Independent Technical Oversight Panel - Draft - Terms of Reference and Selection Criteria

Part of May13th agenda ... same old biosolids again ...

Independent Technical Oversight Panel – Terms of Reference and
Selection Criteria – DRAFT
The Technical Oversight Panel:
1. Will be comprised of three to five members.
2. Will be given a $12,000/year honorarium + $750/meeting (up to 4hours, additional $750 over 4 hours) + travel disbursements. Chair will receive $30,000/year + same meeting and travel expenses.*
3. Will commence work in June 2015 and end in March 2016.
4. Will provide independent oversight to the work of the engineering, business case, lifecycle costing and other project analysis done post-June 2015.
5. Will report monthly to the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee directly. The Chair of the Panel will have the primary responsibility for presenting updates and answering questions of the committee and speaking on behalf of the Panel at public sessions.
*Based on Seaterra Commission.
Selection Criteria / Skill sets sought:
1. Significant private sector business, finance and large-scale project-management experience.
2. Wastewater/biosolids treatment technology – up-to-date understanding of innovative/emerging/best practices including wastewater regulatory context.
3. Resource recovery – wastewater reuse (irrigation, purple pipe), district energy systems, biogas, biofuels.
4. Financial costing including capital/operating/life cycle, comparative evaluations, business case analysis, risk, financing.
5. Proven ability to pull conceptual ideas into overarching plan.
6. Chair, proven ability to deliver, able to present detailed concepts in political arena and to broad public, comfortable with public speaking, media, video taped proceedings and large venues.

Items 2 and 3 are saying BIOSOLIDS again. WHY?   What happened to a balanced and open approach? Where is any reference to expertise in gasification, syngas, biochar, etc.?

These words need to be changed:
Biosolids. The EPA describes it as  "the treated residuals from wastewater treatment (biosolids) can be safely recycled. Local governments make the decision whether to recycle the biosolids as a fertilizer, incinerate it or bury it in a landfill."

A biofuel is a fuel that is derived from biological materials, such as plants and animals. Also biofuel can still be seen as fuel derived from organic matter (obtained directly from plants, or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes).

Biogas typically refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas can be produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food waste.

Update: May 11, 2015 13:00
Offering the following approaches:

Option A which is inclusive of multiple technologies and outcomes:
 
2. Wastewater, biosolid, and gasification treatment technology – up-to-date understanding of innovative/emerging/best practices including wastewater and reclaimed water regulatory context.
3. Resource recovery – wastewater reuse (irrigation, purple pipe), district energy systems, syngas, biochar, biogas, biofuels, gasification as source of electricity, heat, and distilled water and how these can be used to improve food security or other community benefits.

Option B which is exclusive and seeks neutral wording that does not exclude or prescribe a technology.  Obviously this is weaker because it is less informative but it may be needed at the political level.
 
2. Wastewater, residuals treatment technology – up-to-date understanding of innovative/emerging/best practices including wastewater and reclaimed water regulatory context.
3. Resource recovery – wastewater reuse (irrigation, purple pipe), district energy systems, energy conversion systems and other community benefits.

Frankly, the opportunity to work on this project, for someone in this field, should be a fantastic chance to start with a clean slate (no existing secondary infrastructure) and help design la world renowned leading edge (not bleeding edge) solution.