SUBJECT: Approval of Payment of 2016 Membership Dues for the Water Research Foundation.
RECOMMENDATION: (Summary) That City Council approve payment of 2016 Membership dues to the Water Research Foundation.
BACKGROUND: The Water Research Foundation is a member-supported, international nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Formed in 1966, they are the nation’s only research foundation devoted to drinking water research and governed by water utilities.
PURPOSES: The City of Houston, along with other member utilities, asks the Water Research Foundation to solicit research proposals on identifying the best available technology, such as granular activated carbon, membrane technology, ion exchange and alternate disinfectants for the removal of contaminants which have been identified as candidates for regulation or which are being proposed for regulation. The foundation also adopts research projects that deal with the study of new technologies which could help treatment plants operate more efficiently and economically or for research which could evaluate the risks and/or cost benefits associated with regulating certain contaminants.
The program is international in scope and the results will benefit all water utilities, including the City of Houston and its customers. The primary benefit that they offer to the City of Houston, and to all utility subscribers, is participation in a centralized research program that is directed by and conducted on behalf of the drinking water community.
As a result of the program, the drinking water community has realized savings of millions of dollars annually; The Foundation has demonstrated the value of an industry-sponsored research program that benefits the drinking water community and the customer.
BENEFITS: As a member of the Water Research Foundation, the City of Houston will receive research on today’s most complex challenges. With the long list of proposed regulations now facing the water industry in the short term, this membership will continue to play a vital role in ensuring that the City of Houston is ready to meet these regulations in an efficient and timely manner.
DUES: Annual subscription cost is determined by the volume of water treated by the City of Houston multiplied by our subscription rate of $2.50 per million gallons minus water sold to other utilities and minus any unmetered water. This calculation has yielded a subscription amount of $338,582.39.
“Funding for this item is included in the FY17 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policy Ord. 2014-1078”.