To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jessica Martini-Lamb / 547-1903
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Fifth
Title:
Title
Technical Services Related to Russian River Estuary Adaptive Management
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to execute an agreement with Environmental Science Associates for technical support services related to Russian River estuary adaptive management with an effective date of June 1, 2021, and a term end date of December 31, 2023, in the not-to-exceed amount of $267,000.
B) Adopt a Resolution Authorizing Adjustment to the Board Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 for the Watershed Planning and Restoration Fund in the amount of $99,000 for Technical Services Related to Russian River Estuary Adaptive Management.
(4/5th Vote Required) (Fifth District)
end
Executive Summary:
The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Biological Opinion for the Russian River requires that the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) collaborate with them to modify estuary management practices to reduce marine influence during the summer, promote a higher water surface elevation, and improve water quality in the estuary to enhance rearing habitat for steelhead. As required, Sonoma Water develops annual adaptive management plans (Management Plans) that lay out beach management measures that will be pursued by Sonoma Water between May 15 and October 15 in an effort to enhance the estuary as a freshwater lagoon by managing the barrier beach outlet channel conditions for the benefit of steelhead rearing habitat. Under the proposed agreement, Environmental Science Associates (Consultant) will provide technical assistance for the development of Management Plans for 2021, 2022, and 2023, and will also develop potential estuary juvenile salmonid habitat enhancement measures and assist with improving tools utilized for forecasting lagoon water surface elevations and river mouth closure conditions.
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
On September 24, 2008, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued its Biological Opinion for Water Supply, Flood Control Operations, and Channel Maintenance conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Sonoma Water, and the Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District (Biological Opinion).
National Marine Fisheries Service found that the continued water supply, flood control operations, and channel maintenance operations of the Corps and Sonoma Water are likely to jeopardize the continued existence of threatened Central California Coast steelhead and endangered Central California Coast coho salmon and adversely modify their critical habitats. The Biological Opinion’s Reasonable and Prudent Alternative 2 requires that Sonoma Water collaborate with National Marine Fisheries Service to modify estuary management practices to reduce marine influence during the summer to promote a higher water surface elevation and improve water quality in the estuary to enhance rearing habitat for steelhead. As required, Sonoma Water develops annual Management Plans which lay out barrier beach management measures that will be pursued by Sonoma Water between May 15 and October 15 in an effort to enhance the estuary as a freshwater lagoon and manage the barrier beach conditions for the benefit of steelhead rearing habitat.
Under previous agreements, Consultant has modified Management Plans; developed a jetty effects and alternatives study plan as required under the Biological Opinion; provided technical support to Sonoma Water for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Report for the implementation of outlet channel management activities for 2011; helped inform further management studies in the estuary by developing a hydrodynamic and water quality model of the estuary used to evaluate impacts and guide implementation of Management Plans and other potential management strategies; assisted Sonoma Water with preparation and implementation of annual Management Plans and inlet management activities; and provided Sonoma Water with technical support needed for ongoing management activities.
SELECTION PROCESS
On July 6, 2020, Sonoma Water issued a Request for Statements of Qualifications to the 50 firms listed on the attached Recipient List.
The Request for Statements of Qualifications was also posted on the Sonoma County Water Agency and County of Sonoma Purchasing Department websites.
The following criteria were used to evaluate each firm:
1) Thoroughness of Statements of Qualifications
2) Professional qualifications and demonstrated ability to perform the work
3) Exceptions to standard terms in the sample agreement
Based on the evaluations, the following 36 respondents were selected for the list of qualified consultants:
1. AEI Consultants, Walnut Creek, CA
2. AES, Sacramento, CA
3. Alta Archaeological Consulting, LLC, Santa Rosa, CA
4. Ascent Environmental, Inc., Sacramento, CA
5. Baseline Environmental Consulting, Emeryville, CA
6. Brelje & Race, Santa Rosa, CA
7. Camas, LLC, Jacksonville, OR
8. Catalyst Group, Inc., Greenbrae, CA
9. CBEC, Inc., Petaluma, CA
10. Dudek, Pasadena, CA
11. ECORP Consulting, Inc., Rocklin, CA
12. ESA, Sacramento, CA
13. ESSA Technologies Ltd., Vancouver, BC
14. FirstCarbon Solutions, Inc., Walnut Creek, CA
15. FlowWest, Oakland, CA
16. Freshwater Trust, Portland, OR
17. GEI Consultants, Inc., Rancho Cordova, CA
18. HDR Engineering, Inc., Walnut Creek, CA
19. Horizon Water and Environment, LLC, Oakland, CA
20. HTI-Vemco USA, Inc./Innovasea, Seattle, WA
21. Inter-Fluve. Hood River, OR
22. Live Oak Associates, Inc., San Jose, CA
23. Ninyo & Moore, Inc., Alameda, CA
24. Pacific Watershed Associates, Inc., Petaluma, CA
25. Panorama Environmental, Inc., San Francisco, CA
26. Prunuske Chatham, Inc., Sebastopol, CA
27. Questa Engineering Corporation, Petaluma, CA
28. Rincon Consultants, Inc., Oakland, CA
29. Sequoia Ecological Consulting, Inc., Danville, CA
30. SF Estuary Institute, San Francisco, CA
31. Sol Ecology, Inc., Petaluma, CA
32. Tom Origer and Associates, Rohnert Park, CA
33. Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting, Inc., Sacramento, CA
34. Walls Land + Water, LLC, Santa Cruz, CA
35. Watercourse Engineering, Inc., Davis, CA
36. WRA, Inc., Petaluma, CA
Consultant was selected from this list because they demonstrated experience in the development of estuarine habitat enhancement and adaptive management programs in California, they have successfully worked with, and obtained approval from, regulatory and resource agencies of programs similar to the Russian River Estuary’s, and they have specific expertise in the Russian River Estuary’s complex physical and biological processes.
SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED
Under the proposed agreement, Consultant will assist Sonoma Water with the preparation and implementation of estuary Management Plans, evaluation of the outlet channel conditions that occurred in each year, recommended changes to the next year’s Management Plan, and assessment of the coastal and fluvial processes that affected the behavior of the inlet for previous management periods. Consultant will also develop potential estuary juvenile salmonid habitat enhancement measures and assist with improving tools utilized for forecasting lagoon water surface elevations and river mouth closure conditions.
The cost of services will not exceed $267,000; the effective date of the agreement would be June 1, 2021, and the term end date is December 31, 2023.
The agreement includes two options for Sonoma Water to extend this agreement for a period of one year each by providing written notice to Consultant thirty days in advance of the expiration date of the agreement and of the first extension option.
Prior Board Actions:
10/03/2017: Approved agreement between Sonoma Water and Environmental Science Associates for Technical Support Services Related to Russian River Estuary Outlet Channel Adaptive Management. Cost $162,626; term end December 31, 2020. Agreement was amended to add additional time for a new term end date of June 30, 2021.
02/10/2015: Approved agreement between Sonoma Water and Environmental Science Associates for technical support services related to Russian River Estuary Outlet Channel Adaptive Management. Cost $116,000; term end December 31, 2016. Agreement was amended to add additional time for a new term end date of December 31, 2017.
03/17/2009: Approved agreement between Sonoma Water and Philip Williams and Associates (Environmental Science Associates) for Consulting Services for Russian River Estuary Outlet Channel Management Plan. Cost $139,725. Agreement was amended five times for an agreement total of $476,484, and term end date of 5/31/2014.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$70,000 |
$98,000 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$99,000 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$169,000 |
$98,000 |
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
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General Fund/WA GF |
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|
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
$70,000 |
$98,000 |
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
$99,000 |
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$169,000 |
$98,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budgeted amount of $70,000 is available from FY 2021/2022 appropriations for the Watershed Planning and Restoration Fund. With Board approval, unspent appropriations of $99,000 budgeted in FY 2020/2021 and rolled over to FY 2021/2022 will be made in the Watershed Planning and Restoration Fund pursuant to the attached budgetary resolution.
FY 2022/2023 appropriations will be budgeted in that fiscal year.
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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:
1. Resolution
2. Request for Qualifications Recipient List
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None