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Minutes - CAC - 2023-11-08COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER g, 2023 CAC Members present Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Dean Fisher, Sue Lester, Francesca Normington, Michael Tou CAC Members absent Jeff Arbour, Daniel Baume, Annette Watson Board Members present Arlene Schafer, Bob Ooten, Michael Scheafer Staff present Scott Carroll (General Manager), Gina Terraneo (Management Analyst II), Angela Colunga (Administrative Assistant I), Marissa Pereyda (Management Analyst II), Mark Esquer (District Engineer) Others present Joe Jenkins, EEC Environmental Mike Balliet, Michael Balliet Consulting Tom Brenneman, District resident Meeting called to order at 6:04 P.M. A. OPENING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Call to Order Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair Lester called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 2 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 Procedural: 2. Roll Call Management Analyst II, Gina Terraneo, conducted roll call. She noted that CAC Members Brenneman, Fernandez, Fisher, Lester, Normington and Tou were present, while CAC Members Arbour, Baume, Chora, and Watson were not present at this time. Procedural: 3. Public Comments - Speakers will be limited to three minutes. The three minutes per speaker time allotted may be extended for good cause by a majority vote of the committee. CAC Chair Lester opened public comments. Hearing none, she closed public comments. B. ITEMS Action: 1. Approve the Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of September 13, 2023 Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee approves the meeting minutes as presented. CAC Chair Lester introduced the item. Motion: To approve the meeting minutes as presented. Motion by Michael Tou, seconded by Cindy Brenneman. Final Resolution: Motion carries 6-0-0-4 Ayes: Cindy Brenneman, Dean Fisher, Dickie Fernandez, Sue Lester, Francesca Normington, Michael Tou No: None Abstain: None Not Present: Jeff Arbour, Daniel Baume, Rosemarie Chora, Annette Watson There was no further discussion. Action: 2. Receive and File Waste Composition Studies #3, #4, #5, and #6 from Michael Balliet Consulting Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receive and file Waste Composition Studies #3, #4, #5, and #6 from Michael Balliet Consulting. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 3 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 General Manager, Scott Carroll, introduced the item. He discussed Senate Bill (SB) 1383 regulations. He shared that the Board will be discussing SB 1383 enforcement measures next week. He stated that the District's goal is to have less than 20% of contaminated items in each type of trash cart. He introduced the District's waste consultant, Mike Balliet of Michael Ballet Consulting. Mr. Balliet provided report details. He stated that the waste composition studies analyze the contents of customers' Mixed Waste Carts. He described the methodology and sampling procedures. He presented the results of each study. CAC Chair Lester inquired about customers' waste sorting behaviors. Mr. Balliet stated that most people do not rinse their recyclables prior to placing them in the Mixed Waste Cart, which then leads to the contamination of other recyclables such as cardboard and paper. He added that a three -cart system will help decrease the contamination of recyclables. There was no further discussion. Action: 3. Receive and File CMSD's Fats Oil Grease (FOG) Program Annual Assessment Report Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receives the presentation from Joe Jenkins of EEC Environmental regarding the District's FOG Control Program and provide input to staff. Mr. Carroll introduced the item and Joe Jenkins of EEC Environmental. Mr. Jenkins presented an overview of FOG program activities, including how EEC prioritizes food service establishments (FSEs) based on risk, education and outreach, inspections and enforcement, data management, plan review and customer service support, and FOG source characterization and reduction of enhanced maintenance locations (EMLs). CAC Member Chora entered the meeting at 6:21 p.m. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 Mr. Jenkins reported that there was an increase in the number of FSEs in the program over the past few years. He described how FSEs are prioritized for inspection based on risk criteria and presented FSE compliance rates. CAC Chair Lester inquired about inspection services and fees. Mr. Jenkins stated that there are no direct fees to the FSEs for re -inspection services. He noted that the District's sewer rates fund the FOG Control Program. He continued discussing the District's FSE compliance rates. He presented the procedures for monitoring inspection frequencies. He shared two FSEs that are inspected frequently due to compliance issues. He presented information on EMLs, which are inspected on a quarterly basis due to FOG accumulation. He discussed FOG program trends and recommendations. He provided an update on South Coast Plaza's FOG issues. CAC Member Chora asked if FSEs that are frequently inspected are also required to increase their maintenance of their grease interceptors. Mr. Jenkins stated that EEC helps FSEs identify the proper pumping frequencies through their re -inspection services. CAC Member Chora suggested considering a metric that is comparable to other state-wide systems, such as reporting the number of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) per 100 miles. Discussion followed regarding state reporting metrics for SSOs and FSE status and ownership data. CAC Member Fernandez asked how the District's FOG Control Program compares to other jurisdictions. Mr. Jenkins shared that EEC manages six different FOG control programs in California and has helped developed over 30 programs. He stated that since the District has had almost 20 years to develop their program, it is one of the best and most proactive FOG control programs. He discussed the differences between the District's program and other FOG programs. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 5 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 Mr. Carroll added that the District captures data on all SSOs within region 8 of California, which consists of Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino, and publishes it on the District's website. He stated that prior to the SSO at the South Coast Plaza, the District had about 430 consecutive days without an SSO. CAC Member Fisher inquired about the cost of the program and maintenance. Mr. Carroll stated that the District has increased its spending on maintenance to afford a third cleaning crew. He noted that a third cleaning crew ensures that the entire sewer system is cleaned within one year. CAC Member Fernandez asked if the Wastewater Department is optimizing its cleaning frequency based on hot spots. Mr. Carroll stated that the District's EMLs are cleaned about four times a year. District Engineer, Mark Esquer, stated that the Wastewater Department performs time -based cleaning activities and actively reviews areas with grit and grease. Discussion followed regarding SmartCovers. CAC Member Chora inquired about the District's education and outreach efforts for targeting residential FOG. She stated that all education and outreach materials should be available in English and Spanish. Mr. Carroll stated that District staff does an excellent job at promoting the proper FOG disposal protocols. He noted that the District's newsletter is available in English and Spanish. He stated that residential customers can pour their food grease into their Organics Recycling Cart. CAC Member Chora recommended performing more outreach to apartment complexes. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 6 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 Mr. Esquer shared that District staff has hand delivered FOG flyers to customers in problem areas. He stated that, for private SSOs, staff will send a letter to that residential customer to perform a closed-circuit televised video (CCTV) of their private sewer line. Mr. Carroll reiterated that the District experiences more private SSOs caused by residential customers than FSEs. There was no further discussion. Action: 4. FY 2023-24 Work Plan Update Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receive and file this report. Mr. Carroll presented report details. He stated that there were three items that were supposed to be on the agenda but were not ready for review. He explained why each item was delayed. Discussion followed regarding the District's audit of CR&R's performance. Mr. Carroll confirmed that the CAC will have an opportunity to comment on CR&R's audit prior to the Board's review. CAC Member Brenneman asked when the CAC will receive an update on the District's Trash Carts in Public View policy. Mr. Carroll stated that it will be ready for review within the first half of next year. There was no further discussion. C. CLOSING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Committee Member Comments CAC Member Chora and Brenneman recognized the District's Eco Expo event. CAC Member Ferndndez thanked District staff for providing dinner. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 CAC Vice Chair Tou inquired about the District's Compost and Shredding Event. Mr. Carroll stated that it will take place after the 2023-24 school year concludes. CAC Chair Lester thanked all District staff for providing dinner and for the Eco Expo event. She stated that the event partners and presentations were impressive and fun. She asked for the CAC to be notified of any upcoming events. Mr. Carroll stated that a 2024 events calendar will be shared at the January CAC meeting. CAC Chair Lester stated that tonight's meeting is the last meeting of 2023. She wished everyone a happy holiday season and good health. She reminded the CAC to inform District staff if they will be absent for a meeting and to attend at least one Board meeting per year. She noted that they can attend Board meetings in person, over Zoom, or over the phone. She also noted that, at the last Board meeting, the Board discussed term limits and voted not to pursue them. She thanked President Scheafer for his comments on the item. She requested that, when an item from the CAC moves forward to the Board, the Board provides an explanation of their decision. She thanked District staff for the giveaway items and thanked all CAC members for their participation. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 2. Board/Staff Comments President Scheafer expressed appreciation for the CAC and thanked them for their time and effort. He stated that the CAC presents a lot of relevant and valuable information to the Board. He commented on the District's Community Survey and encouraged customers to complete the survey. Vice Secretary Ooten described the CAC as thoughtful, resourceful, and educated. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 3. Adjournment COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 8 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 8, 2023 CAC Chair Lester adjourned the meeting at 7:05 p.m. and stated that the next CAC meeting is scheduled for January 10, 2023. Sue Lester Citizens Advisory Committee Chair