Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (Mwrd) Board Meeting   
March 16, 2023

Board Action:
Clean energy:

• Item 15 #23-1215 The Board authorized an increase in the cost estimate for a Biogas Combined Heat and Power System, EWRP, to $10,344,000. This item had been deferred from the March 2, 2023 meeting.  Commissioner Garcia asked staff to give the Board “a clear memo” on where the MWRD is going with clean energy.  In related discussion, Commissioner Corral-Sepulveda asked if a current study on bio-gas would provide insight the agency could apply to other facilities. Executive Director Perkovich said the bio gas study applied mostly to the Hanover Park plant, and that it should be available to the board in draft form by summer. He noted the study might apply to all the MWRD facilities that had digestor gas.  ​Commissioner Corral-Sepulveda asked staff to consider using clean hydrogen as fuel in future projects. 
• Item 16 #23-0246 Authorization to exercise an option to extend agreement or administer a reverse auction to procure electricity and renewable energy credits (RECs) under Contract 20-RFP-24 for years 2025 and 2026.  The Board approved authorization but Commissioner Spyropoulos noted the board was being asked to approve something with two options, and requested reports to the Board on the impact of each option on the business of the MWRD.  

Nutrient Removal and Recovery:

• Item 23 #23-0267 The Board granted authority to advertise Contract 21-091-3P Phosphorus Removal Modifications to Battery D, O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant, estimated cost between $16,638,205 and $20,140,985.  Contractor is AECOM, and the project cost estimate is $17.5 million.
• The MWRD must install biological phosphorus removal in all wastewater treatment facilities by July 31, 2025 to meet new federal total phosphorus effluent limits beginning August 1, 2027. Enhanced phosphorus removal through return activated sludge fermentation will be used. The fermentation of return activated sludge in this process encourages the growth of phosphorus accumulating organisms, stabilizes phosphorus removal, and allows for greater phosphorus removal under less favorable influent conditions, according to the project report.

Stormwater Management

• Item 35 #23-0260 The Board approved a $203,864 increase to the cost of decommissioning the Thornton Transitional Reservoir in the Calumet service area. IHC Construction Companies holds the contract. The increase brings the new contract amount to $26,100,447. 
• Item 36 #23-0289 Commissioner Spyropoulos questioned why the non-tax revenue for the stormwater fund in the revenue and spending report for 2022 exceeded the budget.  Executive Director Perkovich said he would get back to her via e-mail. 

New Business:

• Commissioner Davis introduced a statement, including a tight timeline, asking the Board to approve a motion at the April 6th Board meeting to establish a Department of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within the Agency, with its own Director.  The statement requested staff to provide a budget estimate and staffing requirements by May 21st, in time for funding to be included in the Agency’s 2024 budget.  Commissioner Davis envisions a 5-year implementation process, and noted the MWRD’s need to seek  legislative authority from the State to create such a department.  
• President Steele responded to Commissioner Davis’s statement, noting his was a statement – not a motion. She reminded the board that she, Executive Director Perkovich, and MWRD Department Heads were already crafting inclusionary policies. A memo about a reorganization was given to Board members that morning, she said, and she asked for coordination between Board and Staff efforts.
• Subsequent discussion revealed other commissioners had become impatient with the Agency’s progress on inclusion. It was not clear if the majority of the Board was willing to break with Steele and staff and embrace Commissioner Davis’s urgent appeal.

Public comment: Emmanuel Koubarakis, Consulate General of Greece, addressed the board regarding recognition of Greek Independence Day.

Observer -  Laurie Morse                                                       No Executive Session   No Study Session

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting 
March 2, 2023

Board Action:

• There was no public comment. 
• Item 21 - 23-0217 Authorization was approved to enter into a memorandum of understanding to engage in a knowledge exchange program with international wastewater utilities that own and operate large diameter deep tunnel systems. These international meetings will be done virtually. 

Stormwater Management

• Much discussion on item #15, 23-0209 for purchasing of rain barrels and instructions for citizens on how to install and maintain them. There are videos that consumers can watch for accurate information. 

Deferred or Deleted Agenda Items

• Item 7-23-0215 was deferred. The item was for authorization to increase cost estimate for Contract 20-RFP-28R, Biogas Combined Heat and Power System, EWRP, estimated cost $10,344,000.00. Discussion on whether this would delay or spread out the project.

New Business

• With March being Women’s History Month, information on Commissioner’s networking events of a Women’s Roundtable and Women in Government virtual program were shared. 

Commissioner Requests - None

Observer - Peggy Kell                                                                 No Executive Session

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting   
February 16, 2023

Board Action:

• During its one-hour board meeting, the Commissioner’s approved a new advocacy policy stating that it is the direction of the Board that organizations and lobbyists that represent the District’s interests and similar utilities’ interests in Congress and the Illinois State Legislature shall draft legislation and circulate it to the MWRD board and staff that will hold manufacturers responsible for all PFAS (Per- and Polyflorinated Substances) direct and indirect expenses born by utilities; that this be in addition to efforts to indemnify utilities against liabilities for PFAS; and requests quarterly reports.  #23-0193 
• Commissioner Sepulveda originally requested a deferment on the request for a 14-year lease on a piece of MWRD property.  She asked the staff to write a memo to the Board using the recently passed Land Use Criteria to show that all the criteria were applied in considering the Lease.  The Commissioner later rescinded the deferment but said she would expect that the criteria considerations would be summarized in the requested letter.  #23-0166.
• The Board offered three resolutions: 1. Celebrating the life of recently passed Laurence Msall, President of the Chicago Civic Federation; 2. Recognizing National Engineers Week and honoring the Society of Women Engineers; 3. Recognizing February as Black History Month and honoring Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and Shermann Thomas, a well-known social media activist for the black community.
• All other items/resolutions were passed without discussion.  There were no Stormwater resolutions.

New Business:

• Commissioner Garcia asked ED Perovich if staff has contacted EPA Region V’s Director regarding PFAS and to lobby for the EPA to start including Waste Water in addition to Drinking Water in its research.  Commissioner Davis indicated that only the Federal EPA can pass policy and that recent information indicates that it has started to move on this issue.  The Board asked for a copy of the EPA information.
• Commission Spyropoulos asked that ED Perkovich summarize the discussions around PFAS at a recent national water association meeting he attended.  Commissioner Sepulveda asked that the letter also include an update on the new activities that the MWRD staff has undertaken around the PFAS issue.

Observer:  Diane Edmundson

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting  
February 2, 2023- 10:30 a.m.

Board Action:
Only two items were pulled from the consent agenda for discussion. 

• #2-023-001- An ordinance directing the County Clerk to reduce the levy on taxes on Capital Improvement Bonds for the levy year 2022. Passed unanimously by Roll Call vote.
• #17-23-0132-Commissioner Spyropoulos  raised the issue of the purchase of metal detector systems that are used to screen attendees at Board meetings. She asked if the executive director had thought about installing detectors at the outside entrance to  the MWRD building, given current security concerns. Director  Perkovich said that he would explore this option.

Consent agenda #1-30 (except for #2) passed on a roll call vote: aye: 9  nay: 0

There were no deferred or deleted agenda items.

New Business: Commissioner Davis asked for a progress report on software that would signal that information was missing from a bid. He also commended Attorney General Raoul’s lawsuit against the manufacturers of Pfafs. In addition the commissioner said there were $100 million in grants from the EPA. He asked that ED Perkovich look into this.

Commissioner Spyropoulos asked for the status of the Climate Action Update. ED Perkovich said it would be ready by the end of March or early April.  Commissioner Spyropoulos, along with Commissioners Corral Sepulveda, du Buclet and Flynn echoed their support for the Attorney General’s Pfafs lawsuit. 

There was no executive session. Meeting adjourned: 11:18 a.m.

Observer: Georgia Gebhardt

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
January 19, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

Board Action:

• ​#39-23-0085    The environmental justice policy was strongly supported by the commissioners. Commissioner Davis voiced support for the policy which advances equity and diversity. Commissioner Spyropoulos echoed that support,  highlighting it as a “living document” that can adapt to changing times. Commissioners Garcia, DuBuclet and Brown also spoke in favor.
• #40-23-0086  The commissioners adopted criteria for leasing district lands. Commissioners complimented Director Perkovich and the staff for their work.  Commissioner Garcia stated that the district is more than a waste water treatment facility. It is the second largest property owner in the county. He complimented the Friends of the Chicago River for their work. The district receives $25 million per year in income from its leasing. Commissioner Spyropoulos expressed appreciation for the fact that the policy was broad in scope, allowing for flexibility, while Commissioner Brown approved the policy’s openness to input from municipalities.
• #42-23-0091 MWRD Legislative Program for 2023. Commissioner Davis complimented Director Perkovich and his staff on building in adequate time for the board to consider the program. He highlighted the plan to facilitate solar and wind initiative and strongly urged the agency to push for a Department of Diversity (JEDI-Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion).  He asked Director Perkovich if the staff was ready to act on the will of the board.  Commissioner Steele spoke for the director and assured Commissioner Davis that the staff was prepared to address this issue. Commissioner Spyropoulos  expressed support for an equity department and urged that it go beyond the creation of the department to being specific in its goals, authority and method of reporting. 
• #45-23-0109  The  Board accepted the appointments of the chairs and vice chairs for the standing committees as revised. Commissioner Steele stated that these assignments were for a period of two years. 

No New Business - No Executive Session

Observer: Georgia Gebhardt

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
January 5, 2023

MWRD Commissioners elected

• Kari K. Steele for another term as President of the Board
• Kimberly Neely Du Buclet as Vice President, and
• Marcelino Garcia for another term as Finance Chair

They also postponed until the next meeting on January 19 the appointment of Chairs and Vice Chairs of the standing Committees.

Other Board Action:

• Passed a resolution to acknowledge and review studies regarding disparities affecting Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) people.  Currently MENA people are not a protected class under affirmative action or otherwise recognized as a category by the U.S. Census Board.  During discussion it came out that the City of Chicago is doing such a study and, once it was finished, the MWRD would review it and consider whether it should take any action to deal with any identified disparities of this group.  (Agenda #5, File # 23-0043).  One of the public speakers of the Arab American Association on behalf of the MENA Community thanked the MWRD for this resolution.
• Passed all other items on the agenda except for one item deferred and the other item deleted as described below.
• With regard to one Stormwater Management item (Agenda #35, File # 23-0015), the authority to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Chicago Board of Education to install green infrastructure at 24 schools, Comm. Spyropoulos asked where the staff was with creating a similar program for the suburban schools.  Executive Director Perkovich stated that the memo was being finished and should be brought to the Board soon.

Item Deferred:

• A purchase order for EMS PRISM Compliance Softward License Renewal.  Comm. Garcia said he had questions about whether PRISM was the right program to use.  He asked for deferral to allow the Executive Director time to provide a memo answering the Commissioner’s questions.  (Agenda #17, File # 23-0017)

Item Deleted by the Executive Director:

• Purchase orders to enter into agreements with 4 different entities for State Legislative Consulting Services.  (Agenda #22, File #23-0038)

Observer:  Priscilla Mims