BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Memorandum of Understanding Between the Santa Clara Valley Water District and Ecology Action for the WaterLink Program, Project No. 91151001.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Authorize the Interim CEO to approve and execute the Memorandum of Understanding between the Santa Clara Valley Water District and Ecology Action for the WaterLink Program.
Body
SUMMARY:
The proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is between Ecology Action, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) for Ecology Action’s WaterLink Program (WaterLink Program).
Ecology Action received a grant from the California Department of Water Resources to fund a water and energy savings direct installation program that targets disadvantaged communities in Santa Clara County. The WaterLink Program provides residents, businesses and schools with enhanced rebates, direct installation services for water efficiency upgrades and in-person technical assistance. The District currently has an agreement in place with Ecology Action to provide educational materials as well as low-flow devices to be installed during their on-site surveys. An additional MOU is needed to provide rebate funding to Ecology Action for the WaterLink Program.
In order to make the WaterLink Program as easy as possible for residents and facility owners to participate, the District will reimburse Ecology Action directly for the following District rebate programs: Landscape Conversion Program (at $2 per square foot, up to 50,000 square feet); $75 for each Energy Star Most Efficient Residential Clothes Washer (up to $1,875); $400 for each High Efficiency Commercial Clothes Washer (up to $40,000); and $4 per CCF of water saved per year, up to fifty percent of material cost of the project (whichever is lower), for up to 30 ozone laundry projects at skilled nursing facilities and hotels (up to $35,000). These are the District’s standard rebate levels for each of these water conservation programs, with the exception of the Landscape Conversion Rebate Program. The rebate level for the Landscape Conversion Rebate Program was discussed by the Board’s Water Conservation Ad Hoc Committee at its May 31, 2016 meeting. At that meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee recommended allotting, for this Ecology Action partnership, $100,000 ($2 per square foot, up to 50,000 total square feet) of the $1,000,000 the Board added to the FY17 program budget for the District-wide Landscape Conversion Rebate Program. The District’s obligation to pay for all WaterLink Program activities is capped at $176,875.
The WaterLink Program will help the District meet its short-term drought response goals and long-term water conservation goals specified in the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan, the 2011 Central Valley Project Improvement Act Water Management Plan, and the 2012 Water Supply Master Plan. By partnering with Ecology Action, the District is able to combine resources and implement the WaterLink program more cost-effectively than would be possible otherwise.
This MOU will remain in effect from the effective date through December 31, 2017, or until funding is depleted, whichever occurs first.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
This MOU specifies that the District will pay Ecology Action up to $176,875, based on WaterLink Program activity. There are sufficient funds available in the Fiscal Year 2016/17 Water Enterprise Operations Budget.
CEQA:
This project is exempt from CEQA Guidelines under Section 15301, “Existing Facilities”, and Section 15304, “Minor Alteration to Land”. It involves minor alteration of existing public landscape facilities with no expansion of use or removal of healthy, mature and scenic trees.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Memorandum of Understanding
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Garth Hall, 408-630-2750