Column: Thirsty? Water suppliers, both of groundwater and imported water, should be one big happy family, not two separate entities, it says
We didn’t plant
like-minded folks on the grand jury, we swear!
But on Wednesday, entirely
without prompting, the Orange County grand jury called on the two water giants
in our compact little county to get over themselves, relinquish their pricey
fiefdoms and form a single, unified, regional, county-level water authority to
finally speak with — and this is the grand jury’s flourish — “One Voice.”
“Ronald Reagan once said:
‘No government ever voluntarily reduced itself in size,’ ” the report said.
“However, it is important that Orange County water providers consolidate their
resources and establish a unified voice to lead the county more efficiently in
its water policies and planning….
“(I)t is time to
coordinate strategies in water conservation, development of new supply and
infrastructure, and preparation for the possibility of continued drought,
disaster, and state-mandated water cutbacks.”
The GJ focused not on
Orange County’s 29 water retailers — that is, the water districts and cities
that sell the water to you, the customer — but rather on its two water
wholesalers, who supply the wet stuff that those cities and water districts
then sell to you, the customer.
The Orange County Water
District — which manages the vast groundwater basin beneath north and central
O.C.— and the Municipal Water District of Orange County — which imports water
from the mammoth and legendary Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles —
already share an office (18700 Ward St., Fountain Valley), a general mission
(get water to the thirsty people of Orange County!) and even, you know, a
receptionist.
But they are two different
agencies, with two different boards of directors, two different general
managers, two separate staffs, and two different modes of fulfilling the same
need.
‘One voice’
OCWD owns a vast
infrastructure that sucks water out of the ground — not to mention the
high-tech stuff that cleans up wastewater and injects it back into that ground
to refresh the supply — while Municipal owns, well, not much, really.
Municipal is essentially a
middle-man and has been embattled for years, fighting off secession from South
County districts that felt it was amassing too much money and wasting too much
of same; and casting the stink-eye at the numerous attempts to combine the two
agencies over the years.
“While the processes of
supplying wholesale groundwater and imported water are arguably dramatically
different, complex, and should remain separated in OC, the Orange County Grand
Jury has determined that all sources of water are interconnected and would be
best administered by one governmental entity,” the report said. “All the water
flowing to OC taps looks the same, whether imported or groundwater, so why do
we need two wholesale agencies?”
The future of a reliable
water supply is at risk as we find ourselves in the midst of the worst drought
in some 1,200 years, it continued. A single leadership structure — either via
consolidation of the two agencies or the formation of a new water authority —
is needed.
“Although any
consolidation or formation of a new water agency would pose political,
administrative, and operational challenges, the OCGJ concluded that, at long last,
it is time for Orange County to operate with ‘one water voice.’ “
OCWD is all in.
“It’s been studied, and
it’s a concept whose time has come,” said Steve Sheldon, president of OCWD’s
board of directors. “With the drought and dwindling water supply, the grand
jury report accentuates that Orange County needs to speak with one voice to
regional, state and federal lawmakers on critical water supply issues and
regulations.”
But it appears that
Municipal’s thinking hasn’t changed much.
‘Idealistic’
“The ‘One Voice’
perspective is very idealistic and sounds great,” said Megan Yoo Schneider,
president of Municipal’s board of directors. “But both agencies have many
different members. Some rely on almost 100% groundwater, while some rely almost
100% on imported water. It’s hard to find one voice among them right now.
“What would consolidation
achieve? You’re still going to have to have different people focus on the
different missions. There’s not necessarily cost savings associated with it
when you look at benefits, retirement, logistics. Those are not small hurdles.
You’re not getting rid of any problems getting rid of two agencies.”
What’s needed, she said,
is more and better collaboration between agencies.
Damon Micalizzi,
Municipal’s spokesman, said that the water importer will review the grand
jury’s findings “and again investigate if there is any merit in engaging in a
consolidation process. However, I do not see how things have changed since the
last time we explored this.”
At first glance, it appears
like a simple and easy thing to do, but it has been looked at multiple times
and not implemented not because of difficulties or complexity, but simply
because it does not work, he said. Bigger does not mean better; costs could
actually increase for ratepayers; and Orange County could lose a seat on the
Metropolitan board (which is the biggest sandbox for Water World types to play
in).
Forward
This grand jury, and many
before it, have heard the same arguments, and anticipated them.
“Overall, proponents of
this change are concerned that there is a lack of political will and that
‘protecting my own turf’ philosophies will get in the way of doing the right
thing for reliable water supply in the future,” the report said.
But the current structure
is dysfunctional, provides redundant services with redundant costs, and results
in missed opportunities, it said. Desalination is a good example: Even though
desal projects can impact water supply for the entire county, the two agencies
weigh them, and their impacts, independently.
Benefits of a single water
lord include centralized planning for emergency supplies; increased
coordination between north and south county; cost savings by eliminating
duplication of administrative, professional, consultant, lobbying and other
expenses; and singular leadership on conservation strategies, public outreach
and education, the grand jury said.
Innocent bystander Peer
Swan, a director for the Irvine Ranch Water District (which has successfully
absorbed several smaller water districts), sees a way forward.
“Their responsibilities
and scope are fairly different and a full-on consolidation up front will be a
bumpy road,” he said by email. “Maybe a better approach initially would be to
form a JPA (joint powers authority) of the two districts with each keeping
exclusive control of their primary functions with a consolidated management
structure and joint meetings. Over time, the number of directors could be
reduced and in the longer term the two could be fully merged.”
However it’s accomplished,
the county will be better served by “one voice” speaking to its water supply,
the grand jury said.
The Orange County Register
Teri Sforza
June 22, 2022
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