To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency and Russian River County Sanitation District
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency and Russian River County Sanitation District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeff Church 547-1949
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Fifth
Title:
Title
Russian River County Sanitation District Headworks, Lift Stations, and Force Mains Project
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a resolution determining that the Russian River County Sanitation District Headworks, Lift Stations, and Force Mains (Project) will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment, adopting the California Environmental Quality Act Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project, adopting mitigation measures and the mitigation monitoring reporting program, making certain related findings, and approving the Project. (Fifth District)
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Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) is proposing the Russian River County Sanitation District (District) Headworks, Lift Stations, and Force Mains (Project). The proposed Project would reduce the potential for sanitary sewer overflows, leaking pipes, and reduce the risk of the loss of sanitation service resulting from failures of deteriorating infrastructure due to ground deformation, liquefaction, or lateral ground movement caused by a moderate or severe earthquake. The proposed Project would include repairing and replacing existing components of the headworks at the wastewater treatment plant (Treatment Plant) as well as repairing and replacing existing components at the 11 lift stations, and replacing or rehabilitating sections of three existing force mains. An Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (Mitigated Negative Declaration) was prepared to evaluate and disclose the potential environmental impacts of the Project, which determined that all potential impacts would be less than significant with mitigation incorporated. Approval of this item would adopt a resolution determining that the Project will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment, adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration and the mitigation monitoring reporting program for the Project, make certain related findings, and approve the Project.
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
The District is one of eight different sanitation zones and districts managed and operated by Sonoma Water. The District services a 2,700 acre area located within the heart of the Russian River watershed near Guerneville, California. The wastewater infrastructure within the District’s service area was originally constructed in the 1970s and 1980s and provides service to approximately 3,300 parcels, of which the Treatment Plant treats wastewater for approximately 3,200 equivalent single-family dwelling units. The facilities within the District’s service area include a complex gravity and pressurized force main pipeline network, 11 lift stations, and a wastewater treatment plant located just east of Vacation Beach.
In recent years, the District has experienced sanitary sewer overflows and leaking pipes, including a portion of the force main near the Vacation Beach Lift Station that ruptured in February 2014 due to internal corrosion and was replaced with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. In November 2021, two additional leaks were discovered - one in the 12-inch force main discharging from Guerneville Lift Station and another near the location of the 2014 failure.
The District has conducted inspections of the sanitation system and discovered other vulnerabilities among the remainder of the infrastructure throughout the wastewater network, including the lift stations, force mains, and headworks facility at the District Treatment Plant. These inspections along with the November 2021 leak led to an emergency replacement conducted in September 2022 of approximately 900 feet of Main Force Main near the Vacation Beach Lift Station, which ties into segments of the Main Force Main that would be replaced in this proposed Project.
In 2018, the Russian River County Sanitation District Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) was prepared for the District and approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (RRCSD 2018). The LHMP aims to identify hazards to limit damage to infrastructure and facilities that occur as a result of natural disasters. It includes an assessment of the geologic, seismic, flood, fire, and other hazards present within the District’s service area. The LHMP also established a program to identify new projects that will mitigate system vulnerabilities to these hazards. The proposed Project would restore and improve the structural integrity of the District’s sanitation system while also reducing the seismic vulnerability.
In May 2020, the District was awarded a Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) planning grant to perform a condition assessment and limited preliminary design on improvements to the headworks, force main, and lift stations.
On June 13, 2022, the District submitted a request to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to amend its CWSRF planning grant to add funds to expand the current scope of work to allow the District to proceed with contracting with a consultant to bring the design for improvements to the headworks, force mains, and lift stations to 90% design and submit an application to the CWSRF program for a construction grant in calendar year 2023.
In November 2023, the District will submit an application to the CWSRF to fund bringing the remaining design from 90% to 100% and construction of the overall improvement project. The District will return to the Board for authorization to enter an agreement with CWSRF upon grant award.
RUSSIAN RIVER COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT HEADWORKS, LIFT STATIONS, AND FORCE MAINS (PROJECT)
The proposed Project would repair and replace existing aging sanitation system infrastructure at the District wastewater treatment plant headworks, 11 lift stations, and on several sections of existing force mains within the District service area. The proposed Project would address aging infrastructure, potential damage to infrastructure during flood events, and susceptibility of sections of the force main to liquefaction during seismic events. The benefits of rehabilitating the public sewer system in the Russian River community are expected to include: improved system reliability especially during an earthquake event, reduced overall sewer operation and maintenance costs for the District, alleviated groundwater and surface water contamination risks, reduced emergency infrastructure repairs, reduced electrical hazards, reduced damages due to flooding, and improvements to public health and safety and the environment.
Project activities associated with repairing the lift stations includes but is not limited to replacing existing lift station platforms, replacing electrical and mechanical pumping components, installing new flow meter vaults, and minor regrading to accommodate new infrastructure. Repairs and replacement associated with the lift stations would occur mostly within existing lift station footprints and fenced areas.
Part of the improvements intended for the headworks and lift station facilities entail decommissioning the two medium-voltage electrical transmission lines that the District maintains. One line originates at the Treatment Plant and provides primary power to the Vacation Beach Lift Station. The other line originates at the Main Lift Station and provides primary power to the Guerneville, Guernewood Park, and Beanwood lift stations. Accordingly, the District would decommission the medium-voltage transmission lines and install new dedicated Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) electrical utility services at the Guerneville, Guernewood Park, and Beanwood lift stations. The Vacation Beach lift station would receive new low voltage electrical service from the wastewater treatment plant.
The Project would also repair and replace approximately 10,500 linear feet of existing force main pipe on the Beanwood, Rio Nido, and Main Force Main alignments, including approximately 8,100 linear feet through traditional trenching methods. A segment of the existing Beanwood Force Main suspended on the bottom of the Guerneville Pedestrian Bridge would be replaced in the existing location. An existing section of the Main Force Main under the Russian River at Summer Crossing Road would be abandoned in place and a new force main segment (Segment 6) would be constructed under the Russian River using microtunneling methods.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT DOCUMENTATION
Sonoma Water, as a lead agency under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental Impact (Initial Study) for the Project pursuant to the requirements of the CEQA (California Public Resources Code sections 21000 et seq.), the State CEQA Guidelines (Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3), and Sonoma Water’s Compliance Procedures for CEQA. The Mitigated Negative Declaration discloses potential environmental impacts of implementing the Project; identifies the means to avoid or reduce potential significant adverse impacts on the environment; and concludes the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Project would not have a significant adverse effect on the environment.
The Notice of Completion, Notice of Availability and Notice of Intent to Adopt the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (Notice of Availability) were filed with the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research’s State Clearinghouse on June 30, 2023. The Notice of Availability was also filed at the Sonoma County Clerk’s Office on June 30, 2023. The Mitigated Negative Declaration was available on July 1, 2023, for a 31-day public review period that closed on July 31, 2023. The Notice of Availability was distributed to responsible and trustee agencies and mailed to stakeholders, interested persons, and property owners adjacent to the Project area on June 30, 2023. Copies of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Notice of Availability were also made available at Sonoma Water’s administrative office and an electronic version of the documents were made available on Sonoma Water’s website. A legal notice was also published in the Press Democrat on July 2, 2023. Display ads with the Notice of Availability information were published in the Press Democrat on July 2, 2023 and in the Sonoma County Gazette on July 2, 2023. During the review period, Sonoma Water received seven (7) comment letters, with five letters providing comments and two acknowledging the Project. Staff have revised mitigation measures or incorporated additional mitigation measures into the Mitigated Negative Declaration related to biological resources in response to comments received from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California State Lands Commission. Staff have revised mitigation measures related to cultural resources and tribal cultural resources based on AB52 consultation with the culturally affiliated tribes. These measures are equivalent or more effective in mitigating significant effects on the environment to a less than significant level and do not cause any potentially significant effect on the environment, and do not require recirculation pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080(f) and CEQA Guidelines section 15074.1.
Sonoma Water staff recommends that the Board adopt a resolution determining that the Project will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment, adopting the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project, adopting mitigation measures and the mitigation monitoring reporting program, making certain related findings, and approving the Project.
County Strategic Plan Alignment:
N/A
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment: Waste Water Treatment and Water Reuse, Goal 1: Improve operational reliability of wastewater treatment and water reuse systems.
The Project will improve operational reliability of wastewater treatment systems.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
09/17/19: Approved resolution 19-0376 authorizing the General Manager to apply to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund on behalf of the Russian River County Sanitation District for this project’s planning and construction applications at the District’s facilities, execute financial assistance agreements, and carry out District’s responsibilities under the agreements. Also approved resolution 19-0377 to authorize adjustments to the Board adopted budget for FY 19-20 for the planning project.
11/07/17: Approved resolution 17-0442 authorizing the General Manager to apply to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund on behalf of the Russian River County Sanitation District.
Fiscal Summary
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FY23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY25-26 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The estimated range of project costs is $45 million to $48 million. Construction implementation is contingent upon CWSRF grant award.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Resolution with Exhibit A
Attachment 2: Comment Letters Received and Responses to Comments
Attachment 3: Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None