The Program EIR was completed and certified by the City of Santa Rosa on November 6, 2003. A combination of the alternatives (a “Program”) evaluated in the EIR were selected for implementation and a plan of phased implementation was approved. The Final Recycled Water Master Plan was prepared to identify a Preferred Program that best met the IRWP’s Objectives. An Addendum to the Program EIR was prepared that evaluated the Preferred Program.

The Final Master Plan includes:

• Programs the size and capacity of components, schedule for the Program, cost, economic and rate impacts of Programs.  
• Evaluation of Programs according to IRWP objectives.  

The Final Master Plan and Addendum were adopted by the City on March 4, 2004. The following describes the public meetings that began in November 2003.

• November 20, 2003 - BPU meeting: A study session will be conducted to describe the organization of the Draft Master Plan and to review the Program selection process. The decisions that the Board will be requested to make at future meetings regarding program selection criteria, program implementation strategies, implementation schedule and other matters related to Program selection will be described and discussed. This will be an opportunity for the Board to request clarification of information in the Draft Master Plan and request additional information that would be helpful in the selection process. No decisions regarding program selection will be made at this study session.

• December 4, 2003 - Joint City Council and BPU meeting: The staff will present the various Programs outlined in the Draft Master Plan to the City Council and BPU. Selection criteria will be identified and the public will have an opportunity to provide input.  

• December 18, 2003 - BPU meeting: To assist in the Board's selection of a Master Plan program, entities with an interest in using recycled water are invited to present a 10-minute conceptual description of their potential reuse project to the BPU. The potential future reuse projects must have been evaluated in the IRWP EIR to be considered by the BPU. Again, no decisions regarding program selection will be made at this study session, but there will be opportunities for public input.

• January 7 & 8, 2004 - BPU meeting at 5:00 pm. At this meeting the staff will describe alternatives and how they meet previously identified selection criteria. The BPU will consider this information, and the public will have an opportunity to provide input regarding which alternatives or combination of alternatives they want to be approved or rejected. The BPU may identify a preferred program at this meeting or at a future meeting. The BPU's preferred program is subject to confirmation by the City Council at a subsequent City Council meeting. 
  
  Written comments may be submitted in advance of the meeting; comments will be forwarded to the BPU and City Council. If you would like your comments to be distributed to the BPU prior to the January 7th meeting, comments must be received at the City Manager's office at 69 Stony Circle, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 or faxed to 543-3936 by December 31, 2003. Comments received after this date will be given to the BPU at the January 7th meeting. The BPU meeting may be continued to the following morning at 8:00 am at the same location if the BPU finds more time is necessary to consider the Master Plan Programs.

• January 15, 2004 - BPU meeting: The staff will describe the preferred Program developed by the BPU at the previous meeting. The public will have an opportunity to provide additional input. When all public input has been considered, the BPU will identify the preferred Program and request Council concurrence. The BPU will request environmental review of the identified preferred Program as required by CEQA. Following concurrence by the Council, the preferred Program would then be evaluated against Programs evaluated in the Program EIR to verify that the environmental impacts of the preferred Program are fully described in the Program EIR. This evaluation will be summarized in a CEQA document, if needed, likely an Addendum to the Program EIR. At the same time, a Final Master Plan will be prepared to identify the preferred Program.

• February 3, 2004 - City Council meeting at 5:00 pm: The City Council will consider concurring with the preferred Program identified by the BPU.

• February 18, 2004 – Final Master Plan and Addendum to the Program EIR will be available at City Hall, libraries, and on the IRWP website.

• March 4, 2004 - Joint City Council and BPU meeting at 5:00 pm: The City considered and certified an Addendum to the Program EIR and adopted of the Final Master Plan.