HomeMy WebLinkAboutStrategic Plan FY 2023-2026Strategic Plan
2023-2026
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Otay Water District
Strategic Plan
2023––––––––––––2026
Table of Contents
Strategic Plan
2023-2026
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In 2021, the Otay Water District celebrated
65 years of providing water, recycled water,
and sewer services to its customers.
Strategic Plan
2023-2026
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Message from the General Manager
and the Board of Directors...................................................................4
Governing Board..................................................................................6
Overview.............................................................................................8
History.................................................................................................10
Mission, Vision, Values.........................................................................12
Strategic Planning Process and Perspectives......................................14
Customer..........................................................................................18
Financial...........................................................................................20
Internal Business Process.................................................................22
Learning and Growth........................................................................26
Service Area........................................................................................28
The Future...........................................................................................30
Cover photo: 850-2 and 850-4 reservoir tanks
Strategic Plan
2023-2026
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Message from the General
Manager and the Board of
Directors
The fundamental goal of the District’s
Strategic Plan is to ensure alignment
and execution of its mission, vision,
and values.
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2023-2026
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In 2021, the Otay Water District celebrated 65 years of providing water, recycled water, and sewer
services to its customers. Although the pandemic and current economic factors have transformed
how we live and work, through our planning, operating practices, and continued innovative spirit,
the District is positioned to take on these challenges head-on and remains committed to providing
exceptional water and wastewater service to its customers.
The District’s goal is to maintain and improve our services while minimizing financial impacts on our
ratepayers. This starts with the District’s Board setting the agency’s direction and collaborating with staff
to develop plans and operating budgets to reliably and cost-eff ectively provide essential water services.
Other financial impacts the District manages are those of pass-through costs, including higher-priced
wholesale water and energy, which are required to deliver water, recycled water, and sewer service.
The District serves a customer base of more than 226,000 residential, business, government,
industrial, and agricultural water users across urban, suburban, and rural areas. Its service area
continues to develop, and its customer base is projected to grow by 35 percent by 2050. To continue
providing superior quality services to its increasing customer base, the District continues to explore,
evaluate, and implement innovative practices and technologies to create new eff iciencies in all areas of
operations, ranging from administrative support to essential field services.
In addition, the District’s Strategic Plan contains defined strategies to address long-term operating
cost demands, aging workforce and knowledge transfer, innovative work culture, customer service,
cybersecurity, and asset management, and serves as an overall roadmap to execute operational
objectives, and continuously track and improve critical work processes. Through the Balanced
Scorecard Performance Management System, the Board, management, and staff share a focused
strategy to ensure the District is moving in the right direction and maximizing its limited resources.
In summary, the fundamental goal of the District’s Strategic Plan is to ensure alignment and
execution of the District’s mission, vision, and values. The strategic planning process provides
clarity, direction, and focus for its water services, and ensures that the agency is working toward a
common goal. Through sound planning and fiscal management, water and wastewater master plans,
community focus, and a prepared and adaptable workforce, the District is well positioned to support
its growing customer base while sustaining the quality water service that our community and our
ratepayers expect.
General Manager
Jose Martinez
and the
Board of Directors
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2023-2026
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Governing Board
Five directors, elected by voters, serve their
respective divisions and set the District’s
ordinances, policies, and service rates.
Members of the Board of Directors serve
four-year terms of off ice.
Ralph W. Chapman Water Recycling Facility
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2023-2026
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Tim Smith
President
Division 1
Mark Robak
Vice President
Division 5
Jose Lopez
Treasurer
Division 4
Ryan Keyes
Division 2
Gary Croucher
Division 3
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Overview
The District is a “revenue neutral” public
agency where each customer pays only
their share of the District’s costs of
acquiring, treating, transporting, storing,
maintaining, and operating its public
water and sewer facilities.
850-1 reservoir tank and 1050-1 Point Hydropneumatic Pump Station
Strategic Plan
2023-2026
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The Otay Water District is a potable water, recycled water, and sewer
service provider. The State Legislature authorized the establishment of the
Otay Water District in 1956 as a California Special District under the provisions
of the Municipal Water District Law of 1911, Division 20 (commencing with
Section 71000) of the Water Code of the State of California. The District is a
“revenue neutral” public agency where each customer pays only their share of
the District’s costs of acquiring, treating, transporting, storing, maintaining,
and operating its public water and sewer facilities.
The District provides safe, reliable water service to a population of more than
226,000 within approximately 125 squares miles of southeastern San Diego
County, including the communities of eastern Chula Vista, Bonita, Jamul,
Spring Valley, Rancho San Diego, unincorporated areas of El Cajon and
La Mesa, and eastern Otay Mesa along the international border with Mexico.
The District’s service area boundaries are nearly bounded on the northeast
by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the northwest by the Helix Water
District, the west by Sweetwater Authority (City of National City/South Bay
Irrigation District), and the southwest by the City of San Diego. The southern
boundary of the District is the international border with Mexico.
The District serves the potable water needs of its customers by purchasing
treated and desalinated water from the San Diego County Water Authority and
treated water from the Helix Water District. It delivers most of this water through
several connections to large diameter pipelines owned and operated by the
Water Authority. Imported water is a mix of waters from the Colorado River
and Northern California. The Water Authority purchases most of its water from
the region’s primary importer, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California.
The District owns and operates a wastewater collection system providing
public sewer service to homes and businesses within the Jamacha drainage
basin. It also owns and operates the Ralph W. Chapman Water Reclamation
Facility, which produces up to 1.3 million gallons of recycled water per day.
The District has an additional recycled water source that can be purchased
from the City of San Diego’s South Bay Water Reclamation Plant. The
District delivers recycled water to customers through a dedicated
distribution system to irrigate golf courses, playing fields, public
parks, roadside landscapes, and open spaces in eastern Chula Vista.
The District owns and operates a wastewater collection system providing
public sewer service to homes and businesses within the Jamacha drainage
basin. It also owns and operates the Ralph W. Chapman Water Reclamation
Facility, which produces up to 1.3 million gallons of recycled water per day.
The District has an additional recycled water source that can be purchased
from the City of San Diego’s South Bay Water Reclamation Plant. The
District delivers recycled water to customers through a dedicated
distribution system to irrigate golf courses, playing fields, public
parks, roadside landscapes, and open spaces in eastern Chula Vista.
Strategic Plan
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History
With continued growth and water service
rates among the lowest in San Diego
County, the District continues to be a critical
and essential community service provider.
458-1 Reservoir, Chula Vista, 1964
Otay Municipal Water District Board of Directors, 1963
Regulatory Site (520-1 Reservoir and chlorination building), Rancho San Diego, 1959
Pipeline from potable water reservoir to pumping station, Steele Canyon, 1959
On an overcast summer day in 1955, a plumber, a civil engineer, an attorney, a
newspaper publisher, and two owners of large tracts of land gathered for lunch
at Christie’s Restaurant in Chula Vista. They met to discuss how they could bring
life-giving water to an arid region of southeastern San Diego County. By the end
of the day, they had a common vision, a few thousand dollars to spend, and the
framework for what today is the Otay Water District.
When compared to other local water agencies, the District is a youngster.
During a relatively short period, the availability of water helped transform
the District’s roughly 125-square mile service area from mostly scrub and
cactus-covered backcountry into a wonderful blend of diverse environments
shared by people and nature.
The District of today is the result of the merger of two small water districts:
Otay Municipal Water District established in 1956, and the smaller La Presa
County Water District. La Presa formed in 1957 to provide water service to the
communities of La Presa and south Spring Valley.
Since the two small water agencies shared a common service area, in 1962
they entered into a Joint Powers Agreement to make the best use of
equipment, labor, management, and operations. The consolidation worked
perfectly, resulting in savings for water customers and the construction of a
joint-use facility.
With the success of the combined operations, the two boards of directors
voted unanimously to off icially dissolve La Presa in 1969, with the Otay Water
District taking control of all La Presa’s assets, debts, and resources.
With continued growth and water service rates among the lowest in San Diego
County, the District continues to be a critical and essential community service
provider. Responsible resource and strategic planning, sound fiscal manage-
ment, respect for the environment, and customer engagement, will ensure its
present and future looks as good as its history.
125
square mile
service area
727
miles of
potable mains
101
miles of
recycled mains
88
miles public sewer
system
16
potable pump
stations
5
hydropneumatic
pump stations
3
recycled
pump stations
5
sewer lift
stations
4
recycled
reservoirs
40
potable
reservoirs
Operation Service Profile
The District’s potable water storage capacity is nearly 219 million gallons and recycled water storage capacity is nearly 44 million gallons.
It also operates the Ralph W. Chapman Water Recycling Facility with a maximum capacity of 1.3 million gallons per day.
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Our service commitment is based on
integrity, trustworthiness, transparency,
and accountability.
Staff measures voltage on an automatic control valve limit switch.
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Mission
To provide exceptional water and wastewater service to its customers,
and to manage District resources in a transparent and fiscally responsible
manner.
To be a model water agency by providing stellar service, achieving
measurable results, and continually improving operational practices
The Otay Water District is dedicated to:
Our Customers:
We take pride that our commitment to customer-centered service is our
highest priority.
Excellence:
We strive to provide the highest quality and value in all that we do.
Integrity:
We commit ourselves to do the right thing. Ethical behavior, trustworthi-
ness, and accountability are the District’s foundation.
Our Employees:
We see each individual as unique and important. We value diversity and
open communication to promote fairness, dignity, and respect.
Teamwork:
We promote mutual trust by sharing information, knowledge, and ideas to
reach our common goals.
Innovation:
We constantly seek better, more efficient, and cost-effective ways to
deliver our services.
Vision
Values
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2023-2026
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Strategic Planning Process
Mission and Vision
New Initiatives
Board ofDirectorsInput
Employee Input
Master Plans and Long-Range Plans
Operating and Capital Budget
Six-year Capital ImprovementProgram
EmployeeEvaluations
PerformanceMeasureResults
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The Otay Water District’s strategic planning process is designed to provide clarity,
direction, and focus for its water service to ensure the agency is working toward
a common goal. The primary purpose of the Strategic Plan is to ensure alignment of
the District’s mission, vision, values, and plan execution. Lastly, the plan helps the
District manage its day-to-day operations and services and reduce business risk.
The strategic planning process is a continuation of the District’s 2019-2022 plan.
This is its seventh multi-year plan. It is developed using the Balanced Scorecard
Performance Management System. Through this approach, the four-year plan (fiscal
years 2023-2026) is focused on four perspectives: customer, financial, internal
business process, and learning and growth. These perspectives are not developed in
isolation from each other, but as a unified set of strategies and objectives. This unified
approach is clearly understood throughout the District and by its governing board.
Each of the four perspectives is explained below:
Customer: Focuses on performance related to customer service levels, satisfaction,
brand, and confidence.
Financial: Focuses on the financial performance of the agency.
Internal Business Process: Focuses on business processes designed to deliver and
improve customer objectives and services.
Learning and Growth: Focuses on the District’s culture and development of staff
to ensure there is a productive and skilled workforce in place.
Themes developed through the planning process include long-term financial planning,
aging workforce and knowledge transfer, work culture, customer service, cybersecurity,
right-sizing the storage and distribution systems, and asset management.
The plan includes 11 strategies, 35 objectives, and 34 key performance metrics for the
District to accomplish throughout the four-year plan.
Clear direction and focus on a shared vision and mission are considered essential for
the success of the District. In preparation for the development of the new strategic plan,
staff from all departments participated to identify, evaluate, and prioritize new strategies,
objectives, and review key performance metrics.
Led by the General Manager and management team, staff conducted a Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, giving staff an opportunity
to share their industry insights and provide essential feedback for the new plan. The
District’s Board of Directors also conducted a SWOT exercise to explore strategies
around areas including infrastructure, government and state legislation monitoring,
water diversification, operational cost, and drought.
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2023-2026
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FINANCIAL
(Business Systems &
Long-Term Benefit Cost Analysis)
AGING WORKFORCE /KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
CULTURE
(Retention &
Recruitment of
Top Talent)
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
CYBERSECURITY
RIGHT-SIZING
STORAGE &
DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEMS
ASSET MANAGEMENT
StrategicPlanThemes
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In addition, the District uses a combination of local and regional water agencies and
the American Water Works Association’s utility benchmarking performance indicators to
monitor, track, and improve day-to-day essential tasks and services, which are collected
on a quarterly schedule.
In a special workshop held in October 2021, the District’s Board, along with management,
reviewed and provided feedback on the proposed 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, which
was consistent with staff ’s new list of objectives that include employee and leadership
development, infrastructure stability, financial viability, community sustainability, and
operational resiliency. This set in motion, via the General Manager, the direction to
prepare, finalize, and kick off the District’s new four-year plan. A summary of the
strategies, goals, and objectives of the plan are on the following pages of this document.
Execution of strategic objectives and industry-based performance indicators are
presented biannually to the public and Board.
Otay Water District board meeting
The plan includes 11 strategies, 35
objectives, and 34 key performance
metrics for the District to accomplish
throughout the four-year plan.
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2023-2026
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Customer
Enhance customer and community engage-
ment to increase public awareness of the water
industry and the District, while continuing to
provide superior customer service.
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KPI:
• Answer Rate
• Technical Quality Complaint*
• Potable Water Compliance
Rate*
• Customer Opinion Survey
STRATEGY:ENHANCE AND BUILD public awareness of the District’s
priorities, initiatives, programs, and services
Objectives: • Collect and analyze customer feedback on District
operations, projects, programs, service experience, and
expectations
• Advance the District’s web and social media presence
• Enhance internal communications, tools, and technology
to disseminate information to District staff eff ectively
• Enhance education, outreach, and communication tools
to the public on the understanding of water supply
constraints and rates and how they aff ect/support a
reliable water supply
*American Water Works Association (AWWA) Benchmark
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Financial
Operate the District in a financially
sustainable and transparent manner.
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STRATEGY:MAINTAIN a long-range financing plan that sets forth the
long-term funding needs of the District
Objectives: • Evaluate grant funding opportunities
• Evaluate banking functions for lower cost and process
eff iciencies
• Evaluate the District’s cash reserve policies to consider
optimal uses and levels of reserves, to ensure financial
resiliency
• Conduct an evaluation of a health savings investment
account program for an optional post-employment benefit
• Conduct a compensation study to evaluate labor industry
conditions and the District’s competitiveness
STRATEGY:INVEST in technology infrastructure to enhance customer
engagement and satisfaction
Objectives: • Deploy Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology
in service areas to improve District operations
• Evaluate Interactive Voice Response (IVR)/Online
customer portal for water use management and assistance
KPI:
• CIP Project Expenditures
vs. Budget
• Construction Change Order
Incidence
• Billing Accuracy
• Sewer Rate Ranking
• Water Rate Ranking
• Water Debt Coverage Ratio
• Sewer Debt Coverage Ratio
• Reserve Level
• Accounts per Full-Time
Employee (FTE)
• Distribution System Loss
• Planned Potable Water
Maintenance Ratio in $
• Planned Recycled Water
Maintenance Ratio in $
• Planned Wastewater
Maintenance Ratio in $
• Direct Cost of Treatment
per Million Gallons per
Day (MGD)
Staff takes a measurement to run a total suspended solids test.
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Internal Business Process
Practice ongoing infrastructure
renewal and organizational im-
provement through planning and
increased operational eff iciency.
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STRATEGY:LEVERAGE the use of renewable and clean energy
resources and reduce the use of hazardous chemicals
Objectives: • Evaluate and implement energy-eff icient systems
• Evaluate and implement alternative energy opportunities
• Advance Clean Fleet Regulations District Implementation
Program of Zero or near Zero Emissions Vehicles
• Reduce the District’s chemical footprint by substituting
hazardous chemicals for similar, less hazardous chemicals
STRATEGY:IMPLEMENT technologies to improve response time,
security, and operational eff ectiveness
Objectives: • Conversion of the District’s enterprise Geographic
Information System (GIS/Esri) from a Geometric Network to
a Utility Network Model
• Conduct needs assessment/replacement of District’s
financial management system
• Maintain and regularly evaluate internal financial controls
• Leverage Cityworks to further develop job task process
standardization and work order cost modeling
KPI:
• Business Recovery Exercises
• Vulnerability Assessment
• Mark-out Accuracy
• Easement Evaluation and Field
Inspection
• System Valve Exercising Program
• Potable Water Distribution System
Integrity (Leaks)*
• Potable Water Distribution System
Integrity (Breaks)*
• Recycled Water System Integrity
(Leaks)
• Recycled Water System Integrity
(Breaks)
• Sewer Overflow Rate*
• Potable Tank Inspection and Cleaning
• Hydrant Maintenance Program
• Injury Incident Rate*
Staff installs a temporary meter on fire hydrant.
*American Water Works Association (AWWA) Benchmark
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Internal Business Process (Continued)
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STRATEGY: DEVELOP appropriate water resource mix to meet the
water reliability needs of the community
Objectives: • Use the Water Facilities Water Management Plan/Urban
Water Management Plan to analyze future needs and
prescribe approaches to meeting future requirements
• Evaluate City of San Diego’s recycled water purchase
agreement
• Develop the District’s long-term water supply strategies
and planning efforts with regional partnerships
STRATEGY: RESPOND to anticipated water shortages through rate
structure modification, conservation assistance, and outreach
Objectives: • Monitor and modify the Water Shortage Contingency Plan,
as needed
• Identify, evaluate, and implement new opportunities for
recycled water, including potential for potable reuse
STRATEGY: ADVANCEMENT of District’s Asset Management Program
Objectives: • Formalization of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and
Planned Job Observations (PJO)
• Develop long-term strategic operations and maintenance
program (Total Asset Management)
• Collect and maintain accurate asset records, including
criticality, maintenance history, asset condition, and
performance for continuous improvement
• Cloud migration of the District’s enterprise Geographic
Information System (GIS/Esri) and the associated Asset
Management and Field Applications
STRATEGY: Cyber and Physical SECURITY
Objectives: • Advance the use of the District’s Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to further enhance
the security and reliability of the distribution system and
optimize administration
• Evaluate new disaster recovery solutions and advance the
District’s enterprise business continuity program
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Learning and Growth
Foster a workforce culture of employee
development and innovation.
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STRATEGY: COORDINATE WORKFORCE planning activities to
determine future needs, identify gaps, and implement
actions to close the gaps
Objectives: • Maximize opportunities to develop employees through
training and mentoring
• Evaluate the implementation of learning and development
programs in coordination with partner agencies
• Analyze and identify workforce trends to address critical
gaps between the current workforce and future needs
STRATEGY: IMPROVE Organization Effectiveness
Objectives: • Negotiate successor Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with the employee association and unrepresented
employees to focus on recruitment and retention
• Implement a cross-functional innovation committee to
advance the District’s culture of collaboration and process
improvement among departments
KPI:
• Employee Turnover Rate
• Training Hours per Employee*
• Safety Training Program
*American Water Works Association (AWWA) Benchmark
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Service Area
Otay Water District Service
Area and Division Map
Staff lowers down vacuum tubes from the sewer truck.
Staff install a 3-inch meter.
Staff takes water quality sample to check chlorine residual.
Staff tests a backflow.
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Solid planning and preparation, sound fiscal
management, community focus, and a prepared
and adaptable work culture, position the District
to support its growing customer base while
sustaining the quality water service that our
community and our ratepayers expect.
The Future...
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2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd.
Spring Valley, CA 91978-2004
(619) 670-2222
otaywater.gov