To: Board of Directors, Russian River County Sanitation District
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency, Russian River County Sanitation District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Brad Sherwood 707-547-1900, Parastou Hooshialsadat 707-547-1961
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Fifth
Title:
Title
West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager, acting on behalf of Russian River County Sanitation District, to execute the First Amended and Restated Agreement for Engineering Services to Develop a West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study with West Yost & Associates, Inc., in substantially the form as the draft presented to this Board.
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Executive Summary:
Discharges of wastewater from the Russian River County Sanitation District (District) collection system in 2019 resulted in the need to conduct a feasibility study to satisfy a North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) Order. In 2024, Sonoma Water, acting on behalf of Russian River County Sanitation District, began contracting with West Yost & Associates, Inc. to support this effort.
The proposed amended agreement increases the 2024 contract amount by $135,000 and expands the scope of work to include detailed analysis of a fifth wastewater regionalization alternative, preparation of construction and operating costs for all alternatives with and without the unsewered community clusters, and additional stakeholder support, for a new not-to-exceed agreement total of $775,000, with no change to the end date of June 30, 2027.
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
The District owns the Russian River Wastewater Treatment Facility (Treatment Facility) at 18400 Neeley Road in Guerneville and the wastewater collection system located throughout the District’s service area, including associated piping and pumping infrastructure that collects and carries wastewater to the Treatment Facility. Sonoma Water operates and manages the District under contract with the District. The Treatment Facility and the collection system are subject to the requirements of multiple regulatory orders including Regional Water Board Waste Discharge Requirements. Unauthorized discharges of wastewater in 2019 resulted in Water Code violations that led to imposition of an administrative civil liability in the amount of $1,033,546. The Order requires payment of $147,001 to the State Water Resources Control Board Cleanup and Abatement Account, while the remaining $886,545 in liability will be suspended upon completion of the Project.
Existing wastewater systems in western Sonoma County (West County) are challenged by small customer bases and high wastewater rates for the economically disadvantaged communities several of them serve. The study area is located in the West County region generally bounded by Occidental, Graton, Monte Rio, and Forestville, and includes those communities as well as other nearby unincorporated urban-type density areas, such as Hacienda, Hollydale, Villa Grande, Camp Meeker, and Guerneville. The Regional Water Board estimates that up to 12,000 on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) owners in this area must comply with Russian River Pathogen Total Maximum Daily Load (pathogen TMDL). Additionally, during the most recent drought, a recycled water shortage occurred in Sonoma County as demand exceeded supplies for this important water source. Climate change and the planned decommissioning of PG&E’s Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project are anticipated to put further stress on the region’s water supplies and increase the importance of recycled water supply.
The Project has the following objectives:
1. Investigate the feasibility of creating regional wastewater treatment and reuse systems to provide more reliable and cost-effective services to local rate payers.
2. Study the feasibility of expanding water recycling systems serving West Sonoma County.
3. Survey wastewater connection and consolidation opportunities for OWTSs, especially failing OWTSs in areas subject to Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements, due to their proximity to pathogen- and nitrogen-impaired waterbodies.
4. Explore the feasibility of increasing climate change resiliency, especially to counter the impacts of extended drought and seasonal flooding.
The Project consists of a high-level feasibility study evaluating potential West County regionalization projects that could improve water quality, water supply reliability, pathogen TMDL compliance for unsewered communities, recycled water supply availability, and climate change resiliency in the Russian River watershed. Connecting some or all of the West County districts are evaluated in addition to possible construction of new pipelines to convey wastewater to the Santa Rosa Sub-Regional Water System and/or other treatment plants for reliable treatment.
District and West Yost & Associates, Inc., (Consultant) entered into an agreement for engineering services to develop a West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study, dated April 19, 2024, in the amount of $640,000.
The Project has progressed through a series of stakeholder meetings, technical workshops, and evaluations to develop and refine potential regionalization strategies. The effort began with development of the Service Area Description and continued with planning area and study concepts followed by evaluating eight initial regionalization alternatives. The study then focused on refining regionalization alternatives to five recommended alternatives and considered unsewered community clusters, recycled water supply, and climate change resiliency.
In Winter 2025/26, the Stakeholder Committee reviewed and discussed the recommended regionalization alternatives, and Consultant prepared the Draft and Final Feasibility Study Report. The Final Feasibility Study Report was submitted to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in May 2026. The project subsequently transitioned into the Project Advancement Report (PAR) phase, with the Draft PAR currently being developed along with review by the Stakeholder Committee. Following public review available in September, the completed Final Project Advancement Report will be submitted to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in October 2026.
SELECTION PROCESS
Consultant was selected July 20, 2022 through a competitive selection process conducted under the original agreement. A new competitive selection process was not conducted because this amended agreement covers augmentation to work already in progress, not a new scope of services.
SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED
Under the proposed amended agreement, Consultant will provide:
• Additional analysis of a fifth wastewater regionalization alternative with and without unsewered community flows.
• Expanded analysis of the potential costs to the unsewered community parcels.
• Additional stakeholder support, including development of the Project Advancement Report.
• Revised draft feasibility report that incorporates stakeholder input.
• Additional Project Management efforts associated with additional scope.
An amendment is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the administrative civil liability by providing additional time and resources to complete the technical feasibility study and to support continued public outreach and engagement efforts.
The additional cost is $135,000, for a new not-to-exceed agreement total of $775,000. There is no change to end date of June 30, 2027.
County of Sonoma Strategic Plan Alignment:
N/A
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment
Goal: Climate Resiliency: Assess risk and uncertainty of climate change. Develop and take actions that improve resiliency and sustainability.
Strategy: Develop and implement practices to understand and minimize vulnerability to climate change impacts and natural disasters.
Action: Develop inclusive practices for Sonoma Water’s climate mitigation and adaptation efforts considering the needs of under-resourced and under-represented communities.
Climate change is expected to increase both the extent and severity of flooding in West County, increasing risks to unsewered parcels and existing wastewater infrastructure. Centralized sewer service for vulnerable unsewered communities could improve climate resiliency by reducing OWTS-related water quality risks during flooding, while expanded recycled water production and reuse could strengthen regional water supply resiliency during drought.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
3/26/2024: Approved agreement with West Yost & Associates, Inc., for engineering services to develop a West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study ($640,000), term end June 30, 2027
5/16/2023: Approved and allocated County of Sonoma Water Security Funds for the West County Wastewater Management and Regional Solutions Feasibility Study ($450,000), and other actions.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY26-27 Adopted |
FY27-28 Projected |
FY28-29 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$135,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$135,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
$135,000 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$135,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budgeted amount of $135,000 is available from FY 2026/27 appropriations for the Russian River County Sanitation District Operations fund. No additional appropriation is required.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment - Amended Agreement with West Yost & Associates, Inc.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.