MID Board Report Archive

MID Board Meeting of Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Contact: MID Public Affairs Department, Maree Hawkins, 209 526-7390
The next MID Board meetings are scheduled for April 25, May 9, and May 25.

Announcement following closed session

Board President Tom Van Groningen announced that MID will proceed with recruitment for the position of Assistant General Counsel.

Water Report

Assistant General Manager Walter Ward, Water Operations, stated that the predictions for runoff from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada Mountains have been revised sharply upward. The California Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) now predicts runoff will be 165 percent of normal – Northern Sierra, 144 percent of normal – Central Sierra, 155 percent of normal – Southern Sierra.

This morning the water elevation in Don Pedro Reservoir was at 814.7 feet, above the flood control space of 801.9 but not at the maximum capacity of the reservoir. In this instance it is rainfall in the foothills, not snowmelt from the upper watershed that has pushed storage up. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DWR are concerned about the potential for levee breaks and flooding along the San Joaquin River. The Corps and DWR will perform a delicate balancing act as they monitor the changing weather conditions and closely coordinate their activities with reservoir operators and other agencies. MID anticipates that Tuolumne River flows may be high for some time, noting that the snowpack begins melting when overnight low temperatures in the watershed are above freezing.

Rainfall in Modesto stands at 11.92 inches compared to a historical average of 11.76 on this date. Although this is not yet one of the top 10 wettest Aprils of all time, it is the wettest April in 18 years.

Customer Billing System update

Project Manager Lou Hampel said that progress continues to be made. A problem related to automatic meter reading in Mountain House surfaced last week, and two incorrect bills were mailed as a result. All affected accounts are being corrected. With respect to an earlier question about electricity consumed but not yet billed, staff estimates that this amounts to about $10,000 per month (compared to $17 million in average retail electric sales per month in 2005). These accounts will be billed as quickly as possible, and MID will set up payment arrangements with affected customers as needed.

Other Board actions today

• The Board by unanimous vote approved agreements
  • With ERS Industrial Services, Inc. to repair and rehabilitate filter number one at the Modesto Regional Water Treatment Plant.
  • With Development Dimensions International, Inc. to provide training for newly promoted supervisors and managers.
  • To participate, as part of the M-S-R Public Power Agency, in the Big Horn Wind Project in the state of Washington, agreeing to buy 12.5 percent of the energy produced and delivered from this project.
• The Board by majority vote agreed to a change in the contract with Integrated Engineers & Contractors Corp. under which the firm is providing construction management services for the Ripon Generation Station.