To: Boards of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency, Occidental County Sanitation District, Russian River County Sanitation District, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, South Park County Sanitation District
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency, Occidental County Sanitation District, Russian River County Sanitation District, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, South Park County Sanitation District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Grant Davis 707-547-1900, Aaron Fulton 707-547-1974
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
As-Needed Hydrology and Hydraulic Services and As-Needed Engineering Design Services
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to execute an agreement with Environmental Science Associates, in substantially the form presented to this Board, for as-needed hydrology and hydraulic services through August 31, 2031, in the not-to-exceed amount of $500,000.
B) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager acting on behalf of Sonoma County Water Agency, Occidental County Sanitation District, Russian River County Sanitation District, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, and South Park County Sanitation District to execute an agreement with Kleinfelder, Inc., in substantially the form presented to this Board, for as-needed engineering design services through June 30, 2031, in the not-to-exceed amount of $1,000,000.
end
Executive Summary:
Sonoma County Water Agency and its affiliated sanitation districts and sanitation zones (collectively referred to as “Sonoma Water”) are requesting as-needed hydrology and hydraulic services for the flood protection zones and engineering design services for flood protection zones, water transmission, wastewater collection, conveyance, and treatment infrastructure across Sonoma County. This item requests approval of two as-needed contracts to ensure Sonoma Water can respond to urgent projects and establish more efficient contracting processes for time-sensitive flood, capital, and operational infrastructure projects.
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
Sonoma Water’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) identifies key infrastructure projects to meet the needs of wastewater, water transmission, and flood protection facilities within its jurisdiction. Sonoma Water has completed or is in the process of completing master plans for the water transmission system and sanitation districts and zones. Additional engineering analyses arise that require streamlined contracting approaches to meet time sensitive projects. Completing CIP, master plan, and unplanned projects necessitates specialized engineering services to maintain, evaluate, design, and construct Sonoma Water facilities and ensure infrastructure is safe, reliable, resilient, and compliant with applicable codes and engineering standards.
Hydrology and Hydraulic Services
Operating the Flood Protection Zones (Flood Zones) requires hydrologic and hydraulic analysis services to identify future projects and system vulnerabilities, maintain up-to-date flood models, and inform stream maintenance actions.
Engineering Design Services
Operating the Flood Zones, water supply/transmission systems, and sanitation Zones and Districts requires engineering design services to develop plans and specifications for pipelines and infrastructure improvements and specialized construction support services.
Sonoma Water seeks to establish as-needed hydrology and hydraulic and engineering design contracts to more efficiently contract projects, reduce administrative costs, and decrease project delivery timelines.
Establishing the two as-needed agreements provides additional contracting redundancy to mitigate workload constraints and allows Sonoma Water to engage consultants specializing in analyses specific to the subject flood, water, and wastewater infrastructure.
SELECTION PROCESS
Environmental Science Associates and Kleinfelder Inc. were selected from a list of qualified consultants developed from a competitive selection process. Attached is a memo that explains the competitive selection process.
Hydrology and Hydraulic Services
Environmental Science Associates was selected because they have developed open source hydraulic and hydrologic models of Sonoma Water infrastructure in Flood Control Zones 1A and 3A, have completed large-scale hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for Bay Area flood control entities, and have significant experience developing hydraulic and geomorphic-based flood-control solutions to inform channel maintenance activities and thresholds that consider ecologic constraints of natural systems.
Engineering Design Services
Kleinfelder, Inc. was selected because they have over 40 years of experience completing design services in the Bay Area and have successfully worked on multiple as-needed design agreements and varied project types from retaining walls, landslide assessments, bridges, facilities and buildings to roadways and pipelines. They have experience in trenchless technologies and a vast resume that demonstrates an ability to develop designs and provide services that meet geotechnical, civil, and structural design constraints.
SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED
Hydrology and Hydraulic Agreement
Under the proposed agreement, Environmental Science Associates will provide as-needed hydrologic and hydraulic services in support of Sonoma Water’s flood protection zone operations, maintenance, and future projects which may include the following tasks:
1. Data review, field reconnaissance, and topographic surveys.
2. Hydrologic and hydraulic model development.
3. Hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and analysis.
4. Develop hydraulic and geomorphic-based maintenance recommendations.
5. Support Flood Protection Zone meetings and public outreach.
The cost of services will not exceed $500,000; the term end date is August 31, 2031.
Engineering Design Agreement
Under the proposed engineering design agreement, Kleinfelder, Inc. will provide as-needed engineering design services in support of Sonoma Water’s infrastructure, which may include the following tasks:
1. Plans and specifications.
2. Engineering design technical memoranda.
3. Design review.
4. Emergency response and evaluation of compromised infrastructure.
5. Construction period support.
The cost of services will not exceed $1,000,000; the term end date is June 30, 2031.
Through the proposed agreements, the General Manager will be delegated the authority to approve written amendments to extend the term of each agreement for up to two additional years by providing written notice to the other parties thirty days in advance of the term end date and by executing agreement amendments.
California Environmental Quality Act
The General Manager has determined that execution of the agreements is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15306, Information Collection, because activities such as land surveying would avoid sensitive environments and would not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource or result in a substantial adverse change to a historic resource. Future projects designed under the agreements will be subject to future environmental review pursuant to CEQA.
County of Sonoma Strategic Plan Alignment:
N/A
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment
This item directly supports Sonoma Water’s Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following goal, strategy, and action item.
Goal: 2. Planning and Infrastructure - Implement comprehensive, integrated, and innovative infrastructure planning to strengthen existing services, minimize life cycle costs, and prepare for the future.
Strategy: 2.3 Fund and implement the planned capital and maintenance projects on schedule to ensure reliable services.
Action: 2.3.2 Fund Capital Improvement Program budgets to meet infrastructure needs.
Approval of the item will decrease project delivery timelines by providing alternative and redundant contracting procedures to facilitate implementation of infrastructure projects that ensure reliability of existing services and prepare Sonoma Water infrastructure for the future.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
N/A
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY26-27 Adopted |
FY27-28 Projected |
FY28-29 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
$ |
$ |
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
$ |
$ |
|
|
State/Federal |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Fees/Other |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
$ |
$ |
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Total Sources |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
$500,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budgeted amount of $500,000 is available from FY 2026/2027 appropriations for the Water Transmission Fund, Flood Control Zone Funds, Occidental, Russian River, South Park, and Sonoma Valley County Sanitation Districts’ Funds, and for the Geyserville, Penngrove, Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup, and Sea Ranch Sanitation Zones’ Funds. The revenue sources are water rates for the Water Transmission Fund, property tax for the Flood Control Zones, and ratepayer annual sewer service charges for the sanitation Districts and Zones. Work contracted through the proposed as-needed agreements will be budgeted separately and included in the Board-adopted fiscal year appropriation for the subject enterprise fund. No additional appropriation is requested.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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|
|
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|
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Draft Agreement with Environmental Science Associates
Attachment 2: Draft Agreement with Kleinfelder, Inc.
Attachment 3: Competitive Selection Process Memo
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.