Issues concerning California Water Service's purchase proposal topped the agenda of the Purissima Hills Water District's Jan. 14 board of directors meeting.
To respond to this issues, Art Jensen, general manager of the Bay Area Water Users Association, addressed the board at its recent meeting. The water users association is a watchdog organization of 36 districts that get their water from San Francisco.
In an unprecedented cooperative effort with the association, Jensen said San Francisco Public Utility Commission last week kicked off a joint study on future water supply. The two-year study will give each water-purchasing agency an opportunity to decide how much water they want to buy in future years, he said.
Jensen encouraged the Purissima Hills district to explore water conservation measures as one way to increase water supplies. "Voluntary implementation of best management practices in this area may become mandatory" under new state policy, he said. "You could get a jump on this and examine the (management practices) with some rigor."
The district has no ground water sources and no current access to waste water recycling. Jensen said other options for increasing water supplies included buying more from San Francisco or, barring contract limitations, from neighboring districts.
A representative from the California Public Utility Commission will attend the Purissima board's next meeting.
Joan Cassman, the board's legal advisor, outlined the procedure for dissolution of the district in the event of its sale.
The process first involves public hearings. A vote of district members is not required, Cassman said, but could be called at the discretion of the board of supervisors. Lack of unanimity among Purissima board members over the sale could trigger an election, she said, and the water district board could call for an advisory vote by district members.
California Water Service has offered to by the district for $1 and compensate district members with reduced rates over a 7.5-year payback period. The alternative, a cash sale, is not acceptable to the district board because proceeds must be distributed to Los Altos Hills and Santa Clara County, rather than remaining with the district.
According to the board, benefits of the sale include increased water supply assurance, emergency water supply and cash reserves.
The board on Jan. 14. elected Los Altos Hills residents Daniel Alexander to another term as president and Janet Fenwick as vice president. She replaced Daniel Seidel.