruction program. On

[2:51:52] the water

[2:51:55] programs we are looking well,

[2:51:58] in

[2:52:00] good shape. Again, the 15.95 miles completed versus

[2:52:04] 18 and the

[2:52:07] 4.17 versus 4, that's going

[2:52:08] well. We're not going to change anything

[2:52:09] we're doing on the water side in it

[2:52:13] terms of the procurement and

[2:52:14] awarding of those contracts. Securing

[2:52:16] contractors. Things are

[2:52:18] going well. So our focus is mainly

[2:52:19] on

[2:52:22] the sewer side. Likewise on the

[2:52:25] construction, we are for the

[2:52:27] distribution system we're doing well

[2:52:30] at 16.31 versus 27. We need to pick

[2:52:34] up on the transmission

[2:52:36] water construction program. We're

[2:52:37] .71

[2:52:38] versus 5. And again, that has to do

[2:52:40] with the size

[2:52:43] of those

[2:52:46] reconstruction transmission

[2:52:49] water programs. And the

[2:52:52] construction scopes generally require a

[2:52:55] very

[2:52:57] --a larger prime contractor. That's what

[2:52:58] we --that's

[2:53:00] the only thing we're trying to do

[2:53:01] is attract more. But

[2:53:02] I think we'll be able to pick up the

[2:53:04] pace

[2:53:07] on

[2:53:10] that program also. Chair

[2:53:12] smith.

[2:53:13] >> yes, sir. I think you're

[2:53:14] probably going to want to

[2:53:16] call a friend

[2:53:21] on this one. I understand and appreciate

[2:53:23] the expedited process allowing us

[2:53:28] to catch up with 6.62 versus

[2:53:31] 46. Even if using

[2:53:32] your previous methodologies. You know

[2:53:34] of 50%. That would mean we

[2:53:37] should be somewhere

[2:53:39] around 23. My question is and I'm very happy

[2:53:40] we're

[2:53:46] going to accelerate. However, if

[2:53:48] we have preapproved contractors, is

[2:53:55] there any adverse impact on additional contractors

[2:53:58] getting access to those.

[2:53:59] >> I'll start

[2:54:01] with that answer. I believe we can

[2:54:02] also get some supportive information

[2:54:04] too.

[2:54:05] >> the

[2:54:07] friend is coming to

[2:54:10] the mic.

[2:54:11] >> yes. We

[2:54:12] actually did add more prequalified

[2:54:13] contractors once we found out

[2:54:16] this was working. Do you remember the

[2:54:19] numbers?

[2:54:20] >> we had roughly 8 contractors initially

[2:54:22] and then we actually did an amendment

[2:54:23] so

[2:54:25] that we could increase that

[2:54:27] sooner than the original contract

[2:54:28] allowed. So

[2:54:31] now we're up to I believe

[2:54:34] 12 or 13 contractors. And we have

[2:54:35] a cadence

[2:54:37] in which we're opening the pool

[2:54:40] again so that additional contractors

[2:54:41] who qualify

[2:54:42] based on the requirements can add

[2:54:43] their

[2:54:45] name to the list. So they're not excluded. We

[2:54:46] thought

[2:54:48] about that. We wanted this pool to

[2:54:49] be, you know, as large

[2:54:51] as possible so we had enough resources

[2:54:52] to do

[2:54:55] the amount of work

[2:54:57] we have done.

[2:54:58] >> they didn't need

[2:54:59] me.

[2:55:00] >> no,

[2:55:01] we need you.

[2:55:02] >>

[2:55:03] chief procurement officer. And to

[2:55:04] the point just

[2:55:06] made, it's on a rolling basis. Annually

[2:55:07] we will

[2:55:10] open it up so that the vendor

[2:55:12] community who did not participate

[2:55:13] initially have

[2:55:15] an opportunity to propose and of course

[2:55:17] there are some minimum qualifications

[2:55:19] and qualifications associated with that

[2:55:21] program. It certainly gives new vendors an

[2:55:22] opportunity to participate. There

[2:55:25] will be a

[2:55:26] rolling admissions in the fall.

[2:55:27] >>

[2:55:28] thank you very

[2:55:33] much. Thank you. Thanks.

[2:55:34] >> thank

[2:55:35] you. So if

[2:55:36] there aren't any more questions on

[2:55:37] that table. I'm just going to do

[2:55:40] a real quick dive through some of

[2:55:41] these projects that we'd

[2:55:43] like to high light for this quarter. So

[2:55:44] I'm

[2:55:46] not going to go over every one in

[2:55:49] your slide deck. If it we can go

[2:55:55] to the anacostia one. We do

[2:55:58] expect a completion in november

[2:56:01] of 2026. And this is another example

[2:56:04] of some of the

[2:56:07] upgrades for operational resiliency

[2:56:10] that we've talked about

[2:56:13] for our facilities. Next one I'd like

[2:56:16] to

[2:56:19] go

[2:56:22] to is the

[2:56:24] anacostia depot reconfiguration. The

[2:56:25] need for

[2:56:28] providing the work space as we

[2:56:31] are upskilling our workforce. We need

[2:56:32] to provide

[2:56:33] them better and more capable work

[2:56:37] space and facilities. So

[2:56:40] this project is

[2:56:43] 98% complete. And we're going to

[2:56:45] really enjoy this expanded facility because it's

[2:56:46] going to be able

[2:56:49] to support a

[2:56:50] lot more productivity.

[2:57:04] one of 64

[2:57:07] hour water

[2:57:10] storage tanks. These projects touch a lot

[2:57:11] of the community, because

[2:57:12] they are spread out and they are visible.

[2:57:13] and in some cases they are

[2:57:16] very proximate to

[2:57:19] the residence. So the work we are

[2:57:20] doing on

[2:57:21] these is very important. The work

[2:57:22] has been

[2:57:25] deferred and

[2:57:28] it's hard but

[2:57:30] straightforward work. Some demolition,

[2:57:31] rehabilitation

[2:57:34] and obviously an upgrade

[2:57:37] painting and so forth of

[2:57:40] the facility. The last one, not

[2:57:43] the last one but the one I

[2:57:46] will go to next is the

[2:57:49] potomac water filtration plant

[2:57:51] consent decree. In previous sessions

[2:57:52] we

[2:57:56] have remarked that this consent decree

[2:57:58] is near completion and this is an

[2:58:01] example. This particular project

[2:58:04] is 92% complete and you can see

[2:58:06] the size and extent of the project

[2:58:07] and this will allow

[2:58:09] us to put this consent decree behind

[2:58:10] us

[2:58:13] and then the monies that

[2:58:15] we've been spending on this consent

[2:58:16] decree can be

[2:58:19] used for other

[2:58:22] future needs. In the last are

[2:58:25] for

[2:58:27] context in his situational awareness.

[2:58:28] the master

[2:58:31] plan project is going

[2:58:36] to generate a master plan and a number

[2:58:37] of facility plans that

[2:58:40] will then feed into

[2:58:43] the future capital improvement program

[2:58:44] so as we

[2:58:45] said before, we are looking ahead.

[2:58:46] we don't want to

[2:58:49] be

[2:58:51] caught. And surprised about some of

[2:58:52] the needs that

[2:58:55] we have for our system.

[2:59:01] so this is going to generate a good

[2:59:02] deal of insight

[2:59:03] into what our future requirement is

[2:59:04] going to be. We are about a year

[2:59:06] into this. And then the last one I

[2:59:07] wanted to mention is the

[2:59:10] lead reduction program. We are finding a lot

[2:59:13] less led in the

[2:59:16] system, thank god.

[2:59:18] so we are going to have reductions

[2:59:19] in this program but we

[2:59:22] are

[2:59:24] being vigilant in terms of adhering

[2:59:25] to the federal requirements

[2:59:28] for the programs and so we don't want

[2:59:31] this to get into a

[2:59:33] situation where we are struggling

[2:59:34] because there's

[2:59:37] too much lead in

[2:59:40] the communities. And finally, I want

[2:59:41] to go to vendor

[2:59:46] outreach. This is something that chief

[2:59:49] procurement officer has

[2:59:52] been very supportive in

[2:59:55] terms of helping engineering and construction

[2:59:56] with getting our

[2:59:58] products not only on the street

[3:00:02] but attracting qualified

[3:00:03] service vendors. The last four that

[3:00:05] we had on this list, I

[3:00:08] will just mention that the first

[3:00:09] one, the capital improvement team

[3:00:11] were due

[3:00:14] to get their

[3:00:17] final proposals

[3:00:20] in march. So that's

[3:00:21] coming up. And then the last one on

[3:00:23] the list the

[3:00:26] water

[3:00:27] quality p fas treatment pilot is to

[3:00:29] implement a very innovative

[3:00:32] design, build, operate and

[3:00:35] maintain project

[3:00:36] for a innovative pilot plant that

[3:00:38] will evaluate

[3:00:39] p fas treatment facilities as well

[3:00:41] as

[3:00:43] other waller water quality treatment

[3:00:44] in

[3:00:50] the future.

[3:00:54] wraps up the procurement and contract

[3:00:56] award and you can

[3:00:59] see that so far there's been

[3:01:00] 70 awards and that is quite an achievement

[3:01:02] in terms

[3:01:05] of the procurement program.

[3:01:08] and the size of

[3:01:09] the contract. I'd be happy to answer

[3:01:16] any questions.

[3:01:17] >> thank you chief

[3:01:18] engineer. Seeing

[3:01:20] none. You may proceed.

[3:01:21] >> I did

[3:01:23] want to go

[3:01:24] back to commissioner speed-bost's

[3:01:25] question while we are still on this

[3:01:26] question

[3:01:27] to make sure we understood the question.

[3:01:29] we will follow up with

[3:01:32] the detailed as the

[3:01:35] team said. We may have shown

[3:01:40] this before I'm not sure but I understood

[3:01:41] your question

[3:01:43] to be what is the difference between

[3:01:44] the

[3:01:47] health and safety metric and the

[3:01:50] reliability and

[3:01:52] resilience metric. So under health

[3:01:53] and

[3:01:55] safety which also includes business

[3:01:56] risk

[3:01:59] exposure scores we

[3:02:02] have anything, the

[3:02:03] team is scoring based on business

[3:02:05] risk exposure. We can

[3:02:08] do a deep dive on that when we

[3:02:10] show the detail graphic next month,

[3:02:11] I'll

[3:02:14] include that in

[3:02:17] the presentation. But it also addresses

[3:02:20] enterprise

[3:02:23] risk and anything, any project that

[3:02:24] addresses

[3:02:26] physical

[3:02:29] security

[3:02:32] needs, the health and safety of

[3:02:35] the public.

[3:02:38] so it's typically related to

[3:02:40] treatment. Where we are making sure

[3:02:41] we

[3:02:44] are providing water treatment that

[3:02:45] will

[3:02:48] be protective of public health and

[3:02:50] anything

[3:02:53] related to safety measures.

[3:02:54] any projects related to safety measures

[3:02:56] we

[3:02:59] sometimes

[3:03:01] have facilities or at our facilities

[3:03:02] where there may

[3:03:05] be some deterioration of equipment

[3:03:08] or platforms or whatever. Those are

[3:03:09] included

[3:03:11] in the health and

[3:03:14] safety bucket as well. And then under

[3:03:15] reliability

[3:03:17] and resilience

[3:03:20] it really is closing

[3:03:23] gaps on vulnerabilities we

[3:03:26] have identified with

[3:03:29] our infrastructure. That would also

[3:03:31] include making sure we have redundant

[3:03:32] infrastructure, it

[3:03:36] also includes addressing climate change

[3:03:40] or instability, greenhouse gas emissions

[3:03:41] so that

[3:03:44] would be some of the projects

[3:03:47] in our energy portfolio as

[3:03:50] well. And anything related to emergency

[3:03:51] response

[3:03:56] but typically maintaining our infrastructure

[3:03:57] in a

[3:03:59] state of good repair. So

[3:04:02] we have many projects like the potomac

[3:04:03] work

[3:04:05] that is driven by

[3:04:07] consent decrees but we are more often

[3:04:11] than not really just trying to maintain

[3:04:14] our infrastructure in a state of

[3:04:17] good repair where it is

[3:04:18] functioning, meeting the level of

[3:04:20] service that we need to provide service

[3:04:21] to

[3:04:23] the customers, it addresses

[3:04:26] asset management

[3:04:29] risks that have been

[3:04:32] identified, any thing that

[3:04:35] is identified by the teams, the

[3:04:41] operation teams that is impacting

[3:04:42] operation and maintenance as

[3:04:47] well. So making sure essentially that

[3:04:48] our

[3:04:49] infrastructure is reliable in terms

[3:04:50] of service and

[3:04:52] then addressing resilience including

[3:04:53] making

[3:04:56] sure that we can

[3:04:59] continue to serve or get things back

[3:05:00] online having the redundancies that

[3:05:02] are

[3:05:07] necessary. And the last point is reducing,

[3:05:08] does the

[3:05:11] project reduce the amount of

[3:05:13] time that we have outages for instance?

[3:05:14] some

[3:05:17] of the installations that

[3:05:20] you see, we have a number in

[3:05:23] the system that may not

[3:05:26] be operating when the team goes

[3:05:29] to do a shut off for instance, they

[3:05:30] may

[3:05:31] have to back up and shut off a larger

[3:05:35] area because we have an

[3:05:38] inoperable valve. By replacing those

[3:05:39] valves, we

[3:05:40] are able to tighten up the area and

[3:05:43] potentially keep those customers,

[3:05:44] put less customers out of service

[3:05:49] but also lessen the impact to the

[3:05:50] customers that have been

[3:05:53] placed on service. Hopefully that

[3:05:56] helps explain in

[3:05:58] the interim, we will provide more

[3:05:59] detail in the follow-up

[3:06:05] as well.

[3:06:06] >> thank

[3:06:07] you gm and I applaud you and your

[3:06:09] team for

[3:06:12] real-time updates. Chief engineer

[3:06:14] and deputy chief engineer I look forward

[3:06:15] to your next

[3:06:21] quarterly update

[3:06:27] in particular

[3:06:30] slide 22 very informative.

[3:06:32] so look forward to all of your updates.

[3:06:33] >> thank you

[3:06:39] chair smith.

[3:06:40] >> we will now

[3:06:41] hear from water resources protection

[3:06:42] division

[3:06:43] manager to present the regional water

[3:06:45] supply program

[3:06:48] followed by u.s.

[3:06:49] army corps of engineers baltimore

[3:06:51] study

[3:06:53] manager and lead planner to present

[3:06:54] the secondary

[3:06:57] water source feasibility

[3:07:03] study update. And I apologize if

[3:07:09] I mispronounced.

[3:07:12] >>

[3:07:18] good afternoon.

[3:07:21] corporate

[3:07:23] secretary. Customers, team h2o and

[3:07:24] those on

[3:07:28] the lifestream. My name is katie foreman

[3:07:29] for the record. Division manager of

[3:07:30] the

[3:07:31] water resources protection division

[3:07:33] here at

[3:07:36] wssc water. I appreciate the

[3:07:37] opportunity to talk to you today about

[3:07:38] key water supply efforts and want

[3:07:39] to

[3:07:40] take an opportunity to introduce those

[3:07:42] who

[3:07:45] have joined. The director of

[3:07:48] the department of reliability

[3:07:50] and resilience where my division sits

[3:07:51] as

[3:07:54] well as tom hilton with the

[3:07:56] planning division as manager. I'd

[3:07:57] also like

[3:08:00] to introduce jackie who has joined

[3:08:01] us

[3:08:03] from the u.s. Army corps

[3:08:07] of engineers and baltimore district

[3:08:08] planning division who will be presenting

[3:08:09] after

[3:08:11] I provide some opening context and

[3:08:15] introduction remarks. And I

[3:08:18] also want to

[3:08:19] note that what jackie will be talking

[3:08:21] about is a very

[3:08:22] large regional effort and giving an

[3:08:24] update on

[3:08:25] the secondary water source feasibility

[3:08:27] study that the u.s. Army corps

[3:08:30] of engineers. This is

[3:08:33] a large, bless you,

[3:08:35] regional effort and I just want to

[3:08:36] note that within the

[3:08:39] audience today are the nonfederal

[3:08:40] local sponsors of this study through

[3:08:42] the federal

[3:08:44] funding with the metropolitan washington

[3:08:50] council government. I just want to

[3:08:51] thank those who have joined

[3:08:53] us to talk about these really important

[3:08:54] efforts that

[3:08:57] are ongoing.

[3:08:59] and this doesn't represent the full

[3:09:00] team. There is a really large

[3:09:03] regional team of folks working

[3:09:08] on this topic and I want to extend

[3:09:09] a thank you to

[3:09:10] those as well who are here today.

[3:09:12] so with that I'm going to start

[3:09:17] by saying we are talking about water

[3:09:18] supply, it seems like there is water

[3:09:20] everywhere. Between the icemelt and

[3:09:21] all of the

[3:09:22] snow that we've had recently. But

[3:09:24] we are in a

[3:09:27] very dry time and we have

[3:09:30] been for a couple of years. So we

[3:09:32] are hoping this helps, we are about

[3:09:33] an eight

[3:09:35] inch deficit in the potomac river

[3:09:39] since august for rainfall and we would

[3:09:40] normally

[3:09:44] have. So there is rain in the forecast,

[3:09:45] I keep crossing

[3:09:47] my fingers but we are in a drought

[3:09:48] condition

[3:09:51] for a couple of years. We

[3:09:54] had saved here and there with rainfall

[3:09:57] but generally speaking pretty

[3:09:59] dry. Many of the areas draining our

[3:10:00] water

[3:10:03] supply are have been declared

[3:10:04] either extreme drought conditions

[3:10:06] or moderate

[3:10:08] drought conditions. Hoping that turns

[3:10:09] around but just to

[3:10:10] provide the context it's a really

[3:10:11] timely conversation to be talking

[3:10:12] about water

[3:10:15] supply today. So shifting a

[3:10:17] little bit from what's happening today

[3:10:18] to forecast in

[3:10:23] the future. I'm summarizing the interstate

[3:10:27] commission study on water

[3:10:30] supply and

[3:10:31] resource availability. They released

[3:10:33] this report every five

[3:10:34] years. This is for the potomac river

[3:10:36] in

[3:10:39] particular and the findings were released

[3:10:40] late

[3:10:42] last year. What was found within the

[3:10:43] study

[3:10:45] is that the river

[3:10:47] is at higher risk of drought to climate

[3:10:48] pressures and

[3:10:51] expanded uses.

[3:10:54] in particular as something that is

[3:10:55] new from

[3:10:57] the study findings from other

[3:11:00] findings is our regional water supply

[3:11:01] was shown

[3:11:02] to be at risk of shortage in the immediate

[3:11:03] term during extreme drought conditions.

[3:11:06] so this is sooner than

[3:11:09] we thought and again, a lot of caveats.

[3:11:10] we are

[3:11:12] at risk but nonetheless an

[3:11:15] important finding to

[3:11:16] build the context around what we are

[3:11:18] talking

[3:11:21] about today. So moving in a

[3:11:23] little bit to our general vulnerability

[3:11:24] from our

[3:11:30] water supply, zooming in

[3:11:32] a little bit, I talked about the potomac

[3:11:33] river basin. Obviously we also rely

[3:11:34] on

[3:11:36] the river for water supply. We largely

[3:11:37] rely on

[3:11:39] the potomac river but both water supplies

[3:11:42] have

[3:11:44] vulnerabilities. Including in terms

[3:11:45] of the water quantity issues so

[3:11:48] we are

[3:11:51] talking about increased demand,

[3:11:54] drought, our capacity to store within

[3:11:57] our reservoirs. But

[3:12:00] also

[3:12:03] very up-front the risk around

[3:12:06] acute and chronic water

[3:12:09] quality issues. Spills, sanitary sewer

[3:12:10] overflows,

[3:12:11] extreme weather events, contaminants,

[3:12:12] persistent algal blooms for instance.

[3:12:13] those are

[3:12:15] some of the many things that we think

[3:12:16] when we

[3:12:17] think about the vulnerability of our

[3:12:23] water supply. This wouldn't be as

[3:12:24] big of an issue if we

[3:12:25] didn't have limited water supply within

[3:12:27] our systems. In

[3:12:30] the case that one

[3:12:33] of these supplies needs to

[3:12:36] be supplemented. So to talk

[3:12:37] about the vulnerabilities is hard.

[3:12:39] I'm going to shift to solutions because

[3:12:40] those

[3:12:41] are really important. A lot of these

[3:12:42] solutions

[3:12:48] are required and diverse array of

[3:12:50] approaches. In the shorter term, longer

[3:12:51] term, with

[3:12:56] regional support, this is the way

[3:12:57] we are going to mitigate

[3:13:00] risks within our supply. So today,

[3:13:01] the

[3:13:02] focus is really on these regional

[3:13:03] solutions that we are focused

[3:13:09] in on.

[3:13:11] cooperative water management agreement

[3:13:12] in the washington

[3:13:15] metropolitan area that is the reason

[3:13:16] why we have

[3:13:21] the can additional storage upstream

[3:13:22] and water

[3:13:23] supply coordination agreement that

[3:13:24] was signed in 1982 setting up the

[3:13:25] cooperative water supply operations

[3:13:28] which have been very successful

[3:13:29] and the reason we are here today talking

[3:13:31] about these

[3:13:33] things. So large-scale secondary storage

[3:13:36] additional storage has been identified

[3:13:40] as critical to our water

[3:13:43] resiliency into

[3:13:44] the future. That is something that

[3:13:45] has been noted for many years. I also

[3:13:46] want

[3:13:49] to focus on the quarry in

[3:13:52] montgomery county

[3:13:53] identified as a regional storage solution

[3:13:55] time and time

[3:13:56] again. So several studies conducted

[3:13:58] since the early

[3:14:01] 2000 support this

[3:14:03] conclusion. And within these studies

[3:14:04] we

[3:14:07] find there is urgency as well.

[3:14:09] we have about 10 years between planning,

[3:14:13] design, construction, that

[3:14:15] means that time is ticking. So the

[3:14:16] sooner

[3:14:19] the better on secondary

[3:14:21] storage. It doesn't come without a

[3:14:23] great cost. About $800 million was

[3:14:25] the price tag put

[3:14:28] on the quarry which

[3:14:31] is why

[3:14:32] shifting into what jackie will be

[3:14:34] talking about is the water

[3:14:37] resource

[3:14:38] development act has been used to help

[3:14:40] us fund the feasibility study

[3:14:43] given this big

[3:14:46] price tag. And back in 2024 the

[3:14:47] u.s. Army corps of engineers started

[3:14:49] this feasibility study and

[3:14:52] begin

[3:14:55] it and additional appropriations

[3:14:58] were needed. So last year

[3:15:01] we had a great update

[3:15:04] from the army corps showing a

[3:15:05] couple small and large scale alternatives

[3:15:07] that have been

[3:15:10] whittled down for further study. However, the

[3:15:13] study was delayed due to lapse

[3:15:16] in appropriations in mid-2025. The

[3:15:19] great news is that it is up and

[3:15:23] running again and that it is beginning

[3:15:25] as we

[3:15:28] speak.

[3:15:29] however, there have been additional

[3:15:30] guidance from the u.s. Army corps

[3:15:31] of

[3:15:34] engineers on

[3:15:36] a particularly w rda and how it is

[3:15:37] being implement it including

[3:15:40] restrictions on the cost

[3:15:43] being 3 million, the study being

[3:15:48] completed within four years and that

[3:15:49] it must complete 35% of the design

[3:15:51] commensurate with the cost estimate.

[3:15:52] some of these

[3:15:55] larger scale projects that were

[3:15:58] identified are not going to fit

[3:15:59] within the guidance. Those include

[3:16:02] the quarry as I mentioned before is

[3:16:04] one of the solutions we identified

[3:16:05] as

[3:16:06] well as larger scale water reuse projects

[3:16:07] and

[3:16:09] additional reservoirs in virginia.

[3:16:10] I'm not

[3:16:12] going to go over this in a lot of

[3:16:13] detail, but just to

[3:16:16] mention

[3:16:17] that it's time for us to recalibrate

[3:16:19] and think about going forward

[3:16:21] how these larger scale projects are

[3:16:22] going to

[3:16:25] be continued beyond

[3:16:28] this effort. The

[3:16:31] next summarizes the alternatives in

[3:16:34] 2025 versus

[3:16:37] the new what is moving forward today.

[3:16:38] I'm

[3:16:40] not going to talk a lot

[3:16:43] about this but to have

[3:16:46] it in one slide for

[3:16:49] reference later. Solutions we've identified

[3:16:53] such will require additional regional

[3:16:55] partnership and we expect that going

[3:16:56] forward, it's

[3:16:57] been a great working relationship.

[3:17:01] so just to sort of wrap up to

[3:17:04] talk more broadly about

[3:17:08] wssc water general strategy before

[3:17:10] I hand it over

[3:17:13] to jackie. Talking about

[3:17:14] a regional solution for additional

[3:17:16] storage is one part of it.

[3:17:19] it is requires a

[3:17:22] multifaceted approach. So those

[3:17:25] other things that we are

[3:17:27] working toward our near-term and longer-term

[3:17:29] activities including potential investment

[3:17:31] that might be in

[3:17:34] the future. Related to things such

[3:17:35] as

[3:17:37] operational optimization. So drought

[3:17:38] preparedness

[3:17:39] and response, management, optimization

[3:17:40] of our

[3:17:43] existing storage, enhancing existing

[3:17:44] water

[3:17:46] storage and sources. These are all

[3:17:47] really good

[3:17:48] opportunities for us to build more

[3:17:49] resiliency in

[3:17:52] our system. Also

[3:17:55] we are working

[3:17:56] on demand reduction including thinking

[3:17:57] about the technology for reducing

[3:18:01] water loss and the opportunities long-term

[3:18:02] for conservation

[3:18:04] efforts and

[3:18:07] non-potable reuse. And

[3:18:10] then finally contaminant

[3:18:13] risk reduction. Source water protection

[3:18:15] which is how you protect at the source

[3:18:16] and then

[3:18:19] also how the best way to mitigate

[3:18:20] risks related

[3:18:22] to spills and other things

[3:18:25] that we can't necessarily predict.

[3:18:27] so just wanted to provide the larger

[3:18:28] scale view and

[3:18:31] really appreciate

[3:18:33] your time. I can take any questions

[3:18:34] before

[3:18:36] jackie talks specifically about the

[3:18:37] feasibility study

[3:18:40] and details.

[3:18:41] >> commissioner questions.

[3:18:42] just

[3:18:43] a quick question, ms. Foreman.

[3:18:49] I've been

[3:18:51] reading and studying from afar the

[3:18:52] challenges with the colorado river

[3:18:55] and those states not being able to

[3:18:56] come

[3:18:58] to grips on how they manage going

[3:19:01] forward. If you could just

[3:19:04] provide context I know that is a much

[3:19:05] more severe situation

[3:19:06] but where would you say in relationship

[3:19:07] to that we

[3:19:11] are currently?

[3:19:12] >> we are not

[3:19:14] in the western states, where

[3:19:17] there is limited

[3:19:19] water and every year you are talking

[3:19:20] about

[3:19:21] where is your water going to come

[3:19:23] from. We have generally been in

[3:19:26] a resource rich and

[3:19:28] water rich area. The last couple years

[3:19:29] have

[3:19:30] been dry but we do have years that

[3:19:32] are not and we can think of

[3:19:35] those flooding years

[3:19:36] as well. Into context it is imperative

[3:19:38] that we think toward

[3:19:39] the future where we are looking at

[3:19:40] dryer conditions but we are not yet

[3:19:41] at

[3:19:43] that dire state of the situation where

[3:19:44] year-to-year

[3:19:46] you're trying to figure out how do

[3:19:47] you

[3:19:50] conserve water.

[3:19:52] I think looking to our western states

[3:19:56] to learn

[3:19:58] is something what can we learn from

[3:19:59] what they

[3:20:02] are doing. Certainly we are

[3:20:05] trending dryer.

[3:20:06] >> thank you

[3:20:11] very much. I appreciate the context.

[3:20:14] no further questions. You

[3:20:16] may proceed.

[3:20:17] >> thank you. Thank you

[3:20:18] for having

[3:20:22] me here. My name is jackie with the

[3:20:23] army corps of engineers based

[3:20:24] out of baltimore district in their

[3:20:27] planning division. I am the lead planner

[3:20:29] for this feasibility

[3:20:31] study. This feasibility study as katie

[3:20:32] mentioned

[3:20:35] began in

[3:20:38] 2024 september. This is a study with

[3:20:41] the purpose to enable water

[3:20:44] suppliers to be able to provide their

[3:20:45] customers with water in the case that

[3:20:47] the potomac is not

[3:20:51] usable. So she talked about vulnerabilities

[3:20:53] that affect the potomac river, issues

[3:20:56] of contamination and

[3:20:59] drought primarily. And then also

[3:21:02] mentioned the recent

[3:21:05] study which

[3:21:06] forecasted conditions in the future

[3:21:08] and projected that at some point

[3:21:11] water supply will become

[3:21:14] more scarce. So to address

[3:21:18] these vulnerabilities in the water

[3:21:20] resource development act of 2022 there

[3:21:21] was

[3:21:23] a

[3:21:26] steady authority

[3:21:27] included, quite a broad authority

[3:21:29] and included identification of a secondary

[3:21:30] water

[3:21:32] source and additional

[3:21:35] steerage capability

[3:21:37] and included a broad geographic area.

[3:21:38] as

[3:21:41] well as maryland

[3:21:44] and virginia. Feasibility cost sharing

[3:21:45] agreement

[3:21:47] starts

[3:21:50] the study between the core and

[3:21:53] nonfederal sponsor that was signed

[3:21:56] in september 30th, 2024.

[3:21:59] since then we've been working on a

[3:22:01] study. We did have a complicating

[3:22:02] factor which

[3:22:05] was

[3:22:07] that 2024 changed the cost share for

[3:22:08] the study. Typically

[3:22:11] these are cost shared

[3:22:14] 50% federal, 50% nonfederal

[3:22:17] but that changed the cost share to

[3:22:20] be 90% federal

[3:22:22] 10% nonfederal. We did not have the

[3:22:23] federal funds

[3:22:26] to support that change in

[3:22:29] the share. So it did result in a little

[3:22:32] bit of a delay related

[3:22:35] to that.

[3:22:36] I think everyone recognizes the federal

[3:22:38] interest in the d.c.

[3:22:41] water supply. Obviously millions of

[3:22:42] people

[3:22:44] work and live ndc, we have a

[3:22:47] lot of national security assets and

[3:22:48] critical

[3:22:50] infrastructure within

[3:22:53] the area. And related to the

[3:22:55] army corps we own and operate the

[3:22:56] washington aqueduct,

[3:22:59] the only federally owned

[3:23:02] and operated water supply in

[3:23:05] the

[3:23:08] country. So I think you've had briefings

[3:23:09] on

[3:23:10] this so I will limit the background

[3:23:11] to that but happy to take questions

[3:23:13] on it. I wanted to move to the phase

[3:23:17] of study so where we've been a little

[3:23:20] bit with the study and

[3:23:23] you guidance related to

[3:23:26] the study. This is a diagram that

[3:23:27] shows our

[3:23:31] planning process. We have been in

[3:23:32] the scoping

[3:23:34] face so at that timeline at the top

[3:23:35] left. That means that

[3:23:38] we

[3:23:40] were looking at what existing conditions

[3:23:41] we have in the study

[3:23:44] area, what solutions have been

[3:23:47] presented and trying to come

[3:23:49] up with a set of alternatives that

[3:23:51] we presented at a milestone meeting

[3:23:53] to our higher

[3:23:56] authorities in

[3:23:59] june 2025. We have a couple different

[3:24:00] decision

[3:24:01] checkpoints we have to go to through

[3:24:02] in

[3:24:05] the process. That allowed us

[3:24:08] to continue

[3:24:11] proceeding forward

[3:24:14] we are currently in this alternative

[3:24:15] formulation and analysis

[3:24:17] phase so taking that array of

[3:24:23] alternative and doing some comprehensive

[3:24:25] evaluation of the benefits and costs

[3:24:26] related to those and then selecting

[3:24:28] the one that should be the agency

[3:24:32] recommendation plan.

[3:24:35] we are getting

[3:24:37] quite a lot of new guidance at this

[3:24:38] time so it looks like this process

[3:24:40] will change a little bit but still

[3:24:41] have basically the same decision checkpoints

[3:24:42] along

[3:24:44] the way.

[3:24:47] and then highlight that the study

[3:24:48] is scheduled

[3:24:51] to end september

[3:24:54] 30th, 2028. So

[3:24:55] I won't talk about this much but this

[3:24:57] is the

[3:25:00] alternative process. There have

[3:25:01] been a lot of studies done on this

[3:25:03] in

[3:25:09] the past.

[3:25:10] army corps had a value planning study

[3:25:12] done a few

[3:25:17] years ago so all of this was looked

[3:25:18] at in coordination with

[3:25:19] all the different alternatives presented.

[3:25:21] at that time. Primarily with the

[3:25:24] goal to find

[3:25:26] a regional solution that can aid all

[3:25:27] of the

[3:25:31] water suppliers. We went through a

[3:25:33] number of different

[3:25:34] screening steps, alternatives and

[3:25:35] had different decision criteria and

[3:25:36] then whittled

[3:25:39] these down to our array

[3:25:40] of alternatives that was presented

[3:25:42] at the

[3:25:48] milestone meeting.

[3:25:51] this just gives

[3:25:52] you an idea of some of the different

[3:25:53] strategies that we've looked at. Quite

[3:25:54] a wide

[3:25:57] range of strategies,

[3:25:59] building new reservoirs, desalination,

[3:26:02] groundwater use, wastewater reuse,

[3:26:03] a

[3:26:06] wide variety

[3:26:08] of things. Some of them were technically

[3:26:09] infeasible or

[3:26:12] had other

[3:26:13] constraints so were screened in coordination

[3:26:18] with utilities. So

[3:26:19] the focused array of alternatives

[3:26:21] that we resented to

[3:26:24] our management when we received

[3:26:26] the approval to move forward is shown

[3:26:27] here.

[3:26:30] primarily quarry alternatives,

[3:26:33] and then luck

[3:26:36] stone quarry, blue planes was an option.

[3:26:39] and then the

[3:26:41] reservoir expansion which was always

[3:26:42] intended just to be

[3:26:48] an add-on

[3:26:49] to one of these other alternatives

[3:26:51] given that the quarry

[3:26:52] alternative would have met the regional

[3:26:54] need much better than

[3:26:57] something

[3:27:00] like that. So that's kind of where

[3:27:01] we

[3:27:03] have

[3:27:05] been and as katie mentioned we have

[3:27:06] now received

[3:27:08] new guidance. From our headquarters

[3:27:09] as well as

[3:27:11] the assistant secretary of the army

[3:27:12] for civil

[3:27:15] works and that's what

[3:27:18] is guiding our

[3:27:19] direction today. What we've heard

[3:27:20] from them is we need to stay within

[3:27:21] the

[3:27:23] confines of the three by three role.

[3:27:24] something

[3:27:27] that

[3:27:30] was enacted in 2014 basically

[3:27:33] that the court needs to

[3:27:35] complete visibility studies within

[3:27:36] three years and within

[3:27:38] a $3 million budget. We had originally

[3:27:42] scoped this study to be a $13

[3:27:43] million study and take over six years

[3:27:45] when we were looking at a

[3:27:48] regional solution. So having to constrain

[3:27:49] the

[3:27:50] study within three years and $3 million

[3:27:51] is quite

[3:27:54] a big difference. But

[3:27:57] that's where we are today. They did

[3:27:58] allow

[3:28:00] us to complete the

[3:28:02] study within four years given the

[3:28:03] delays that we've had

[3:28:05] in funding related to the cost share

[3:28:06] and then just

[3:28:08] not receiving appropriations in a

[3:28:09] timely

[3:28:12] manner. So we are looking at

[3:28:14] completing the study for 3 million

[3:28:15] by

[3:28:18] september 2028.

[3:28:21] the other new requirement is that

[3:28:22] we

[3:28:23] need to by the end of the feasibility

[3:28:27] study complete a 35%

[3:28:30] engineering design. This also limits

[3:28:31] the

[3:28:33] options that we can look

[3:28:36] at because things that

[3:28:39] have miles of pipeline for

[3:28:41] 35% design we will have two boreholes

[3:28:42] along that length and

[3:28:45] it really increases the

[3:28:46] cost. So unfortunately with these

[3:28:48] new studies

[3:28:49] limitations we are now focusing on

[3:28:51] much smaller

[3:28:53] scale alternatives. We are looking

[3:28:54] at things that could be

[3:28:57] implanted

[3:29:00] more quickly.

[3:29:03] things that have synergy with

[3:29:05] longer-term solutions. One of the

[3:29:06] key takeaways of this is

[3:29:09] that this is a small component

[3:29:12] or increment of a larger

[3:29:15] solution and also going to require

[3:29:16] significant efforts

[3:29:21] by others. It could be in the future the core

[3:29:23] will be able to address this or completely,

[3:29:26] study authority remains so we could

[3:29:27] work

[3:29:30] on it at a regional solution in the

[3:29:31] future

[3:29:32] or others in the interim could do

[3:29:33] their

[3:29:39] own studies. So

[3:29:42] the internal project delivery team

[3:29:43] has

[3:29:45] now been looking at

[3:29:47] these smaller scale alternatives that

[3:29:48] perhaps

[3:29:52] overlooked initially looking at a

[3:29:56] regional solution. So we've gone back

[3:29:57] through some of the previous

[3:29:59] studies and options that are out there

[3:30:00] for some of the smaller

[3:30:03] scale things on this

[3:30:06] slide. So still an option,

[3:30:09] there have been other ideas for reservoirs

[3:30:10] at

[3:30:11] different locations and a different

[3:30:12] scale.

[3:30:15] modifying

[3:30:17] some reservoirs were looking at things

[3:30:18] like connections that

[3:30:21] could provide increased resilience

[3:30:22] to the

[3:30:28] water supply. Through

[3:30:29] that review and also pending discussions

[3:30:30] with utilities, we have a meeting

[3:30:34] coming up on march 10th to

[3:30:37] discuss this. At

[3:30:38] this point, dalecarlia reservoir expansion

[3:30:40] appears to be the most

[3:30:43] beneficial and

[3:30:46] feasible alternative. The expansion

[3:30:49] of dalecarlia reservoir

[3:30:51] might double the size of the reservoir,

[3:30:55] it would

[3:30:58] provide additional 12 hours of

[3:30:59] water supply to the washington aqueduct.

[3:31:01] this is a

[3:31:03] small contribution to the overall

[3:31:04] problem and we

[3:31:06] certainly recognize that. But it's

[3:31:07] an increment that

[3:31:10] could still

[3:31:13] be meaningful. 12 hours is

[3:31:14] time in case of an emergency where

[3:31:15] you could make notifications, you

[3:31:18] could prepare and mobilize resources.

[3:31:19] we do

[3:31:22] see this as being a meaningful but

[3:31:23] small contribution

[3:31:25] to the overall and larger

[3:31:28] problem. If we do go with

[3:31:31] dalecarlia there

[3:31:34] are considerations. Obviously

[3:31:35] engineering considerations. We have

[3:31:37] to pass various policy hurdles

[3:31:40] including doing a

[3:31:44] cost-benefit calculation for policy

[3:31:46] and of course there is

[3:31:47] potential environmental and cultural

[3:31:52] resource impacts. So needing to do

[3:31:53] a lot of stakeholder and public involvement

[3:31:55] engagement along

[3:31:58] those lines.

[3:32:01] related to schedule

[3:32:04] and funding we

[3:32:05] are trying to work within these new

[3:32:07] constraints but said he

[3:32:10] will

[3:32:13] end in september 2028. We are

[3:32:16] still waiting for funding

[3:32:19] and we expect that in march,

[3:32:24] maybe april. The federal funding we

[3:32:25] have received

[3:32:26] about $500,000 of federal funding,

[3:32:27] we are awaiting an additional $1.8

[3:32:28] million, we've

[3:32:31] also received

[3:32:34] the nonfederal contribution and

[3:32:35] additional nonfederal funds once we

[3:32:37] receive our additional

[3:32:39] federal money. There is a balance

[3:32:40] of a few

[3:32:43] hundred

[3:32:45] thousand that will make up the $3

[3:32:46] million that we

[3:32:51] will request that's all I have. Happy

[3:32:52] to

[3:32:55] take questions.

[3:32:56] >>

[3:32:58] thank you. Commissioner

[3:33:01] seltzer.

[3:33:02] >> thank you for being here.

[3:33:04] really generous of the army

[3:33:07] corps to brief us. This

[3:33:10] is all I hadn't heard about

[3:33:12] these changes in the guidelines. It's

[3:33:13] very alarming and

[3:33:16] incredibly disappointing. It

[3:33:19] seems these

[3:33:20] small practices to make additional

[3:33:22] 12 hours I think that

[3:33:25] is just in the district of columbia

[3:33:26] that wouldn't support wssc at all.

[3:33:30] so it seems like we are not on any

[3:33:31] type of path at

[3:33:33] all to maybe addressing the serious

[3:33:34] and

[3:33:40] ongoing concern. I don't

[3:33:42] know how we get back on that path

[3:33:43] if there is any opportunities

[3:33:46] to engage or restart

[3:33:51] conversations. But it's incredibly

[3:33:52] disappointing

[3:33:55] and alarming.

[3:33:56] >> there has

[3:33:57] been a lot of congressional interest

[3:33:58] so we are

[3:34:00] keep an eye on that and what comes

[3:34:04] from that. We have also been speaking

[3:34:07] with utilities and we will do more

[3:34:08] at this meeting

[3:34:10] we have in march about a way that

[3:34:13] the utilities themselves could

[3:34:14] conduct these studies under the section

[3:34:18] 203 authority and send you more information

[3:34:19] on that which

[3:34:20] is an authority that allows nonfederal

[3:34:22] entities to conduct a

[3:34:25] study with army

[3:34:28] corps assistance. And that results

[3:34:29] in

[3:34:31] a chief report which is the same as

[3:34:34] what the study would result in.

[3:34:35] the difference being the nonfederal

[3:34:37] entity is paying for that study

[3:34:40] with potential reimbursement at the

[3:34:41] end. There

[3:34:43] are ways that others

[3:34:46] could conduct this work and we

[3:34:49] could support the absence of

[3:34:51] not being able to do that ourselves

[3:34:52] and we can provide more information

[3:34:53] on that.

[3:34:55] >> I'd be interested. I

[3:34:56] imagine my commissioners would be

[3:35:01] as well. That secondary path where

[3:35:04] we potentially do

[3:35:07] their own

[3:35:10] visibility studies. It is

[3:35:13] called a

[3:35:16] chief report. The end of the feasibility

[3:35:18] study process to congress for recommendation

[3:35:19] and then would

[3:35:22] get authorization and

[3:35:24] appropriations.

[3:35:25] >> that could open

[3:35:26] the door for

[3:35:28] federal funding.

[3:35:34] thank you.

[3:35:35] >> any

[3:35:36] additional questions?

[3:35:37] >> mr. Chair

[3:35:38] if

[3:35:40] I may. I just wanted to provide a

[3:35:41] bit

[3:35:43] more perspective as well. And thank

[3:35:44] the

[3:35:45] army corps of engineers and I do want

[3:35:46] to

[3:35:49] say that the feedback that I've

[3:35:52] received from the corps including

[3:35:53] the

[3:35:55] kernel is that the corps is

[3:35:58] very much supportive of finding

[3:36:00] a solution, focusing on a solution

[3:36:01] for

[3:36:05] the

[3:36:06] region. Just maybe in different roles

[3:36:08] and responsibilities in

[3:36:11] this process.

[3:36:12] just to provide some perspective how

[3:36:14] we got to

[3:36:16] this point we made a decision as a

[3:36:17] region

[3:36:20] to get

[3:36:22] this into for funding for the study

[3:36:23] first and

[3:36:26] then hopefully the funding

[3:36:29] for

[3:36:31] the construction. That required us

[3:36:32] to

[3:36:33] go back and do a feasibility study.

[3:36:35] because we had to go through

[3:36:38] that process in order to

[3:36:41] access funds. We have

[3:36:42] a lot of information at our disposal

[3:36:45] that basically we had to rework to

[3:36:47] use this source of

[3:36:50] funding. So

[3:36:53] I don't think we are

[3:36:55] necessarily behind. The region is

[3:36:56] still working

[3:36:57] together to look at how we advance

[3:37:01] and now shift essentially back to

[3:37:05] the

[3:37:08] approach before. We would

[3:37:10] still like to have external funds

[3:37:11] but biggest

[3:37:12] concern is having the funding for

[3:37:14] construction and building

[3:37:20] the solution. I

[3:37:23] think we have been having some

[3:37:25] recent discussions as late as late

[3:37:26] last week to talk about how

[3:37:28] we would advance to get through design

[3:37:32] which is more

[3:37:35] manageable and

[3:37:38] getting

[3:37:41] things to a chiefs report

[3:37:44] that could then be eligible for

[3:37:47] construction funding. So we are

[3:37:50] still working together

[3:37:53] just may be in different

[3:37:59] ways. And from a water

[3:38:01] quantity standpoint as well as water

[3:38:02] quality

[3:38:06] standpoint. And the recent events

[3:38:08] underscores the need to make

[3:38:09] sure that if there are any impacts

[3:38:11] to the river

[3:38:14] that we have the

[3:38:17] ability to have a source that

[3:38:20] is protected. So we will

[3:38:23] continue

[3:38:26] that focus.

[3:38:27] >> thank you for the

[3:38:29] additional context.

[3:38:30] >>

[3:38:32] chair

[3:38:35] smith. That was louder than I expected.

[3:38:36] I received a question, not sure who

[3:38:38] it came from so I wanted to

[3:38:41] address it. The question was

[3:38:43] what are wssc waters current secondary

[3:38:46] storage ? This would be an additional

[3:38:50] secondary storage, we currently do

[3:38:52] have our existing water resources

[3:38:53] on a day-to-day

[3:38:56] basis, the potomac river and

[3:38:59] reservoirs and two backup storage

[3:39:00] reservoirs,

[3:39:02] randolph and

[3:39:08] little seneca in place if

[3:39:10] it were not to rain, if the river were

[3:39:11] to dry up those could provide

[3:39:13] over a month of regional water supply

[3:39:14] and managed regionally that speaks

[3:39:15] to the

[3:39:16] strength of the history of regional

[3:39:17] cooperation in the water

[3:39:19] supply. So if you have any other questions

[3:39:20] I'm happy to answer.

[3:39:21] >> thank you.

[3:39:23] any additional questions? Commissioner

[3:39:26] seltzer.

[3:39:27] >> is there any ongoing cooperation

[3:39:28] with some

[3:39:29] of the d.c. Water on

[3:39:32] water reuse?

[3:39:33] >>

[3:39:35] absolutely. You can add to this. I

[3:39:36] don't think

[3:39:38] I introduced myself. Priscilla, director

[3:39:39] of

[3:39:41] operational reliability for

[3:39:43] the record. We have been tracking the

[3:39:44] initiative by d.c. Water

[3:39:47] related to water reuse

[3:39:50] and so they are studying the

[3:39:51] opportunities to use a water resource

[3:39:53] that they have

[3:39:56] at the planes advanced water treatment

[3:39:57] plant

[3:39:59] and apply that to water reuse. This

[3:40:00] is a

[3:40:01] pattern that you would see across

[3:40:02] the nation in water

[3:40:05] scarce areas is to move toward using

[3:40:06] the

[3:40:08] water you have

[3:40:11] already and treating it

[3:40:17] for more , reusing that

[3:40:20] water. So we are

[3:40:22] continuing to track that initiative and we are

[3:40:23] in conversation with d.c.

[3:40:26] water to work

[3:40:27] toward understanding what they are

[3:40:29] working on and the placement in the

[3:40:34] regional solution. At the same time

[3:40:35] the secondary

[3:40:37] source solution for the region continues

[3:40:38] to be

[3:40:41] very

[3:40:44] reliable and a good solution for

[3:40:47] the region. That is because it

[3:40:49] provides storage, provides protection

[3:40:53] from drought as well

[3:40:54] as contamination and its placement

[3:40:56] is very in proximity to where the

[3:40:57] facilities are

[3:40:58] to be able to distribute drinking

[3:40:59] water.

[3:41:02] it also water reuse at

[3:41:05] the scale being discussed is a

[3:41:11] very

[3:41:13] expensive project. And requires a

[3:41:14] great deal of infrastructure and

[3:41:17] time

[3:41:18] to understand. So because the water

[3:41:20] supply shortage

[3:41:23] being forecasted is nearer than

[3:41:25] we expected having a solution that

[3:41:26] is more implemented in the near term

[3:41:30] would

[3:41:33] be advantageous.

[3:41:34] >>

[3:41:35] thanks. Stating the obvious but also

[3:41:36] prioritizing a

[3:41:39] solution that is regional and

[3:41:42] broader community that pulls

[3:41:45] reports this--resources.

[3:41:48] appreciate that and find a way

[3:41:51] to collaborate.

[3:41:54] thank you.

[3:41:55] >> any additional

[3:41:57] questions? Thank you ms.

[3:41:58] foreman. And just a quick point of

[3:42:04] personal privilege having so much

[3:42:05] of the great work that the army corps

[3:42:06] of engineers

[3:42:07] is doing all over the country in particular

[3:42:09] in new orleans and st. Bernard

[3:42:12] parish and seeing the emblem

[3:42:14] and now connecting it with the washington

[3:42:19] aqueduct gatehouse. Is that too far

[3:42:21] a leap to see that is exactly

[3:42:24] what

[3:42:27] I'm seeing? I can't wait to be able

[3:42:29] to boast of what this is to some of

[3:42:30] my colleagues. So I

[3:42:31] think you for that. Thank you everyone.

[3:42:33] >> more than happy to

[3:42:35] give a tour and the headquarters building

[3:42:36] is

[3:42:39] in bethesda so they drink

[3:42:42] more water there.

[3:42:45] >> excellent. We

[3:42:46] will now turn to the office of intergovernmental

[3:42:48] relations. I will

[3:42:49] first recognize commissioner espy-williams

[3:42:51] for a brief slate of

[3:42:54] committee update.

[3:42:55] >> thank you

[3:42:56] mr. Chair. The legislative committee

[3:42:57] met with staff on

[3:42:59] february 11th and during that meeting

[3:43:00] staff

[3:43:03] provided the updates resented to

[3:43:06] you

[3:43:07] shortly. Prior to doing that I'd like

[3:43:09] to extend my appreciation as

[3:43:11] I understand from so many wonderful

[3:43:12] things about the

[3:43:17] legislative luncheon but we want to

[3:43:18] thank the

[3:43:19] staff for organizing such a successful

[3:43:21] event. The event was well attended

[3:43:22] by

[3:43:24] elected officials and provided

[3:43:26] a value opportunity to engage directly

[3:43:27] on

[3:43:30] matters important to wssc water.

[3:43:31] I am confident the time invested will

[3:43:32] meaningfully support the advancement

[3:43:33] of

[3:43:34] the commission legislative priorities

[3:43:37] this season. I will turn the presentation

[3:43:39] over to

[3:43:42] director monica who

[3:43:43] will brief the commission on the amendments

[3:43:45] to the bill

[3:43:46] and provide updates on other legislation

[3:43:48] we

[3:43:50] are tracking.

[3:43:51] >> thank you commissioner

[3:43:52] espy-williams.

[3:43:54] good afternoon chair smith, vice

[3:43:55] chair apparel, commissioners, general

[3:44:00] manager powell, team h2o and our

[3:44:01] valued customers. I am director of

[3:44:03] government affairs at the

[3:44:06] intergovernmental office at wssc

[3:44:08] water. Staff will be providing a review

[3:44:09] of legislative

[3:44:11] issues shaping this session, provide

[3:44:15] an update

[3:44:18] on legislation

[3:44:20] previously introduced to the commission,

[3:44:21] present on

[3:44:24] key legislation staff recommends

[3:44:26] the commission takes a position. The

[3:44:27] first month of

[3:44:29] the session lawmakers focused on addressing

[3:44:32] high-priority legislation. Curbing

[3:44:35] energy cost and improving stability

[3:44:36] is at

[3:44:38] the forefront with governor moore

[3:44:39] introducing his major

[3:44:45] policy initiative. The act

[3:44:48] proposes using $200 million from

[3:44:50] maryland strategic energy investment

[3:44:51] fund to provide $100 million in direct

[3:44:54] utility bill rebates

[3:44:57] and invest in modernization.

[3:44:58] it also requires utilities to adopt

[3:45:00] advanced technologies and support

[3:45:05] modernization plans to improve reliability

[3:45:06] and support

[3:45:11] clean energy. Also a focus with both

[3:45:12] chambers recently passing emergency

[3:45:13] legislation

[3:45:14] preventing law enforcement from entering

[3:45:17] or maintaining agreements which are

[3:45:18] immigration and

[3:45:21] customs enforcement partnership

[3:45:22] program that allows local police to

[3:45:24] enforce

[3:45:28] immigration law. And swiftly approved

[3:45:30] house bill 488

[3:45:32] which withdraws congressional districts and

[3:45:33] of the 2026 midterm

[3:45:34] elections. However, senate leaders

[3:45:36] do not seem

[3:45:39] amenable to made a

[3:45:45] decade redistricting.

[3:45:48] a range of other bills

[3:45:51] currently

[3:45:54] tracking. Continues to monitor law

[3:45:55] enforcement conduct

[3:46:00] and procedurals.

[3:46:12] including

[3:46:15] electricity, gas, water or

[3:46:16] internet services. Staff will continue

[3:46:18] to monitor

[3:46:21] and evaluate

[3:46:23] this legislation and others as they

[3:46:24] continue to introduce and move through

[3:46:27] the process. Now shifting to our

[3:46:32] proposed legislation. Washington suburban

[3:46:36] sanitary commission. Which makes targeted

[3:46:37] enhancements

[3:46:39] to the divisions and

[3:46:41] public utilities. Staff received the

[3:46:42] amended version of the bill

[3:46:45] and now awaits

[3:46:48] additional review by the metro

[3:46:51] washington committee. Following that

[3:46:52] review

[3:46:53] it would had to the full montgomery

[3:46:56] county delegation. Would then move

[3:46:57] over to prince georges county house

[3:46:58] delegation for their

[3:46:59] review and a vote before heading to

[3:47:00] the

[3:47:05] environmental committee. Staff has

[3:47:06] begun following up with legislators

[3:47:07] to outline and explain

[3:47:09] the amendments and is working

[3:47:11] with stakeholders and associations

[3:47:12] to secure letters of support ahead

[3:47:13] of

[3:47:14] its hearing. I will now pause for

[3:47:19] any questions

[3:47:21] on 102-26.

[3:47:22] >> commissioner questions.

[3:47:25] seeing none.

[3:47:26] please proceed.

[3:47:27] >> thank you. I will

[3:47:28] provide

[3:47:31] a update on 104-26

[3:47:32] washington suburban sanitary commission

[3:47:34] personal management

[3:47:36] disciplinary actions. Staff continues

[3:47:37] to work

[3:47:40] with bill sponsor as well as

[3:47:43] the proponents to address areas

[3:47:44] of the bill that could potentially

[3:47:46] resolve short

[3:47:47] of legislation. Staff anticipates

[3:47:49] the bill will be revisited

[3:47:50] for review at the upcoming committee

[3:47:55] work session. I will now turn it

[3:47:57] over to mr. Simons to present on key

[3:47:58] pieces of legislation

[3:48:00] staff has identified in recommended

[3:48:01] positions for commissioner

[3:48:04] vote

[3:48:07] today.

[3:48:08] >>

[3:48:09] thank you. Good afternoon chair smith,

[3:48:10] vice chair paul,

[3:48:13] commissioners,

[3:48:14] madam secretary, general manager powell,

[3:48:16] team h2o and

[3:48:18] valued customers. I am kenneth simons,

[3:48:19] government affairs

[3:48:22] manager here at wssc water.

[3:48:25] today I

[3:48:28] will review four pieces of

[3:48:29] legislation staff has determined should

[3:48:30] be brought to the commission attention

[3:48:31] three of which staff

[3:48:32] has provided recommendations of support

[3:48:34] or support

[3:48:36] with amendments and one for informational

[3:48:37] purposes.

[3:48:40] the first is

[3:48:43] house bill 721 and senate

[3:48:46] bill 243 titled

[3:48:49] the uniformed

[3:48:52] services spouses

[3:48:54] act which amend several sections of

[3:48:55] maryland law to

[3:48:58] expand benefits and preferences

[3:48:59] previously reserved for veterans and

[3:49:01] active servicemembers to also

[3:49:04] include their

[3:49:07] spouses. Specifically 721 and

[3:49:10] sb 243 requires public colleges and

[3:49:11] universities to offer priority

[3:49:13] course registration to spouses

[3:49:14] of servicemembers and veterans for

[3:49:16] up to four

[3:49:17] academic years within 15 years of

[3:49:19] the servicemember last active

[3:49:21] duty service and provide support to

[3:49:22] both veterans and

[3:49:25] their

[3:49:26] spouses. Also allows spouses of active

[3:49:28] servicemembers to receive

[3:49:30] delicate scholarships in maryland.

[3:49:31] able

[3:49:36] to expand references in both public

[3:49:37] and private sectors to spouses

[3:49:40] of active

[3:49:43] servicemembers,

[3:49:45] and surviving spouses of eligible

[3:49:46] veterans. Lastly, the

[3:49:49] legislation updates and

[3:49:52] standardizes definitions of

[3:49:53] servicemembers, veterans and spouses

[3:49:55] across

[3:49:58] state law. Senator sponsor

[3:50:01] of sb 243 requested support of

[3:50:02] the bill. Staff has reviewed the bill

[3:50:04] and determined that portions

[3:50:07] would apply that there would be

[3:50:09] no operation of local or financial

[3:50:10] impact

[3:50:13] from compliance.

[3:50:16] the build requirements can be

[3:50:19] handled with existing

[3:50:22] budget resources and no effect

[3:50:25] on revenues. With no conflict

[3:50:28] or concern staff respectfully requests

[3:50:29] the commission

[3:50:31] vote to support

[3:50:34] hb

[3:50:37] 721/sb 243. I will pause for

[3:50:40] any questions.

[3:50:41] >> thank you

[3:50:42] mr. Simons. Any further questions

[3:50:43] on the request to support

[3:50:46] this bill? Hearing none.

[3:50:47] >> mr.

[3:50:49] chair. Just wanted to make

[3:50:52] a note. As

[3:50:55] we review all legislation including

[3:50:56] ours we

[3:50:58] try to understand what

[3:51:01] the fiscal impact may be.

[3:51:04] for this legislation and the

[3:51:07] others there is also always a

[3:51:10] fiscal note. There appears

[3:51:13] to be no

[3:51:16] impact and certainly not to the

[3:51:18] commission. But we don't yet have

[3:51:19] any

[3:51:21] specific detail one way or the other

[3:51:22] what the

[3:51:25] impact may be related to

[3:51:30] the scholarship. But this would present

[3:51:34] or provide benefits to

[3:51:37] our team that

[3:51:40] our veterans. We believe those

[3:51:43] benefits outweigh what might

[3:51:44] potentially be impacts related to

[3:51:46] the

[3:51:47] scholarships. I just wanted to provide

[3:51:49] that

[3:51:52] context.

[3:51:53] because there are sensitivities related

[3:51:55] to budget items at the

[3:51:58] state level.

[3:51:59] >> thank you for the

[3:52:01] additional context. Any

[3:52:04] additional questions?

[3:52:05] >> I hereby

[3:52:07] move that the commission support house

[3:52:08] bill 721 and

[3:52:10] senate bill 243

[3:52:12] uniformed services act as recommended

[3:52:16] by management.

[3:52:17] >>

[3:52:21] any discussion? Seeing none, all those

[3:52:24] in favor will signify by saying aye.

[3:52:28] any nays or

[3:52:31] abstention? Hearing none, the motion

[3:52:33] carried unanimously. And the bill

[3:52:40] is supported. Director

[3:52:43] you may proceed to your

[3:52:45] next items.

[3:52:46] >> thank you chair smith.

[3:52:53] once back. One

[3:52:56] second. Okay.

[3:52:57] >>

[3:52:59] thank you. The next bill I

[3:53:02] will discuss is also house bill 1022 and senate

[3:53:05] bill 686

[3:53:08] pfas chemicals product phaseouts

[3:53:11] and requirements. Which phases

[3:53:12] out the sale of many consumer products

[3:53:14] containing intentionally added

[3:53:16] pfas chemicals in maryland establishes

[3:53:19] mandatory project exposure and creates

[3:53:22] a dedicated.

[3:53:23] >> I'm sorry to cut you

[3:53:25] off. I have it on the agenda in the

[3:53:29] opposite order. I have the

[3:53:32] sludge first and

[3:53:33] then the phaseouts although materials

[3:53:35] are in that

[3:53:41] order.

[3:53:42] >>

[3:53:47] >> the next bill I will discuss is

[3:53:49] house bill 925 and senate bill 719

[3:53:54] sewage sludge substances regulation.

[3:53:56] which would

[3:53:57] establish new statewide regulations

[3:53:59] to reduce the

[3:54:05] presence of

[3:54:06] pfas also referred to as fervor chemicals

[3:54:07] in sewage sludge and to control how

[3:54:08] sludge

[3:54:12] containing pfas can be used and managed.

[3:54:13] it seeks to protect public health,

[3:54:14] soil quality

[3:54:17] and water by limiting pfas

[3:54:18] exposure. The bill has several key

[3:54:19] provisions including restrictions

[3:54:20] on

[3:54:22] land application and temporary blending

[3:54:23] allowance, monitoring

[3:54:25] and testing requirements, industrial

[3:54:26] standards,

[3:54:29] local authority for rates and

[3:54:31] fees, source reduction encouragement

[3:54:32] and

[3:54:35] an overall

[3:54:37] management framework. Staff has reviewed

[3:54:38] the

[3:54:41] bill and proposes several amendments.

[3:54:42] for discussion on this I will turn

[3:54:44] to

[3:54:47] dr. Priscilla.

[3:54:48] >> operational

[3:54:51] reliability director. I believe you

[3:54:53] have a memo with more details but

[3:54:54] I will go

[3:54:55] through our rationale for support

[3:54:56] and

[3:54:59] amendments.

[3:55:02] so firstly wssc water is broadly

[3:55:03] supportive of some of the elements

[3:55:04] of the bill. The language affirming

[3:55:05] source tracking

[3:55:08] and treatment authority for pfas

[3:55:10] reduction , clear standards to guide

[3:55:11] decision-making

[3:55:14] and justify significant investments

[3:55:15] as well as some of the measures to

[3:55:17] enhance analytical confidence

[3:55:20] in samples. As

[3:55:22] for impacts there are fiscal impacts

[3:55:23] to the bill

[3:55:26] as introduced. And

[3:55:32] I want to go through

[3:55:35] that. Our pfas

[3:55:36] concentration the sum of them is what

[3:55:38] is being assessed in the bill and

[3:55:39] our

[3:55:40] levels would be above 25 parts per

[3:55:41] billion which

[3:55:42] would mean on the date effective we

[3:55:47] would be begin to need

[3:55:50] to adopt alternative management practices

[3:55:53] for

[3:55:56] biosolids management. At the same time

[3:55:57] we would be building on our current

[3:55:58] source tracking and mitigation and

[3:55:59] we would expect that

[3:56:02] levels could fall below that threshold

[3:56:05] of 25 parts per billion

[3:56:08] in approximately five to seven years.

[3:56:11] as such

[3:56:13] when the threshold goes into effect

[3:56:14] our fiscal

[3:56:17] impact would

[3:56:18] include using reduced land application

[3:56:20] rates at

[3:56:22] an additional cost of about 7.5 million

[3:56:24] per year. For the permitted time of

[3:56:26] one year. Followed

[3:56:31] by landfilling for approximately six

[3:56:32] years and additional cost

[3:56:35] of 8.2 million per year. And

[3:56:38] as we are implementing industrial

[3:56:39] treatment and

[3:56:43] source reduction if that were not

[3:56:44] adequate to bring us below

[3:56:47] the 25 parts per billion

[3:56:50] threshold then wssc water may

[3:56:56] opt in treatment systems which could be

[3:56:57] at an estimated cost

[3:56:58] of 200 million in capital. Although we are

[3:56:59] currently working

[3:57:01] to research and develop technologies that

[3:57:02] could reduce this capital cost

[3:57:05] as well as to

[3:57:07] identify sources to prevent or downsize

[3:57:08] the need for

[3:57:10] that treatment. Our amendments that

[3:57:11] we

[3:57:16] proposed our revolve around feasible

[3:57:17] in fermentation

[3:57:20] to preserve the critical

[3:57:23] community need and continuity

[3:57:24] in large-scale wastewater management. So

[3:57:26] we would

[3:57:28] be proposing amendments related to

[3:57:29] extending the

[3:57:33] time before application restrictions

[3:57:35] enter effect by one year to

[3:57:36] provide sufficient time to solicit

[3:57:38] and procure necessary contracts

[3:57:41] to meet the alternative

[3:57:44] management measure. To extend

[3:57:47] the deadline for the alternative

[3:57:48] management measures particularly blending

[3:57:50] and reduced land

[3:57:53] application rates for a longer. Of time and

[3:57:54] the reason is to provide flexibility

[3:57:56] and availability of

[3:58:01] management options. This is critical

[3:58:02] because that mitigates the risk of

[3:58:03] cutting

[3:58:06] off options on the

[3:58:08] viability of continuous wastewater

[3:58:09] management. It would recognize that

[3:58:12] if we were

[3:58:15] to take

[3:58:18] blending operations that

[3:58:21] would require private

[3:58:22] partners and they would need a period

[3:58:24] of longer than

[3:58:28] two years. To recognize that more

[3:58:30] time

[3:58:31] is required to implement and see source

[3:58:33] reductions whether through

[3:58:36] industrial treatment or

[3:58:39] product phaseouts. And to

[3:58:41] recognize that facility upgrades are

[3:58:42] the most

[3:58:46] costly reduction. And more time is

[3:58:48] needed to judge

[3:58:50] the effectiveness before taking these

[3:58:51] large

[3:58:53] financial commitments. Finally, that

[3:58:54] time extension

[3:58:57] is requested as an

[3:59:00] amendment because large-scale

[3:59:01] system technology could take five

[3:59:03] to seven years to plan, permit

[3:59:06] and design build. We

[3:59:08] are also suggesting introducing a

[3:59:09] deadline

[3:59:11] to complete the source tracking plan which

[3:59:12] is

[3:59:15] currently not in the bill

[3:59:16] to demonstrate our commitment to sustainable

[3:59:18] and

[3:59:19] cost-effective solutions. We would

[3:59:21] like to

[3:59:23] recommend revising the timeframe to

[3:59:24] allow for the

[3:59:27] time needed in case of

[3:59:30] system upgrades as

[3:59:33] well as

[3:59:34] permission for granted time extensions

[3:59:36] on alternative management

[3:59:39] measures and mitigation

[3:59:41] plan implementation for those utilities

[3:59:42] that

[3:59:45] are implementing control and

[3:59:48] mitigation. Finally to clarify

[3:59:51] the requirements outside

[3:59:54] of the state of

[3:59:55] maryland. In addition there are several

[3:59:57] specific amendments we are

[4:00:00] suggesting and more detail on

[4:00:03] those provided. In

[4:00:04] closing, we believe supporting this

[4:00:06] legislation with amendments for realistic

[4:00:07] and

[4:00:08] feasible implementation are an opportunity

[4:00:14] for maryland to set an example on

[4:00:15] how prioritizing source control is

[4:00:16] a cost-effective

[4:00:17] and sustainable model for pfas reduction

[4:00:18] in

[4:00:21] our environment. I can

[4:00:22] take any questions if there are any.

[4:00:24] >> thank you doctor.

[4:00:27] any questions? You may

[4:00:28] proceed.

[4:00:29] >> in queue chair smith.

[4:00:30] for the

[4:00:33] reasons detailed by

[4:00:36] staff respectfully requests commissioners

[4:00:37] vote to support

[4:00:39] amendments hb 95 and senate

[4:00:42] bill 719.

[4:00:43] >>

[4:00:44] are there any final questions? Do

[4:00:45] I have

[4:00:48] a motion?

[4:00:49] >> I hereby

[4:00:50] move that the commission support with

[4:00:51] amendments house bill 925 and

[4:00:54] senate bill

[4:00:57] 719 titled

[4:00:59] sewage sludge regulation as recommended

[4:01:03] by management.

[4:01:04] >> is there

[4:01:09] a second?

[4:01:10] >>

[4:01:11] second.

[4:01:12] >> thank you vice chair powell.

[4:01:15] any discussion? Seeing none, all those

[4:01:18] in favor signify by saying aye. Any

[4:01:19] nays

[4:01:21] or extensions. The motion

[4:01:22] carried unanimously by a vote of five

[4:01:24] to zero with one recusal

[4:01:27] and the bill is supported

[4:01:33] with amendments.

[4:01:36] >> the next bill I will

[4:01:37] discuss is also cross filed house

[4:01:39] bill 1022 and senate

[4:01:43] bill 686 pfas chemicals product phaseouts

[4:01:45] and requirements.

[4:01:47] which faces out the sale of many consumer

[4:01:48] products

[4:01:51] containing intentionally added pfas

[4:01:52] chemicals

[4:01:54] in maryland establishes mandatory

[4:01:55] product registration

[4:01:57] and disclosure creates a

[4:02:00] dedicated fund for assessment

[4:02:03] and remediation and implements

[4:02:05] strong enforcement and funding mechanisms

[4:02:06] to protect

[4:02:09] public health and

[4:02:11] the environment. The lead sponsor

[4:02:17] of hb 122 and senator love from montgomery

[4:02:18] county is the lead sponsor of

[4:02:21] sb 686. This prohibits the

[4:02:23] manufacture, sale and distribution

[4:02:24] of certain products containing intentionally

[4:02:25] added

[4:02:27] chemicals with phased implement

[4:02:30] patient effective

[4:02:32] january 1st staggered through january

[4:02:35] 1st 2029. Phaseouts begin with products

[4:02:36] such as

[4:02:38] cleaning products, footwear, cosmetics,

[4:02:39] personal

[4:02:42] care phonics, feminine

[4:02:45] hygiene products, packaging,

[4:02:48] and later includes fabric

[4:02:51] treatment, textiles,

[4:02:54] furnishings, upholstery

[4:02:55] and paint. Exemptions are provided

[4:02:59] for products governed by federal law

[4:03:00] used or recycled products and

[4:03:03] those that determined by

[4:03:04] the department of environment as having

[4:03:06] a

[4:03:07] currently unavoidable use essential

[4:03:09] for health, safety and

[4:03:12] societal function for which

[4:03:15] alternatives are not

[4:03:18] currently available. The bill

[4:03:20] also mandates registration and disclosure from

[4:03:21] manufacturers that intentionally add

[4:03:22] pfas

[4:03:24] with the department of the

[4:03:27] environment which is empowered to

[4:03:28] conduct compliance testing and

[4:03:30] administer penalties. Additionally

[4:03:31] the bill

[4:03:34] creates the maryland

[4:03:37] pfas chemicals protection

[4:03:38] and remediation fund administered

[4:03:39] by the department of environment.

[4:03:40] the fund is

[4:03:42] financed through registration fees,

[4:03:43] penalties

[4:03:45] and other sources including state

[4:03:46] appropriations. The purpose is

[4:03:48] to assess, prevent and remediate contamination

[4:03:52] across maryland,

[4:03:54] support activities such as monitoring,

[4:03:56] emergency relief, research and innovation

[4:03:58] and detection and

[4:04:01] remediation as well as

[4:04:03] enforcement action. Lastly, amends

[4:04:04] and expands

[4:04:06] several sections of the maryland environmental

[4:04:07] articles

[4:04:10] notably repealing previous

[4:04:11] provisions of disposal, updating definitions

[4:04:13] and inserting

[4:04:17] the requirements. Staff has reviewed

[4:04:19] the bill and determined it could have

[4:04:21] a positive impact on reducing domestic

[4:04:22] contributions into

[4:04:25] our wastewater in the

[4:04:28] long run.

[4:04:29] this level of control could potentially

[4:04:31] avert the need for large-scale

[4:04:33] treatment investments to comply with

[4:04:38] expected limits. Though will take

[4:04:40] time to

[4:04:41] see domestic contributions decreased

[4:04:43] due to the bills

[4:04:46] set timelines for

[4:04:49] product phaseouts

[4:04:52] of the bill will positively

[4:04:53] impact the environment and the commission.

[4:04:54] and therefore staff respectfully requests

[4:04:55] that commissioners vote to

[4:04:56] support house bill 1022 and senate

[4:04:58] bill 686. I will pause here for

[4:05:01] any questions.

[4:05:02] >> any

[4:05:03] commissioner questions? Do I have

[4:05:04] a

[4:05:06] motion?

[4:05:07] >> I hereby move that the

[4:05:08] commission support house

[4:05:10] bill 1022 and senate bill

[4:05:13] six 86 product phaseouts

[4:05:14] and registration requirements as recommended

[4:05:19] by management.

[4:05:20] >> do I have

[4:05:22] a second?

[4:05:23] >> I second. >>

[4:05:25] any discussion? All those in favor

[4:05:28] signify by saying aye. Any nays or

[4:05:31] abstentions? The motion carried unanimously

[4:05:32] by

[4:05:34] a vote of five to

[4:05:35] zero with one recusal and the bill

[4:05:37] is supported. Thank

[4:05:40] you director and mr. Simons. And dr.

[4:05:46] thank you.

[4:05:52] >> thank

[4:05:55] you all.

[4:05:58] >> there is one committee report.

[4:05:59] I

[4:06:00] recognize vice chair powell to report

[4:06:01] on the february 2026 audit

[4:06:03] committee meeting.

[4:06:04] >> the audit committee

[4:06:05] met on

[4:06:07] february 5th. The office of the

[4:06:10] inspector general recorded study

[4:06:16] audit activity

[4:06:25] and authorization of

[4:06:27] large billing adjustment. Agreed to

[4:06:28] implement stronger

[4:06:30] controls by the end of february. The

[4:06:31] committee received a briefing

[4:06:34] on

[4:06:35] the updated enterprise risk management

[4:06:37] program, included information on risks

[4:06:38] covered by

[4:06:40] the program. The next committee

[4:06:43] meeting is thursday, may 7th.

[4:06:44] >>

[4:06:46] thank you vice

[4:06:48] chair powell. The open session business

[4:06:49] has now concluded. I have reviewed

[4:06:52] and approved the closing

[4:06:54] statement. Do I have a motion to end

[4:06:55] open session and go

[4:06:58] into closed?

[4:06:59] >> I hereby

[4:07:01] move that the commission go

[4:07:02] into closed session pursuant to maryland

[4:07:03] code annotated general provisions

[4:07:04] article title three

[4:07:07] open meetings act. Closed sessions

[4:07:10] section 3

[4:07:13] to approve the january 21st, 2026

[4:07:14] closed

[4:07:16] session minutes.

[4:07:19] section 3-305

[4:07:20] to receive legal advice on a specific

[4:07:22] matter

[4:07:25] and to consider matters that relate

[4:07:28] to collective

[4:07:31] bargaining negotiations.

[4:07:32] >> is there

[4:07:34] a second?

[4:07:36] any discussion? Hearing none, all

[4:07:37] those in favor signify by saying

[4:07:40] aye. Any nays or

[4:07:41] abstentions? Hearing none, the motion

[4:07:43] passes unanimously and it

[4:07:46] is now 2:10. The commission will

[4:07:46] now recess and reconvene in

[4:07:48] closed session. This concludes the

[4:07:49] open session

[4:07:50] of the february commission meeting.

WSSC Water Commission Meeting - February 18, 2026

Transcript