Sativa Water District

Sativa Water District

Experiences of the State’s First Administrator

November 14, 2019

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FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

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✓1,600 Connections

✓7,000 Residents

✓1/3rd Square Mile

✓Disadvantaged Community

✓2 Wells, Zero Storage, No Interconnections

Sativa Statistics

FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

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Background

✓ Years of intermittent brown water

✓ April 2018 flushing ▪ System went to bottled water

✓ News media attention▪ LAFCo▪ State Board Compliance Orders▪ AB 1577▪ LA County appointed as

Administrator

FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB4

ON THE INSIDE

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Initial Assessment

✓ Financially insolvent

✓ No financial controls

✓ Rapid financial and operational assessment

✓ Infrastructure in critical condition

GETTING TO WORK: ADMINISTRATION

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✓Rebuilding financial records

✓ Straightening out contracts and services

✓ Financial Audit

✓Multiple cash injections

GETTING TO WORK: FIELD OPERATIONS

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GETTING TO WORK: BUILDING TRUST

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SUCCESS

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COMPLETING THE JOB

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Completing the Job

✓ RFP for the Sale of the Water System

✓ 5 Bids Submitted on 11/12/19

✓ Scoring and Potential Interviews to Follow

8 PEARLS OF WISDOM

No One Knew How Bad Sativa Was✓Find a way to identify troubled water systems without creating a burdensome

oversight process for everyone else

Administrator Is Not a Part-Time, Retired GM✓ Need to bring in a multi-discipline, multi-member team✓ Team needs to be supported by an entity with substantial resources

Taking Over a Troubled Water System Isn’t Cheap✓Need to finance the Administrator, make the Administrator agency whole

Location, Location, Location✓ Proximity is key; costs multiply when you bring in an agency from out of town

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8 PEARLS OF WISDOM (Con’t)12

Troubled Water Systems May Have Legacy Legal Issues✓ Must give Administrator ironclad immunity from litigation/liability

Wining Hearts and Minds vs Repairing Infrastructure✓ Rebuilding trust with customers is just as important as eliminating brown

water

DACs Can Have a Fear & Distrust of Government✓ Need for communications experts✓ Partnership w/existing community groups

Emergency Powers for an Emergency Situation✓ Create speed and flexibility in contracting and procurement ✓ Prolong the Administrator period / delay dissolution

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Thank You

Russ Bryden, PEPrincipal Engineer

RBryden@pw.lacounty.gov; (626) 458-4334

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