Pasadena Water and Power

Power to the people┬áIn uncertain economic times, one Southern California utility is doing everything it can to keep the lights on and the water flowing for its customers in an environmentally responsible manner. In the present environment, utility organizations have their work cut out to keep the power on.  Pasadena Water and Power (PWP), a department of the City of Pasadena, faces a unique challenge: aging infrastructure, a decline in natural resources (thanks to climate change), seismic threats and economic pressures have all combined to present what could be described as a ÔÇ£perfect stormÔÇØ when it comes to delivery of energy and water resources.In recent years, Southern California has been hit hard by the threat of electricity and water shortages. Staff members within PWP were becoming aware of the escalating problems at the time Phyllis E. Currie became general manager in 2001. ÔÇ£The challenges were definitely already known,ÔÇØ she asserts. ÔÇ£While we were making progress to address power supply issues, we urgently needed to address a number of infrastructure issues, and the only real way to do so was by increasing user rates, as city governments typically do not use general tax revenues to replace power lines or water mains.ÔÇØTo implement change, PWP therefore needed to provide evidence to the community of the urgent need to replace and improve the existing infrastructure on both the water and electricity sides. The Pasadena area had already proven to be susceptible to regional power shortages, but many of the water issues were perhaps less obvious to the end user. ÔÇ£We needed to communicate the severity of the infrastructure problems in a way the community could understand. Some of the corrosion of the water pipes had caused not only supply issues but also potential health issues through poor quality. We wanted to improve both delivery and quality to our 37,000 water customers and to meet established State criteria for drinking water standards, called Maximum Contaminant Levels [MCLs].ÔÇØThe first phase saw the involvement of a consultancy firm with a national reputation for excellence, who worked with PWP staff to highlight the infrastructure frailties of the water system. Together they set out to define an 18-year water system master plan in 2003. PWP produced an implementation plan for the first five years, which was approved by the City Council.┬á ÔÇ£We needed to understand what rate increases would be needed,ÔÇØ Currie explains. ÔÇ£Financing our projects involved the issuance of 20ÔÇô30-year revenue bonds. However, investors always want to see both political and community buy-in before they will commit.ÔÇØHaving overcome these obstacles, the initial priority on the water side was to address existing and outdated water mains. ÔÇ£Many of the water mains were installed prior to World War II, and we discovered that some of those needed urgent replacement,ÔÇØ states Currie. ÔÇ£We set ourselves a target of eight miles per year back in 2003.ÔÇØAnother concern in Southern California is the omnipresent threat of earthquakes, which can have a harmful impact on water supply, particularly for Pasadena, where much of the source is groundwater. The project team decided to look at the existing reservoirs and how they might cope with an earthquake by assessing seismic strength. This assessment has now been completed, and it has been concluded that the threat of earthquake damage is less than initially feared, meaning that essential repair and replacement work can now take place. Having already begun to highlight the water infrastructure problems, in 2004 PWP embarked on a similar master plan for the electricity infrastructure. As Currie explains, ÔÇ£We wanted to put a lot more effort into the delivery of our energyÔÇöa much more reliable electricity distribution system was required for the community, which had suffered outages during times of hot weather.ÔÇØOnce again a highly reputable consultancy firm was brought onboard to help develop a clear overview of the delivery problems and to work with PWP to identify specific projects and revenue requirements.┬á ÔÇ£Having gained approval from the City Council and having held a number of public meetings, weÔÇÖre now implementing our infrastructure improvements,ÔÇØ states Currie. ÔÇ£These include building additional substations and upgrading equipment within the existing ones. We have also increased the voltage capacity and have embarked on a project to upgrade electricity lines. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre also committed to undertaking a discussion within the community as to where our electricity should come from over the next 20 years, and the changes needed to be more environmentally responsible,ÔÇØ Currie continues. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre aware of the need at the state and national levels to address climate change and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emission from the City of Pasadena. PWP has now provided customers with reliable electric service for a century. The challenge is to ensure that reliability remains in place via a greener source. The organizationÔÇÖs 20-year Integrated Resource Plan aims to ensure reliable and environmentally responsible electric service, competitive rates and energy independence. As part of this commitment, PWP has recently signed five long-term agreements to a nearly 30-megawatts share of several geothermal, wind and landfill gas generation facilities in California and Utah that will produce about 17 percent of PWPÔÇÖs energy when fully operational. While large renewable projects offer one alternative source of power, locally produced solar power is proving to be a viable option, as PWP customers have applied to install 4 megawatts of solar systems under PWPÔÇÖs aggressive solar incentive program that started in 2008. Similarly, PWP continues to look at ways to address the twin threats of water shortage and poor water quality.┬áPasadena relies heavily on groundwater supply, and there are issues of contamination now under intense focus. In March 2009, construction will commence on a NASA-funded groundwater treatment system. This system is part of NASAÔÇÖs overall groundwater cleanup efforts. Systems are already in place to treat onsite groundwater at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the area to the east-southeast with a system in place at the Lincoln Avenue Water Company. When operational, this new system for PWP will treat the mid-plume area at the Pasadena-owned Windsor Reservoir on Windsor Avenue in northwest Pasadena. Looking further ahead, PWP also has plans to build an additional treatment plant.So while uncertain economic times make rising utility bills a point of contention, PasadenaÔÇÖs community is well aware of the impact of not acting now. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs the commitment of our individual employees and the support of the community as a whole that is making such a difference,ÔÇØ Currie concludes. ÔÇô Editorial research by Joe Louis┬á