To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Chad Singleton (707) 547-1923
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
As-Needed Water Loss Control Technical Assistance and Related Services
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to execute the First Amended Agreement for As-Needed Water Loss Control Technical Assistance and Related Services with E-Source Companies, LLC (formerly Water Systems Optimization, Inc.), in a form approved by County Counsel. The amended agreement increases the amount by $84,000, expands the scope of work to include meter assessment and testing for water audit validations and related services, and extends the agreement term by three years for a new not-to-exceed agreement total of $134,000 and end date of December 31, 2026.
B) Adopt a Resolution Authorizing Adjustment to the Board Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 for the Water Conservation Fund in the amount of $50,000 for As-Needed Water Loss Control Technical Assistance and Related Services. (4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
This item requests that the Board authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s (Sonoma Water’s) General Manager to execute the First Amended Agreement for As-Needed Water Loss Control Technical Assistance and Related Services. Under the proposed amended agreement, E-Source Companies, LLC (Consultant) will continue to design, administer, and coordinate regional water loss information meetings, and perform other technical services related to water loss reduction including, but not limited to, water loss audit validation services and water loss component analyses. Consultant will also develop a Supply Meter Assessment and Testing Plan to identify meter-testing process improvements for Sonoma Water’s contractor billing meters. These improvements are needed to meet contractor water loss audit validation requirements, which have a nexus to the development of State water loss regulatory targets for the contractors. The Testing Plan and any resultant meter-testing process changes also directly benefit Sonoma Water’s efforts to identify and reduce water losses from its transmission system.
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
In October 2015, the California Senate passed Bill 555, which required urban retail water suppliers to annually submit a validated Level 1 water audit to the Department of Water Resources. Additionally, the California Water Code Section 10608.34 required the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to develop water loss performance standards for urban retail water suppliers between January 2019 and July 2020. The SWRCB began conducting stakeholder meetings in March 2018.
In 2019, pursuant to these evolving regulations for water loss reporting, and opportunities to improve practices related to water loss reporting, Sonoma Water and other members of the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership (Partnership) sought to undertake several projects that would require water loss technical assistance. Potential projects included, but were not limited to:
• Regional water loss information meetings
• Supply meter assessment and testing plan
The Partnership represents 13 water utilities in Sonoma and Marin counties that have joined together to provide regional solutions for water use efficiency. The utilities include the cities of Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Sonoma, Cotati, and Cloverdale; the North Marin, Valley of the Moon, and Marin Municipal Water Districts; and the Town of Windsor, California American Water (Larkfield District), and Sonoma Water (“Partners”). The Partnership was formed to identify and recommend implementation of water use efficiency projects and maximize the cost-effectiveness of water use efficiency programs in our region.
On December 20, 2020, Sonoma Water and Consultant entered into an agreement in the amount of $50,000 for the design, administration, and coordination of regional water loss information meetings, as well as other technical services related to water loss reduction. Consultant has provided 8 regional water loss information meetings for Sonoma Water and its contractors to help with new state regulations. Consultant has also provided annual water loss audit validations for contractors within the service area to maintain state compliance.
SELECTION PROCESS
On September 30, 2019, Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) issued a Request for Statements of Qualifications (RFQ) to the following 4 firms:
1. E-Source (formerly Water Systems Optimization, Inc.), San Francisco, CA
2. Cavanaugh, Winston-Salem, NC
3. M.E, Simpson Co., Inc., Valparaiso, IN
4. Farley Water Consulting, Bampton, Oxford, United Kingdom
The RFQ was also posted on Sonoma Water and County of Sonoma Purchasing Department websites.
The three firms listed below submitted Statements of Qualifications (SOQs):
1. E-Source
2. Cavanaugh
3. M.E. Simpson Co., Inc.
The following criteria were used to evaluate each firm:
• Thoroughness of SOQ
• Professional qualifications and demonstrated ability to perform the work
• Exceptions to agreement terms
• Local preference
Consultant was selected from a list of qualified consultants developed from a competitive selection process. In December 2021, Water Source Optimization, Inc. was acquired by E-Source Companies, LLC, a research, consulting, and data science firm based in Boulder, Colorado. Attached is a memo that explains the competitive selection process.
SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED
Under the proposed amended agreement, Consultant will continue to design, administer, and coordinate regional water loss information meetings, and perform other technical services related to water loss reduction including, but not limited to, water loss audit validation services and water loss component analyses for Sonoma Water. This amended agreement is necessary to allow Consultant to continue this work. Consultant will also be undertaking a new project to complete a supply meter assessment and testing plan to support Sonoma Water’s retail contractors, whose required annual water loss audits will help develop new regulatory water loss reduction targets.
The additional cost is $84,000, for a new not-to-exceed agreement total of $134,000. The new end date is December 31, 2026.
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.
County Strategic Plan: N/A
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment:
Water Supply and Transmission System, Goal 1: Protect drinking water supply and promote water-use efficiency.
Water Supply and Transmission System, Goal 2: Maintain and improve the reliability of the Water Transmission System.
The meter assessment and testing plan results will help us understand if improvements can be made to our current method for testing, which does not meet in-situ flow test requirements and consequently does not allow Sonoma Water contractors to use the meter test results for supply meter error adjustments.
Prior Board Actions:
N/A
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$34,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$50,000 |
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Total Expenditures |
$84,000 |
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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 |
$34,000 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
$50,000 |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$84,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budgeted amount of $34,000 is available from FY 2022/2023 appropriations for the Water Conservation Fund. Additional appropriations in the amount of $50,000 from the Water Conservation Fund, which is funded by water rates, are required to process this expense. With Board approval, unspent appropriations budgeted in FY 2021/2022 and rolled over to FY 2022/2023 will be made in the Water Conservation Fund pursuant to the attached budgetary resolution.
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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:
Resolution
Selection Memo
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.