File Name: ORAL REPORT BY WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENT ON INFRASTRUCTURE
Introduced: 5/8/2012
Requester:
NONE
Cost:
Final Action:
Agenda Date:
Agenda Item Number:
Notes:
See 121787
Title:
ORAL REPORT BY WATER AND SEWER ON THE STATUS OF INFRASTRUCTURE
Indexes:
INFRASTRUCTURE
Sponsors:
Audrey M. Edmonson, Prime Sponsor
Barbara J. Jordan, Co-Sponsor
Sunset Provision:
No
Effective Date:
Expiration Date:
Registered Lobbyist:
None Listed
Legislative History
Acting Body
Date
Agenda Item
Action
Sent To
Due Date
Returned
Pass/Fail
Internal Mgmt. & Fiscal Responsibility Committee
10/16/2012
7A
Withdrawn
REPORT:
See Item 7A Substitute (Legislative File No. 121787).
Internal Mgmt. & Fiscal Responsibility Committee
9/11/2012
7A
No action taken due to lack of a quorum
County Attorney
8/29/2012
Referred
Internal Mgmt. & Fiscal Responsibility Committee
9/11/2012
County Attorney
8/29/2012
Referred
Infrastructure and Land Use Committee
9/12/2012
Board of County Commissioners
6/5/2012
6B1
Deferred
REPORT:
County Attorney Robert Cuevas read the foregoing proposed discussion item into the record.
Commissioner Jordan requested that this discussion item be deferred until a cost analysis was available to the Commission.
Mr. John Renfrow, Water and Sewer Department Director, noted a report was requested 90 days ago regarding deficiencies in the County’s water and sewer system and the costs of projects was completed. He noted he had intended to provide an overview of the report today (6/5). Mr. Renfrow indicated that the Mayor’s Office was reviewing the written report and the Commission should be receiving it sometime this week.
Chairman Martinez noted he would assign the written report to two Commission committees scheduled to meet on the same day for consideration and discussion and the Commission my subsequently consider the item.
Hearing no further discussion, the foregoing proposed discussion item was deferred to no date certain.
Infrastructure and Land Use Committee
5/9/2012
6A
Presented
REPORT:
Mr. Joseph Ruiz, Director, Water and Sewer Department (WASD), presented an oral report on the status of the department’s infrastructure. He thanked Committee members for the opportunity to discuss the report, and noted the County entered into consent orders with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Florida relative to the Cross-Bay pipeline, the waste water collection system, and the South-Dade Waste Water Treatment Plant, in 1994. He said the department had recently finished a $600 million project at the South-Dade Waste Water Treatment Plant, which brought the County into compliance with the consent orders. Mr. Ruiz noted the department had not only complied with, but had been very successful in achieving the goals of the consent orders, and would continue to build on that success.
Mr. Ruiz noted the WASD, in conjunction with the County Attorneys, were meeting with representatives from the EPA, the State of Florida, and other local regulatory agencies to negotiate the terms of the new consent order, which he noted was a lengthy process that would not be completed for many months. He said once the process was completed, the new consent order would be submitted for approval by the County Commission and subsequently for approval by the Federal Court. He explained that the new consent order would focus on the waste water distribution system and would continue to build on that success. Mr. Ruiz reported that the department had been so successful in fixing the leaks it had probably saved approximately $400 to $500 million, which was the cost of a new waste water treatment plant.
Mr. Ruiz pointed out that the WASD had also been successful in creating jobs noting over 700 employees were employed during the peak of the $600 million high-level disinfection project. He added that the department would continue implementing similar projects, and the only uncertainty was whether this would take place over the next 10, 15 or 20 years. He reported that the waste water treatment plant on Virginia Key, which was the largest and the oldest plant in the County, needed to be rehabilitated. In conclusion, Mr. Ruiz noted the WASD was working with the County Attorneys and the commissioners’ staff to address these issues, and would bring the new consent order to the County Commission for approval.
Chairwoman Edmonson thanked Mr. Ruiz for his report and opened the floor for questions or comments from members of the Committee.
Commissioner Jordan noted at the January 11, 2012 Committee meeting, she asked that the Water and Sewer Department Director provide her a comprehensive report on the aging water and sewer infrastructure along with a cost analysis to determine the cost of repairing water and sewer lines and pipes in each Commission District, which she had not yet received. She asked that the Director provide her with this report.
Mr. Ruiz confirmed that his department had not yet submitted the report, and was in the process of finalizing the draft. He said he anticipated that the report would be submitted to the Mayor’s office by the end of the week. He assured Commissioner Jordan that she would receive a copy of this report next week.
Commissioner Jordan also asked the Director to include information on the consultants or studies used as the basis for the findings.
Mr. Ruiz said he would provide the information as requested by Commissioner Jordan. He explained that due to time constraints and expenses, his department had not been able to complete all of the surveys on the thousands of miles of pipes in the County. He indicated that the staff had made tremendous progress on the large-diameter pipes, although they still had many pipes to survey. Mr. Ruiz noted, however, that he believed the report would be provided in a timely manner even though the project was not yet completed.
Commissioner Jordan suggested the County develop a comprehensive plan for dealing with the aging water and sewer infrastructure once the survey was completed.
Office of the Chairperson
5/8/2012
Additions
5/9/2012
Legislative Text
There is no text currently available online for this item.
