Listen to the podcast episode: https://chulavistalivedata.substack.com/p/live-otay-water-district-board-of
Read the article on Substack: https://chulavistalivedata.substack.com/p/2026-10-07-otay-water-district-board
At its October 7, 2026 regular meeting, the Otay Water District Board of Directors approved a $344,764.45 construction contract for the Fiscal Year 2026 Valve Replacement Project (Phase 2), ratified a restyled San Diego County Sanitation District billing agreement that cuts annual administrative charges from $182,424 to $40,295, and voted to retain the current 1,622-foot elevation ceiling for Roll Reservoir properties.
Meeting Overview
- Agency / Body: Otay Water District — Board of Directors Regular Meeting
- Date & Time: October 7, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. PT (adjourned at approximately 4:58 p.m. PT)
- Location: Otay Water District Headquarters Boardroom, 2554 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard, Spring Valley, CA 91978 (and via teleconference)
- Attendance (Verified from Roll Call & Agenda): Board President Mark Robak (District 5); Vice President Jose Lopez (District 4); Director Delfina Gonzalez (District 1); Director Ryan Keyes (District 2); Director Tim Smith (District 3) — all 5 directors present. Staff present included General Manager Jose Martinez, General Counsel Nicholaus Norvell, Assistant General Manager of Engineering and Water Operations, Chief Financial Officer Eid Fakhouri, and District Secretary Tita Ramos-Krogman.
Agenda & Key Actions
1. Roll Call, Pledge of Allegiance & Approval of Agenda (Items 1–4)
Board President Mark Robak called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. With all five directors present, the board approved the October 7, 2026 agenda unanimously (5–0).
2. Customer Recognition — 30-Year Anniversary of the Water Conservation Garden (Item 5a)
District staff and the board recognized Lauren Magnuson, Executive Director of the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, on the Garden's 30th anniversary and upcoming Fall Festival on October 18, 2026.
3. Consent Calendar (Items 6a–6d)
The board enacted the four-item Consent Calendar in a single unanimous roll-call vote (5–0, moved by Director Smith):
- Item 6a — Approval of Minutes: Approved the minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of July 1, 2026, and Special Board Meetings of July 9, 2026, and August 10, 2026.
- Item 6b — San Diego County Sanitation District Sewer Billing Agreement: Approved a new Sewer Billing Agreement with the San Diego County Sanitation District for an initial five-year term (with up to five additional one-year renewals) to bill approximately 3,663 water and sewer accounts in the Spring Valley Sanitation District area via property tax rolls rather than bi-monthly water bills, reducing the district's annual billing expense from $182,424 ($4.15 per account per month) to $40,295 ($11.00 per parcel per year).
- Item 6c — Investment Policy Amendments: Adopted Resolution No. 4464 amending Board Policy No. 27 (Investment Policy) to align with California Government Code updates and the California Municipal Treasurers Association (CMTA) certification checklist, and re-delegated investment authority to the Chief Financial Officer as District Treasurer for one year.
- Item 6d — FY 2026 Valve Replacement Project (Phase 2) Contract Award: Awarded a construction contract to New Century Construction, Inc. (lowest responsive, responsible bidder among five bids opened August 20, 2026) in an amount not to exceed $344,764.45 to replace 25 Potable Water and Recycled Water valves across the 457, 624, 657, 850, and 680 pressure zones during the winter low-demand period.
4. Informational & Action Items (Items 7–11)
- Item 7a — Cast-in-Place Concrete Pipe (CIPP) Lining Program Update: Engineering Manager Stephen Beppler and staff presented an informational briefing on the district's trenchless Cast-in-Place Pipe rehabilitation strategy for aging corrugated metal and potable water pipelines.
- Item 8a — Potable Service Connections Above the 1,622-Foot Elevation near Roll Reservoir: Following an engineering review of hydraulic pressures and fire-flow requirements in the 1845 pressure zone near Roll Reservoir, the board voted unanimously (5–0) to retain the existing 1,622-foot elevation limit for standard gravity potable water service connections rather than lowering the threshold.
- Item 9a — LAFCO Special Districts Election Ballot: The board voted unanimously (5–0) to authorize Board President Mark Robak to cast Otay Water District's vote for the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) Special Districts Advisory Committee election (voting for up to six candidates).
- Items 10–11 — Legislative, San Diego County Water Authority & General Manager Reports: Staff presented the October 2026 state and federal legislative report, Director Tim Smith provided the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) update, and General Manager Jose Martinez presented the monthly operations, financial, and engineering report.
- Closed Session (Item 13): The board recessed into closed session for the General Manager's performance evaluation and returned with no reportable action before adjourning at approximately 4:58 p.m.
Public Fact-Check & Official Sources
1. Official Agenda Packet: Otay Water District October 7, 2026 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet (archived in CVLD public meeting records; includes Staff Reports for Items 6a–6d, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a, and 11a).
2. Livestream Replay: Rumble — LIVE | Otay Water District Governing Board of Directors Meeting | Oct 7, 2026.
3. Verification Notes: All roll-call votes (5–0) are verified against the livestream audio/transcript and are pending publication of the district's official approved October 7, 2026 minutes.
AI Disclaimer
This article and summary were drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence using Chula Vista Live Data's livestream recording, transcript, and the official Otay Water District October 7, 2026 agenda packet. All vote tallies from the audio recording are pending human verification against official approved minutes. Readers are encouraged to verify all facts directly through the linked public records and livestream replay above.