Metropolitan WaterTalk

Diamond Valley Lake, December 2017

THREE THINGS Y OU NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT MET THIS WEEK

A weekly newsletter by and for Metropolitan employees

February 20, 2018

What's New with California WaterFix?

The California Department of Water Resources has announced an option to build California WaterFix in two stages. The first stage would include one tunnel and two intakes on the Sacramento River and would supply two-thirds of the project's total conveyance capacity - 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

The state also released an economic study showing the benefits outweigh the costs to ratepayers in every scenario analyzed for this first stage of California WaterFix.

Metropolitan and other State Water Contactors have expressed their willingness to support and invest in the project. This staged approach reflects the funding that appears to be available to modernize the statewide water delivery system.

Discussions are also ongoing with federal Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors.

Metropolitan's board voted in October 2017 to support its share of the full two-tunnel project. At the Board's Water Planning and Stewardship Committee meeting last week, staff updated directors on these plans to stage construction of the project.

Based on current information and depending on the participation of some federal water contractors, the cost increase for an average household in Met's service area would remain at about $2/mo. If Met makes a larger investment in the staged project, the cost could change to reflect that role. Staff will return to the board in the coming weeks with additional details on operations, costs and benefits.

Presenting our Latest Annual Report

Thair Peterson puts his heart and soul year after year into creating the district's Annual Report because "someone, centuries in the future, some scholar studying water systems in Southern California, will likely turn to this annual report as the definitive word on our history."

The Annual Report, which spans each fiscal year, has an 80-year history. The first issue was submitted on June 30, 1938 to the Board of Directors by F.E. Weymouth, Metropolitan's chief engineer and general manager. Addressed to the "Gentlemen" of the Board, it covered "all phases of progress in the construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct and distribution system up to that time, including a review of the events leading up to the organization of the District in 1928."

While some aspects of the report have changed (like the salutation to the "Gentlemen of the Board"), much has remained true to the original structure, Peterson says. The report took a nine year hiatus, from 1999 to 2006, but was then reinstated by General Manager Jeff
Kightlinger.

The production process follows a strict schedule, with a team of about a dozen coordinators from each Group submitting narrative, tables, charts and photos starting around June of each year. With crucial assistance from Marva Farrar of the Chief Administrative Office, the multi-draft procedure continues through the end of the calendar year with a target January distribution date.

This year's 185-page report highlights progress on virtually every Metropolitan project, program and planning activity last year. For the latest report, click here .

Preserving Metropolitan's Past

With a big smile and cheerful attitude, you can always expect a proper greeting from Sherri Lee Barnes . Big on customer service, Sherri is always available to lend a helping hand.

Her husband, Bruce Barnes started working at the District in 1997. He brought her to Union Station around the holidays where she was impressed with the large Christmas tree in the lobby and hallway photos showing many of MWD's facilities. She told her husband, "Someday I am going to work here."

In 2006, that dream became a reality when she was hired as a Survey and Mapping Technician in the Geodetics and Mapping Team. Sherri has worked in the surveying and engineering fields for over than 30 years.

A few years back, Sherri and her coworkers gave a presentation on the historical aspects of "Surveying the Colorado River Aqueduct." Two years later, she and co-worker Paul Tucker submitted an article to a Land Surveying magazine which became the cover story. During her research, she found an article from a 1934 issue of National Geographic magazine

that described the CRA construction as "a supreme engineering effort. In all the history of great waterworks, the whole world has seen nothing like it."

David Keller guided her to Met's online photo gallery and was able to provide archived documents containing memories from CRA pioneers.

"MWD has a great history, each of us is either helping in some way to maintain that great historic water system or are involved in the process of finding new ways to deliver water to Southern California. I'm glad to be a small part of the MWD story" says Sherri.

"Let's Eat." A Taste of Metropolitan Soul

Feb. 22 at 11:15 a.m. in the Headquarters' Courtyard

Soul food is one of the tenets of African American culture and celebration. In keeping with the tradition of delicious regional fare that stretches from Maryland crab cakes to the Carolinas' hoppin' John to the Creole and Cajun spices of the Bayou, the BEA invites you to "Let's Eat," the next in the series of events commemorating Black History Month.This year's menu of dirty rice cups, fried mac-and-cheese, fried chicken and biscuit bites is sure to rival some of the best BEA events of the past.