Fernando Baez

The board meeting included a recognition for an instrumentation technician's certification, a discussion regarding the Aquifer Storage and Recovery project operations plan and cost-sharing agreement, and various administrative items including IT security service monitoring, vendor overpayment refunds, and wage garnishments. The board also reviewed capital project budget allocations for valve replacements and construction contracts, authorized federal financial assistance for salinity management, and held a public hearing to adopt updates to ordinance rules and regulations for water district purveyors.

The meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call confirming a quorum. Public comments were concluded without any raised hands. Agenda items included a report on advocacy visits conducted in Sacramento regarding water infrastructure reliability and resilience, expediting Prop 4 funding rollout, and addressing wildfire liability concerns impacting water agencies. A second report detailed turf transformation projects, highlighting collaboration with various agencies (Metropolitan, IEUA, Upper District, Los Virgin) to fund turf replacement, especially in light of AB1572 prohibiting potable water irrigation of non-functional turf starting in 2027. A discussion ensued regarding the possibility of Calleguas MWD adding funding to these conservation rebate programs, noting that past additions were tied to drought conditions and resulted in significant reserve depletion. The board decided to receive a summary of current programs before making a decision on future contributions. A subsequent report addressed a productive meeting with the Wood Ranch Community Homeowners Association concerning an emergency access road project near the Lakebard water filtration plant, focusing on an existing easement for development.

The Board of Directors meeting agenda included a call to order and roll call, a public comments section, and consideration for items to be added to the agenda. The agenda covered a review of the agenda, presentations, and a consent calendar which included the approval of the Minutes of the February 18, 2026 Board Meetings. Action items were scheduled, followed by various reports, including General Manager and Staff Reports, General Counsel Report, and Board of Directors Reports covering committee meetings and administrative code reimbursable meetings. Information items covered a letter to the Delta Stewardship Council regarding project consistency, and the agenda concluded with a closed session and adjournment to the next meeting.

The Board of Directors meeting agenda included several key sections: Public Comments, consideration of agenda additions, review of the agenda, and presentations, notably the introduction of the 2026 Intern Cohort. The Consent Calendar items involved approving the Minutes of the January 21, 2026 Board Meetings, approving professional services by Northern Digital, Inc. for instrumentation and control design services for the Somis Farmworker Housing SMP Discharge Station (Project No. 607) ($117,840), receiving and affirming the Fourth Quarter 2025 Change Order Summary Report, and receiving and affirming the Quarterly Investment Report through December 31, 2025. Action items called for separate discussion. Reports covered General Manager/Staff reports, including December 2025 Financial Statements, Water Supply Update, and updates on the Pure Water Southern California project and Post-2026 Operating Guidelines for the Colorado River. External Affairs reported on various stakeholder meetings and federal advocacy regarding Lake Bard Pump Station funding. Operations and Maintenance reported on Salinity Management Pipeline status, LBWFP operations during power outages, and proactive measures taken during Metropolitan shutdowns. Engineering provided detailed construction and design updates across numerous CIP projects. Finance reported on processed invoices and water sales figures.

The board meeting included a presentation on the condition assessment of Pre-Stress Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP), which is susceptible to catastrophic failures due to corrosion of internal wires. The presentation detailed the pipe composition and the inspection process, which requires taking the pipeline out of service to perform an electrical field inspection to detect wire breaks. The operations division detailed preparations for water production, focusing on water quality parameters from Lake Bard, such as oxygen concentration, algae levels, turbidity, temperature, and pH, which influence treatment optimization. They also discussed the preparation for MWD water production from the Las Pulgas wellfield, including injecting MWD water to manage iron and manganese levels. Furthermore, the presentation covered extensive coordination required for pipeline shutdowns for inspections, including confined space training, developing shutdown sequences involving hundreds of tasks, isolation procedures, dewatering processes, and chemical treatment for dechlorination.