Meeting Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Place: Board Conference Room, Office of the Board of Supervisors

First Floor, Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City

1. Call to Order

2. Oral Communications and Public Comment

3. Approval of the Minutes for the Meeting of November 18, 2008 - Attachment

4. Green Team Update: A) Green Bag Lecture Series (Danielle Lee, Department of Public Works) – Attachment B) Green Event Guide (Peggy Jensen, County Manager’s Office) – Attachment C) Green Report Card (Danielle Lee, Department of Public Works) – Attachments D) Update, Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit Update (Jeremy Dennis, County

Manager’s Office) E) Drink Hetch Hetchy Program: Proposal to Prohibit County Funds to be Used to

Purchase Bottled Water (Jeremy Dennis, County Manager’s Office) – Attachment

5. Approval of the Meeting Schedule for 2009 - attachment

6. Adjourn

A COPY OF THE SAN MATEO FINANCE AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AGENDA PACKET IS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT THE CLERK OF THE BOARD’S OFFICE, HALL OF JUSTICE, 400 COUNTY CENTER, FIRST FLOOR. THE CLERK OF THE BOARD’S OFFICE IS OPEN MONDAY THRU FRIDAY 8 A.M. - 5 P.M, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY – CLOSED. MEETINGS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED SPECIAL ASSISTANCE OR A DISABILITY-RELATED MODIFICATION OR ACCOMMODATION (INCLUDING AUXILIARY AIDS OR SERVICES) TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING, OR WHO HAVE A DISABILITY AND WISH TO REQUEST AN ALTERNATIVE FORMAT FOR THE AGENDA, MEETING NOTICE, AGENDA PACKET OR OTHER WRITINGS THAT MAY BE DISTRIBUTED AT THE MEETING, SHOULD CONTACT MARIE PETERSON, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE CLERK, AT LEAST 72 HOURS BEFORE THE MEETING AT (650) 363-4634 AND/OR mpeterson@co.sanmateo.ca.us. NOTIFICATION IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING WILL ENABLE THE COUNTY TO MAKE REASONABLE ARRANGEMENTS TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY TO THIS MEETING AND THE MATERIALS RELATED TO IT. ATTENDEES TO THIS MEETING ARE REMINDED THAT OTHER ATTENDEES MAY BE SENSITIVE TO VARIOUS CHEMICAL BASED PRODUCTS. If you wish to speak to the Committee, please fill out a speaker’s slip. If you have anything that you wish distributed to the Committee and included in the official record, please hand it to the Deputy County Manager who will distribute the information to the Supervisors and staff.

DRAFT ACTION MINUTES

Meeting Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Place: Board Chambers

400 County Center, First Floor, Redwood City

1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 1:35 p.m. Chair Gordon and Co-Chair Hill was

present.

2. Oral Communications and Public Comment No members of the public wished to speak.

3. Approval of the Minutes for the Meeting of September 30th 2008 - Attachment Minutes were approved as submitted.

4. Green Team Update (Peggy Jensen, Deputy County Manager) - Attachment Peggy Jensen, Deputy County Manager gave an update on the Green Team and

presented the kickoff of the County’s website of the “Green Portal”.

5. Climate Action Blueprint (Peggy Jensen, Deputy County Manager) - Attachment Peggy Jensen, Deputy County Manager presented the Climate Action Blueprint which

was recommended to go before the entire Board of Supervisors for approval.

6. Update on South Bayside Waste Management (James Porter, Public Works Department) Brian Lee, Public Works Department gave an update on the South Bayside Waste

Management contracts. Supervisor Gordon requested that the same update be placed on the Finance and Operations agenda as a reoccurring item.

7. Presentation from the Regional Water Quality Control Board; National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (NPDES) permit changes Bruce Wolfe gave a power point presentation. Questions and answers where taken

from the public.

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Speakers recognized by the Chair:

Lennie Roberts, Committee for Green Foothills Merille Bobelle, Sierra Club Kathryn Peery, Pescadero Municipal Community Advisory Council Matthew Fabry, Program Coordinator - San Mateo Countywide

Water Pollution Prevention Program Tim Frahm, San Mateo County Farm Bureau Walter Nelson Tamara Gayburn Kellyx Nelson, Executive Director, Resource Management District Kathryn Slater Carter, Mid Coast Storm Drainage Committee John Muller, Chair, Regional Water Quality Control Board

8. Next meeting: December 16, 2008 The next scheduled meeting for December 16, 2008, will be cancelled due to

Supervisor’s Hill election to State Assembly and the lack of quorum.

9. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 3:01 p.m.

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

DATE: February 10th, 2009 TO:

Environmental Quality Committee

FROM:

San Mateo County Green Team via Danielle Lee

SUBJECT:

Green Bag Lecture Series

RECOMMENDATION:

The Green Team would like to inform the Environmental Quality Committee of the “Green Bag” series, a new environmental lunchtime lecture series available to county employees and the public. VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment; Responsible, effective and collaborative government. Goal(s): 14. Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship. BACKGROUND:

The San Mateo County Green Team is tasked with supporting the County’s efforts to achieve its Greenhouse Gas reduction targets through outreach and education. For 2009, the Green Team has developed the “Green Bag” series, a monthly lunchtime lecture series to outreach to county employees and raise environmental awareness. DISCUSSION:

The “Green Bag” lecture series will occur on the first Wednesday of every month from noon to 1:00 p.m. in room 101, 455 County Center. The tentative schedule for lecture topics is as follows: January: Taking the Bite out of Global Warming – Eating Locally and Organically February: Do It Yourself Green Remodeling March: Green Spring Cleaning April: Sustainable Gardening/Composting May: Green Transportation

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June: Safe Cosmetics- What is in Your Personal Care Products? July: Be a Water Saving Hero - How to Save Water at Work and at Home August: Alternative Energy September: The Story of Stuff Screening and Discussion October: Insulating your home and Other Energy Saving Measures November: Beautiful Integrated Solar December: Healthy Kids- Safe Baby Products and Toys Proceedings from these lectures will also be made available through the county’s Learning Management System for those county employees that are not able to attend in person. FISCAL IMPACT:

It is anticipated that there will be incidental costs associated with occasional speakers fees that will be absorbed by the Green Team and the Department of Public Works RecycleWorks program. No additional funds are requested for this program.

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

DATE: February 2, 2009 TO:

Environmental Quality Committee

FROM:

Green Team via Peggy Jensen

SUBJECT:

Green Event Guide

RECOMMENDATION:

Accept this report.

VISION ALIGNMENT: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment; Responsible, effective and collaborative government. Goal(s): 14. Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship. 20. Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

DISCUSSION: To assist County staff in planning and hosting events that are more “green”, the Green Team, with the assistance of a summer intern, has prepared the attached Green Event Guide for San Mateo County employees. The guide has been distributed to all Departments through Executive Council and a generic version without specific County contacts for services has been posted on the Green Portal. There is no cost associated with the Green Event Guide and there may be savings associated with the adoption of many of the recommended practices.

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San Mateo County Green Event Guide The County of San Mateo is committed to environmental stewardship as a core component of the way business is done. This guide provides suggestions and resources for “greening” County meetings and events. Site Selection

• Select locations that minimize travel or are located near public transit • Promote teleconference meetings when possible • Promote walking, biking, car-pooling and use of public transit • For offsite meetings, consider facilities that are green buildings

Promotion and Registration

• Print marketing and registration materials on recycled content paper using vegetable-based ink

• Publicize “greening” initiatives in registration materials and at the event • Reduce paper use through online event registration • Send electronic agendas, reminders and confirmations • Keep up to date mailing lists to reduce unnecessary mailings

Presentations and Handouts

• Encourage paperless presentations or distribute handouts via softcopy • Print all paper copies double sided • Post minutes or other handouts on the Internet and/or circulate electronically

after the meeting • Minimize packaging of promotional items and other event materials • If providing promotional items – consider reusable items that promote healthy

lifestyles and environmental stewardship such as potted plants, reusable bags, water bottles, walking path maps and public transit passes

Meals: Food and Beverages

• If event is “brown bag”, encourage attendees to use reusable lunch containers or recyclable or compostable take out containers

• Encourage pre-event signups to reduce food waste and costs • Buy local/ seasonal/ organic produce and meat and sustainable seafood • Offer healthy meal choices like vegetarian dishes and fruits and vegetables • Avoid single serving packaging (drinks, side dishes, condiments, etc.) • If you BBQ:

o Use chimney starters and lump charcoal from sustainably managed trees o If possible look for gas, electric or solar grills o Use natural cleaners to clean the BBQ

December 2008 1

December 2008 2

Meals: Utensils and Table Cloths

• Consider a menu of “finger food” that reduces the need for utensils • Use reusable utensils when possible. Ask for options from the caterer or ask

attendees to bring their own utensils. • When reusable utensils are not available, use compostable ones (contact your

departmental purchasing representative to order) • Use cloth napkins and tablecloths

Clean-up: Reuse and Recycle

• Save usable décor for future events and recycle remaining materials • Design posters and banners that can be reused (e.g., leave date and time

information blank and attach event specific information for each event) • Group recycling, compost, and garbage containers in visible locations • Provide signs or “recycle monitors” to reduce contamination of recycling • Compost or donate leftover food • Ensure clean-up crews are trained to recycle and compost event materials • Use non-toxic cleaning products

Resources and Contacts Compost and Recycle Bins RecycleWorks - Danielle Lee dlee@co.sanmateo.ca.us 599-1468

San Mateo County RecycleWorks http://www.recycleworks.org/smco/

Green Cloth Tablecloths Public Works - Gary Behrens gbehrens@co.sanmateo.ca.us 363-4444

Commute Alternatives http://www.smccap.org/index.jsp

Reusable Posters and Banners Parks - Ty Kang tkang@co.sanmateo.ca.us 363-4020

US Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp/pubs/meet/ greenmeetings.htm

Final Word Green events happen because planners and attendees make being “green” a priority. If you’d like to see more “green” events in the County, promote the concept in your Department and offer to help “green” your next event. If you are attending a meeting that isn’t green, refer the planners to this checklist available on the Green Portal. Over time, the Green Team hopes that green meetings will be the standard practice throughout San Mateo County.

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

DATE: February 10th, 2009 TO:

Environmental Quality Committee

FROM:

San Mateo County Green Team via Danielle Lee

SUBJECT:

“Green Report Card” proposal

RECOMMENDATION:

The Green Team recommends that the Environmental Quality Committee 1. Accept the “Green Report Card” pilot proposal for County Departments to

reduce the environmental impact of their facilities and operations. VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment; Responsible, effective and collaborative government. Goal(s): 14. Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship. 20. Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain. BACKGROUND:

On October 16th, 2007 the County adopted the Cool Counties Declaration that requires the County to calculate its carbon footprint, inventory its current conservation activities and develop and implement a carbon emissions reduction plan. Reducing carbon emissions requires changing behaviors. To help the County meet the Cool Counties goals, the Green Team proposes a Green Report Card (GRC) that would enable Departments to systematically assess environmental performance and guide them in implementing further environmental initiatives. Upon review of the proposal, the Executive Council has recommended that the Environmental Quality Committee review this proposal. DISCUSSION:

Overview of Proposed Green Report Card The GRC would consist of several components including reporting, evaluation,

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verification, outreach and education. Reporting The GRC is based on the Bay Area Green Business Program checklist. Each County facility would be required to complete the two-page checklist on an annual basis as a part of the budget process. The GRC enables Departments to systematically evaluate environmental performance and identify steps to continue to reduce their environmental impact. It also allows the County to track environmental improvements over time and share that information with the public. Departments would designate a GRC Facility Representative at each County facility with more than eight Full Time Equivalent staff who would be responsible for Green Report Card submissions and outreach to employees within that facility. Evaluation and Verification Upon receipt of GRC submissions the County Manager’s Office, with Green Team assistance, would grade all GRC submissions based on compliance with the mandatory and recommended measures on the GRC checklist. The grading would be tiered with the following levels: Grade Criteria Fail - Improvement plan required

mandatory measures not met

Pass all mandatory measures met Silver all mandatory measures met plus 25% of optional measures Gold all mandatory measures met plus 50% of optional measures

The Green Team would visit a random sampling of facilities for verification purposes. Once grades are determined, they would be aggregated into a Countywide grade under the “Sustainabiltiy” vision category on the See-It tool. Education and Outreach The GRC program would also include education and outreach directed towards GRC Facility Representatives and Departments. The Green Team would host an annual workshop for GRC Facility Representatives to explain the program, outline the GRC process and provide resources and contact lists to assist departments. Implementation The GRC would be implemented through a one-year pilot program in FY 09/10. This would give Departments an opportunity to establish baseline data, become familiarized with the GRC measures, and implement mandatory GRC measures not yet in place. Official reporting would commence in FY 10/11. Next Steps If approved, Departments will be notified of the requirement to identify GRC Facility Representatives by April 1st, 2009. The Green Team and CMO will host a workshop for designated GRC Facility Representatives in April in preparation for initial data gathering starting July 1, 2009.

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FISCAL IMPACT:

It is anticipated that there will be incidental costs associated with the initial program implementation and education that will be absorbed by the Green Team. Departments may incur initial incidental costs to comply with the GRC. In the long term, savings generated by energy and water conservation and waste reduction measures should offset additional costs. No additional funds are requested for this program.

DRAFT

Green Report Card 2009

The following checklist provides your department with both a reporting and an educational tool. Please complete one checklist per facility from which your department operates with eight or more Full Time Equivalent staff. Smaller sites are optional (identify them but do not provide data; or aggregate the data for more than one site). Scoring Departments must meet all required criteria. Exemptions are provided on a case-by-case basis. Verification will be conducted through random sampling by the County Manager’s Office.

Levels Fail -Improvement plan required

Mandatory criteria unmet by reporting deadline

Pass All mandatory criteria met

Silver All mandatory, plus 25% optional criteria met

Gold All mandatory, plus 50% optional criteria met

Basic Information Department Printers onsite (qty) Facility Copiers onsite (qty) Address Cases of paper (last fiscal year) Green Report Contact Motorpool vehicle miles traveled* Phone Facility dist. from public transportation Email Garbage bins onsite (qty) Number of staff (at this facility) Solid waste generated/week (cu. yard or tons) % staff telecommuting Garbage Mixed Paper % staff with flex schedules Bottles and Cans Compost Teleconference capability (Y/N) * by department if facility information is not available Required measures in bold Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling

Recycle cardboard Recycle mixed paper Recycle bottles and cans Compost food waste (through

offsite composting) In the lunch room, replace

disposables with permanent items (e.g., mugs, dishes, utensils, towels/rags, etc)

Use refillable containers for sugar, salt, etc. to avoid individual condiment packets Where applicable reuse garbage bag liners

Default printer settings to print double-sided

Keep previously used paper near printers for drafts and internal memos.

Purchase at least 35% recycled content paper

Purchase 100% recycled content paper

Purchase recycled content folders, envelopes, etc.

Comply with polystyrene ban for all departmental purchases including for meetings and events

Other _____________________

DRAFT

Water Conservation

Eliminate departmental purchase of bottled water (individual size and water coolers)

Install low-flow aerators no greater than 2.2 gallons per minute for lavatory sinks

Install High Efficiency Toilets (<1.28 gal/flush) and urinals

Install self-closing faucets Renovate existing landscape to

include drought tolerant plants Other _____________________

Energy Conservation

Use lighting controls such as occupancy sensors in low occupancy areas (e.g., closets and restrooms)

Use light switch reminders to remind staff to turn off lights when not in use

Post elevator reminders to encourage taking the stairs

Replace refrigerators older than 10 years with EnergyStar rated ones.

Prohibit individual refrigerators Install time clocks on lighting

systems Other _____________________

Pollution Prevention

Recycle printer cartridges Recycle batteries Print promotional materials with

vegetable based or other low-VOC inks

Provide containment for large amounts of liquid supplies

Locate all potential pollutants (e.g., cleaning supplies, pesticides, paints, other chemicals) away from food preparation areas

Other _____________________

Transportation

At least 20% of your staff participate in the commute alternative program

Purchase only “green” vehicles and equipment

Other _____________________

Bonus Points: Education and Outreach Participate in the County Green

Team Have a division/departmental

green team

Host or sponsor climate change education or other “green” event(s) at your worksite

Other _____________________

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

DATE: February 2, 2009

TO:

Environmental Quality Committee Supervisor Richard Gordon Supervisor Carol Groom

FROM:

Green Team via Jeremy Dennis

SUBJECT:

“Drink Hetch Hetchy” Program Executive Summary

RECOMMENDATION:

Recommend that the following actions be taken: 1. The Board of Supervisors direct the County Manager to, with certain

exceptions, end County expenditures on bottled water by June 30, 2009. 2. The Green Team implement the “Drink Hetch Hetchy” program to educate

County employees about the financial and environmental costs of bottled water and the benefits of tap water.

VISION ALIGNMENT: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment; Responsible, effective and collaborative government. Goal(s): 14. Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship; 20. Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

DISCUSSION: Over the past ten years, bottled water has become the preferred source of water for Americans. This shift has come for a variety of reasons, but concern about climate change is starting to reverse this trend for the following reasons:

• Tap water is safe. Compared to many bottled waters, tap water is tested more stringently and regulated more closely.

• Tap water is cheap. A gallon of tap water costs about 0.003 cents compared to $1.50 to $3.00 a gallon for bottled water. The county spends over $146,000 a year on Alhambra water, water stands and cups.

• Bottled water is not environmentally friendly. According to the Sierra Club, about 85% of water bottles are not recycled; the bottling and transportation of bottled water generates over 2.5 million tons of CO2.

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In addition to water quality, taste is cited as the reason people drink bottled rather than tap water. To test this concern, the Green Team sponsored a taste test at the Green BBQ on August 21st. Over 50% of the testers could not tell the difference between bottled Crystal Geyser water and water from the Redwood City campus taps. Many communities have eliminated or reduced the use of bottled water as have some County Departments. The Health Department does not have bottled water in their new facilities at 2000 Alameda. The Department of Housing has eliminated bottled water and installed filtration systems on their taps. The Department of Public Works does not have bottled water in its 555 County Center offices. San Francisco prohibits the use of city money to purchase single serving bottled water. The cities of Davis, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and St. Louis have all ended the purchase of bottled water. The St. Louis program included distribution of 5,000 water bottles to employees. Recommendation The Green Team has developed a “Drink Hetch Hetchy” program to promote the consumption of tap water and phase out the purchase of bottled water. The program includes three components:

1. Phasing out bottled water and non-biodegradable disposable cup purchases by June 30, 2009 throughout the County with exceptions for facilities that do not have access to tap water and caches of water for emergencies.

2. Conduct an education effort, directed by the Green Team, to inform County

employees of the safety, value and environmental benefits of consuming tap water.

If requested by a department head, water testing could be conducted for a minimal fee through a contract between the Department of Public Works and Testing America, Inc. FISCAL IMPACT:

Discontinuing the purchase of larger bottled water systems (water purchases, rentals of stands, and cups) would save about $150,000 a year. Additional savings would come from ending the purchase of smaller bottles of water. Some of the savings would be offset by one-time expenses to test water, install filtration and/or instant hot systems and purchase pitchers and cups for staff and guest use. It is estimated that these one-time costs will not exceed $15,000, with $10,000 for water testing and the balance for other expenses to be paid by Departments.

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

DATE: February 2, 2009 TO:

Environmental Quality Committee Supervisor Richard Gordon Supervisor Carol Groom

FROM:

Green Team via Jeremy Dennis

SUBJECT:

“Drink Hetch Hetchy” Program

RECOMMENDATION:

The Green Team recommends to the Environmental Quality Committee that:

1. The Board of Supervisors direct the County Manager to end County expenditures on bottled water, with certain exceptions by June 30, 2009

2. The Green Team implement the “Drink Hetch Hetchy” program to educate County employees about the financial and environmental costs of bottled water and the benefits of tap water; water testing would be part of this education process.

VISION ALIGNMENT: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment; Responsible, effective and collaborative government. Goal(s): 14. Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship. 20. Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

DISCUSSION: Costs to Purchase Bottled Water The County spends about $150,000 a year on bottled water. The costs include $119,289, for over 44,000 gallons of Alhambra Water bottled water, rent for 821 hot/cold water stands, costing $24,630 total and $4,681 for the purchase of 188,000 cups a year. In addition, Departments also use their small funds budget to purchase individual bottles of water for meetings and events.

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Water Quality Comparison Bottled water quality is monitored and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tap water is monitored and regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In general, EPA sets water quality standards. The FDA examines EPA tap water standards and revises regulations for bottled water when deemed necessary. Bottled water sources are regulated by state and local agencies. Water for use in bottled water can come from any of a number of sources. The source must be “inspected and the water sampled, analyzed, and found to be of a safe and sanitary quality according to applicable laws and regulations of State and local government agencies having jurisdiction.” Different local agency standards lead to differences in bottled water quality. As a result, the EPA states on their website that “bottled water is not necessarily safer than your tap water”. Even the president of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), the global bottled water trade association that represents 85% of all bottled water manufactures in the United States, has said, “I will not state that bottled water is healthier.” With different rules at the Federal, state and local level, bottled water quality varies greatly. As stated by the EPA, “some bottled water is treated more than tap water, while some is treated less or not treated at all”. It is helpful to examine some significant differences between the types of regulations employed by the two Federal agencies, including acceptable levels of a variety of potential contaminants, types of tests used, and regulations to control sources and operations. Below are a sample of differences in the types of monitoring and regulations between the two water sources:

Tap Water Bottled Water Water must be filtered/disinfected for parasitic organisms

No federal requirement

Water must be tested by certified lab. No federal requirement. Water system operators trained and certified

No federal requirements.

E-Coli and Fecal Coliform banned No federal requirement. All violations must be reported to state/feds

No violations need to be reported/sales can continue to be sold if any concerns raised

Testing for synthetic organic chemicals must take place once a quarter

No federal requirements.

Tap water providers are required to provide the public with reports on a regular basis/public has a legal “right to know” about any contamination

No federal requirements/ no legal “right to know” for the public.

Water must be tested for bacteria at least 20 times a month

Bottled water must be tested for bacteria once a month

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Surface water used for a public water system must be protected, under EPA guidelines

Bottled water sources are protected under varying types of state and local guidelines; there is no federal standard for the protection of a bottled water source

A key point is that if water is bottled and sold in the same state, there are no federal safety requirements (this accounts for between 60-70% of all bottled water sold in the United States). As stated above, states can and have passed their own regulations that could expand on Federal requirements. Water bottled in California does have some additional rules, particularly around annual reporting made publicly available, but none appear to increase testing or otherwise positively affect water quality beyond the FDA requirements listed above. These requirements only affect water bottled in California. The sources of bottled water can also vary widely. Although dated, a Natural Resources Defense Council study showed that some bottled water sources included local tap water and water from an industrial parking lot next to a hazardous waste site. A quarter of all bottled water sources originated from a public water system source. According to multiple sources reviewed while researching this memo, close to half of all bottled water sold in the United States is from a public water source. One of the determining factors for consumers in choosing between bottled water and tap water is taste. The taste difference comes from different methods to disinfect the water. Most public water agencies use chlorine or chloramines to disinfect the water, while most bottlers use reverse osmosis, ozone or ultraviolet methods while stripping out chlorine if their source is a public water agency. One other major difference is that public water sources contain fluoride, while bottled water either strips it from their water and/or adds it back to their product. Finally, it should be stated that many bottled water companies chose to monitor their products at levels that may exceed EPA requirements, resulting in a higher quality product. Individual state requirements may also compel bottled water companies to follow more stringent requirements. Environmental Costs The production of bottled water has a major impact on the environment. The Sierra Club recently catalogued a number of environmental issues from the production of bottled water:

• In 2004 (the last year data was collected), 85% of all water bottles were not recycled

• 2006 statistics suggested that the equivalent of 17 million barrels of oil were used to produce bottled water that year, as bottles contain high levels of

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polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a derivative of crude oil • Three liters of water are used to produce one liter of bottled water • Bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide; 800,000

from its production, and the remainder from its delivery • Leaching of other chemicals from the plastic in the bottles increases with heat

and age, and depending on the storage of the bottles, can cause potential health problems.1

There are also remarkable differences in the costs of purchasing bottled versus tap water. Tap water, on average, costs the consumer on average .003 cents per gallon, while delivered bottled water costs between $1.50 and $3.00 per gallon. The great difference in the cost of bottled water (240 to 10,000 times more than its equivalent in tap water) is a function of the amount of fossil fuels required to bottle and deliver the product. The production of bottled water contributes to global warming. To this day, the majority of bottles that could be recycled are not, resulting in upwards of 80% of all bottles ending up in landfills (this resulted in over 1 billion water bottles in California landfills alone). Water bottles in landfills leak toxic additives, such as phthalates, into the groundwater; these bottles take 1,000 years to biodegrade. Additionally streams and aquifers can be depleted if the source of the bottled water is a spring or other underground source, putting a huge burden on any local community that obtains its tap water from that source. Municipal Action In recent years, many cities have banned public expenditures on purchasing bottled water. Some municipal actions include:

1. San Francisco, CA - In June 2007, Mayor Gavin Newsom signed an Executive Directive prohibiting the use of city money to purchase single-serving bottled water as of July 2007.

2. San Jose, CA – In June 2008, the City ended the purchase of single-serving bottled water.

3. Santa Barbara, CA - The City ended the purchase of bottled water in April of 2007

4. Los Angeles, CA - The City has not purchased bottled water since 1987. 5. Emeryville, CA - Ended the purchase of bottled water for economic reasons in

2006. 6. Davis, CA - An October 2007 City Council decision banned the purchase or

sale of single-use water bottles for city operations and events as part of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

1Sierra Club “Bottled Water; Learning the Facts and Taking Action”; Santa Clara Valley Water District “Bottled vs. Tap”; The Pacific Institute “Bottled Water and Energy, a Fact Sheet”; Container Recycling Institute

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7. St. Louis, MO - In August of 2008 the City ended all purchases of bottled water and handed out free water bottles to 5,000 employees.

8. New York City – the City recently introduced a policy to end all bottled water purchases, and install standalone water filtration coolers.

On June 23, 2008, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution encouraging mayors to phase out the use of city funds to purchase bottled water and promote municipal water supplies. Recent County Action Some County departments have already eliminated bottled water purchases. The Health Department does not have bottled water in their new facilities at 2000 Alameda. The Department of Housing has eliminated bottled water and installed filtration systems on their taps. The Department of Public Works does not have bottled water in its 555 County Center offices. In addition, initial education and outreach efforts have already begun:

1. As part of the Green Team outreach effort, the Deputy County Manager for Community Services purchased approximately 1100 BPA-free water bottles that have been distributed to Green Team members and to employees that participated in a water taste test at the Human Resources Green BBQ on August 21, 2008 (see number 2).

Two Departments (Child Support Services and Planning and Building) were given bottles as they have already ended the purchase of bottled water

2. Members of the Green Team at the HR Green BBQ conducted a water taste

test. 143 employees were asked to determine which sample, of three samples, was bottled water. 55% of employees (78) were not able to tell the difference between chilled bottled water (Crystal Springs) and tap water taken from 400 County Center. After the test, employees were encouraged to sign a pledge that stated they would eliminate their use of bottled water - employees were given one of the purchased water bottles as part of the pledge.

PROPOSAL The “Drink Hetch Hetchy” program would be a countywide effort to promote the consumption of available tap water while phasing out the purchase of bottled water. Key to this program would be an education program, discussed below. It is primarily an effort to continue the successful “greening” of the County, but also allows for some significant cost reductions in the elimination of bottled water purchases, and can help to protect the personal health of county employees.

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It is recommended that:

1. The Board directs the County Manager to end County expenditures for bottled water and make the promotion of municipal water sources official County policy by June 30, 2009. Departments are welcome to eliminate purchases prior to the end of the fiscal year. This directive would not apply to facilities that do not have tap water available nor does it apply to emergency preparedness supplies of bottled water (see full list of exceptions below).

By ending the purchase of bottled water; this action would immediately result in a savings of at least $146,000/year (not including small bottles of water purchased by each Department for their individual use), and would greatly contribute to the county’s positive contribution to environmental issues, by eliminating truck deliveries (and associated CO2 emissions). Additional savings would come from the reduction in purchases of plastic cups for bottled water use. The bottled water contract, with the Alhambra Company, is a single vendor contract for all County departments and can be terminated at any time without penalty.

2. The Green Team leads an education effort to inform County employees of the

safety of consuming tap water. This effort would include presentations to staff and providing information on bottled water and tap water monitoring requirements, as detailed above.

The education process will include the development of materials to assist Departments with the purchase of filtered water stands, cups and pitchers made from recycled materials, and other resources. A valuable resource in this process is a list prepared by the California Department of Public Health of certified water treatment devices. These devises, if so desired by a Department, could be purchased and maintained by them. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/device/Pages/WTD2008Directory.aspx

As part of the education process, water testing in appropriate locations would be conducted for $10,000 under contract between the Department of Public Works and Testing America, Inc.

This plan is part of the larger Green Budget effort that has been developed by the County Manager’s Office, and presented to the Environmental Quality Committee of the Board of Supervisors in August of 2008. These efforts would also be included in and counted toward the County’s Climate Action Plan, as being developed by County staff, which will detail methods to reduce the County’s carbon footprint.

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Exceptions: Public funds can be used to purchase bottled water for the following exceptions:

1. Facilities that do not have access to a tap water source 2. Events where no practical alternative to bottled water exist, such as large

events, or County events that require large quantities of water to be allocated, such as events at County operated warming/cooling shelters.

3. Emergency water stores. 4. Public safety emergencies. 5. When a waiver from the County Manager’s office is approved. 6. Legal or contractual considerations.

FISCAL IMPACT:

An immediate savings of about $150,000/year would be reached by discontinuing the purchase of larger bottled water systems (water purchases, rentals of stands, and cups). Additional, undetermined Departmental savings would be reached by banning the purchase of smaller bottles of water. Water testing requires an allocation of $10,000. The purchase of hot water taps and their installation, the purchase of Brita systems, and pitchers and cups for meetings would be the responsibility of the Departments.

D F T E F M S M TwF

ATE: ebruary 3, 2009

O: nvironmental Quality Committee

ROM: arie Peterson, Clerk

UBJECT: eeting Schedule for 2009

he following are the proposed 2009 meeting dates for your consideration. The suggested meetings ill be held on Tuesday from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Conference Room, irst Floor, Hall of Justice, 400 County Center in Redwood City.

March 24 September 8

May 5 October 6

June 30 November 3

July 21 December 15

August 11