In this alternate universe, one water agency sees black while the other sees white.
One sees good while the other sees bad.
One says yes while the other says no. And none of it would matter much — except that everyone who showers and drinks and flushes the toilet is paying for it.
Yes, the Orange County Water District (manager of groundwater for North/Central County) and the Municipal Water District of Orange County (chief water importer for South County) have filed their official “we reside on different planets” kudos and condemnations with the Orange County Grand Jury, as required. That grand jury, you may recall, told these two water giants in our compact little county to get over themselves, relinquish their pricey fiefdoms and form a single, unified, regional, county-level water authority to finally speak with — and this is the grand jury’s flourish — “One Voice.”
To summarize the official response: The Orange County Water District (total assets: $1.2 billion) thinks it’s a grand idea! The Municipal Water District (total assets: $52.9 million), not so much.
Suffice to say there may be a bit of a David/Goliath thing going on here.
No, you sillies
Managing the groundwater basin, and importing water from afar for those who aren’t lucky enough to sit atop the groundwater basin, are very different things, says the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s official response.
“Water and the provision of water services at both the wholesale and retail level, are highly complex issues with multiple factors that must be fully assessed and understood when considering changes,” it said.
“MWDOC understands the Grand Jury has limitations on comprehensively researching the issue of consolidation or conducting the level of detailed analysis required to substantiate many of its findings. Potential consolidation of Orange County Water District (OCWD), and MWDOC has been evaluated and considered on numerous occasions in the past, and neither MWDOC nor OCWD have previously concluded that the benefits of consolidation are compelling enough to overcome the substantial financial, institutional, and statutory challenges.
“While MWDOC appreciates the Grand Jury’s time and efforts in preparing this report, we find the report did not conduct an in-depth analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of consolidation nor did it look at how the water providers and system interact and function. The simplicity of the report lacks compelling facts and evidence to support its findings and recommendations.”
The “multiple significant challenges” of consolidating MWDOC and OCWD include different governing laws; the potential loss of Orange County seats on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s board, the Big Kahuna of SoCal water world; and “incompatible” retirement programs that it said could cost some $28 million to $36 million to untangle.
While MWDOC doesn’t believe consolidation is in the best interests of water providers or the public, “We are committed to identify the avenues to improve its coordination, communication, and services and with OCWD and all the water providers throughout the county,” it pledged.
Yes, you Einsteins!
OCWD — which has partnered with the county wastewater authority to transform sewage into drinking water — doesn’t think it’s quite so complicated.
It praised the grand jury for revisiting the issue — which the 2013-14 grand jury explored, reaching the same conclusion on consolidation’s wisdom — and said the grand jurors “did an outstanding job putting this thorough report together through the diligent acquisition of reliable information.
“Interviewing numerous individuals from water agencies that represented a cross-section of regional and local wholesalers and retailers in the County, reviewing documents, touring water and wastewater facilities, reviewing past Grand Jury reports and attending a regional water symposium were critical elements in establishing the Grand Jury’s knowledge base and in obtaining a diversity of perspectives,” OCWD’s official response says.
Water agencies have a duty to their ratepayers to provide a reliable and safe water supply, and not providing enough for people and wildlife is a major long-term threat to the environment, our economy, and our lifestyle, it continued.
“OCWD has strategically developed new water supplies, enhanced capture of traditional water supplies and quickly responded to a major groundwater contamination situation to meet this duty. These North County efforts have been fruitful, but as the Grand Jury report states, all water is interconnected and now, more than ever, the status quo may be inadequate to the challenges we face.”
The consolidation of these two wholesale water agencies could provide many benefits, including a strong, united voice on water issues; singular leadership in conservation strategies, public outreach and education; increased coordination on the financial and capital project fronts; more influence at the local, state and federal levels; and (gasp!) cost savings by eliminating duplications of administrative, professional, consultant, lobbying and other expenses, OCWD said.
Don’t hold your breath
Sort of hard to believe they’re both responding to the same report, no?
The grand jury anticipated as much: “Ronald Reagan once said: ‘No government ever voluntarily reduced itself in size,’” it noted. “(I)t is time to coordinate strategies in water conservation, development of new supply and infrastructure, and preparation for the possibility of continued drought, disaster, and state-mandated water cutbacks.”
The secret recipe for a successful merger appears to be acknowledging inherent avarice, keeping individual boards operating simultaneously after consolidation at full pay and perks, then reducing their number as time goes by until the agencies are fully integrated. That’s how Irvine Ranch has done it.
In all fairness, mergers can be incredibly complex. These two agencies are different — one imports the wet stuff from afar, while the other manages what’s deep underfoot — but all that could be worked out.
Again we ask: How many water lords earning more than $300,000 does O.C. really need? We’re SoCal’s smallest county when measured by square miles, but it still takes 18 completely separate, independent little governments to make water gush from our taps and flush wastewater away — in addition to the baker’s dozen or so cities that have their own water departments.
The head honcho at OCWD earns more than $421,000 a year in total compensation. His counterpart at MWDOC earned more than $350,000. That’s really necessary?
Source: Orange County Register
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