WATER QUALITY

By James D. "Pretti" (Jim) Pretti

Maintain & Improve water quality

LOS VAQUEROS RESERVOIR:

The completion of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir (LV) in 1998 dramatically improved the quality of the water the District is able to deliver to its ratepayers. The CCWD water supply is dependent on the quality of water that flows to and through the Delta. The quality of that water fluctuates greatly throughout the year and during times when there is less fresh water runoff, salt water intrudes further up the Delta causing the water to taste salty. LV now allows CCWD to store good quality fresh water when there is good runoff through the Delta and use that water to deliver to our customers when there is poor runoff. CCWD ratepayers now get good quality water all year long. LV was a $450 million project that was completed on time and under budget, few, if any, projects of that size can make that claim.

CONTRA LOMA RESERVOIR:

Contra Loma is a small reservoir used by CCWD for emergency storage and used to meet peak demand, typically on warm days when customer usage is at its highest. Swimming and other recreational activities are allowed there which are run by the East Bay Regional Park District. In order to improve water quality and eliminate health concerns, CCWD built a swimming lagoon that is physically separated from the rest of the reservoir. I was one of the leading advocates in establishing a policy of not allowing body contact in our drinking water reservoirs.

WATER TREATMENT:

During my tenure as a Director, CCWD converted its Bollman Treatment Plant to an advanced state of the art ozone treatment plant. CCWD now has two ozone treatment plants, this will allow us to meet the new more stringent drinking water standards that will be in force shortly. CCWD is ahead of all other water districts in the Bay Area on this type of treatment. In the past year both of these plants won awards for their treatment performance which places them in the top 1% of treatment plants in the United States.

THE FUTURE:

CCWD in now faced with one of its biggest challenges. The State of California and the Federal Government are currently engaged in a massive program designed to improve water quality and reliability and to restore the ecosystem in the Bay Delta; it is called the Cal-Fed Program. This long-range program is designed to address water issues and avoid a potential water crisis in the future. This program centers and revolves around the Bay Delta. Since CCWD obtains all of its water from the Delta, anything that impacts the Delta may impact the quality of CCWD's water supply. Water is a most precious commodity and there are many competing interests for that water. CCWD is participating in every aspect of this process to ensure that our ratepayers' interests are protected and that any future programs that are implemented in the Delta benefit our customers. I have the qualifications, experience and proven track record to help guide the District through this difficult process.