To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma Water
Staff Name and Phone Number: Todd Schram, 524-1173
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Water System Risk and Resilience Assessment
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement in an amount not-to-exceed $150,000 and up to one-year term, in a form approved by County Counsel, for consulting services to prepare federally-mandated risk and resilience assessment report of water system due March 31, 2020. (Majority Vote)
B) Adopt a Resolution authorizing adjustments to the Board Adopted Budget for FY 2019/2020 for the Water Transmission System Fund, in the amount of $150,000. (4/5th Vote Requirement)
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Executive Summary:
To comply with newly established federal law, Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) must conduct a risk and resilience assessment of its potable water system and provide a certification of completion to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) by March 31, 2020. Authorization for executing an agreement for consultant services is necessary to provide adequate time to solicit consultants through a request for qualifications, select a qualified consultant and complete this assessment report by the required deadline.
Discussion:
This project will assess Sonoma Water’s water system and evaluate the vulnerabilities, threats and consequences from potential hazards per the requirements of the America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018. This risk and resilience assessment includes identification of possible natural hazards and malevolent acts, quantification of resilience of water facility infrastructure (sources, production, transmission, communications, controls) and financial infrastructure, and review of monitoring practices and operations and maintenance activities (including chemical storage and handling).
Sonoma Water is required to conduct the initial risk and resilience assessment of the potable water system and provide a certification of completion to the U.S. EPA. All systems serving more than 100,000 people, such as Sonoma Water’s water system, must submit the certification prior to March 31, 2020. Within six months of certification, Sonoma Water is required to review and revise its Emergency Response Plan to incorporate findings of the risk and resilience assessment. Every five years, Sonoma Water is required to review the risk and resilience assessment, revise as necessary and certify completion of the effort.
Sonoma Water has previously completed water system assessments that have evaluated some aspects of the AWIA requirements. In 2008, the Board of Directors adopted a local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP) that evaluated natural hazard risks to the water system and developed a mitigation plan to improve reliability. The LHMP report was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is reevaluated every five years. Updates to the LHMP were completed in 2013 and 2018.
The risk and resilience assessment will address system vulnerabilities and help inform any necessary updates to Emergency Response Plans. The Sonoma County Grand Jury report ‘Will There Be Water After an Earthquake?’ (June 2019) evaluated Sonoma Water’s resilience to continue water service following a large earthquake. The Grand Jury has several recommended actions for Sonoma Water that are related to specific emergency action plan improvements which are due December 31, 2019. While these improvements are ostensibly meant to improve emergency planning for a large earthquake, the recommended measures span planning for other hazards and will result in more favorable resiliency ratings under the risk and resilience assessment.
Sonoma Water requests delegated authority be granted to the General Manager to sign an agreement with a consultant selected from a request for qualifications to perform the initial risk and resilience assessment due March 31, 2020. The request for qualifications is expected to be complete with the solicitation process by early October. An agreement executed under this authorization will be in a form approved by County Counsel and is expected to be a one-year term with a value not-to-exceed $150,000.
A copy of the U.S. EPA fact sheet ‘Risk and Resilience Assessments and Emergency Response Plans’, which explains the program scope and compliance deadlines for Sonoma Water, is on file for review.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$150,000 |
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Total Expenditures |
$150,000 |
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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 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
$150,000 |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$150,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
This project is the result of a regulatory requirement and was not included in the FY 2019/2020 Board Adopted Budget. Additional appropriations of $150,000 are required to process this expense in the Water Transmission System Fund. A budgetary resolution has been submitted with this item. With Board approval of the requested additional appropriations, ending fund balance is expected to be at or above target at year end consistent with prior years and will not be negatively impacted by this board item.
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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:
Budget Adjustment Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
U.S. EPA Fact Sheet: Risk and Resilience Assessments and Emergency Response Plans