To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Don Seymour / 547-1925
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Implementation of Regional Water Supply Resiliency Workplan
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to execute an agreement with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. to implement a regional water supply reliability workplan through March 30, 2023, in the not-to-exceed amount of $600,000.
B) Adopt a resolution authorizing adjustments to the Board Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 for the Water Transmission Fund, in the amount of $150,000 for the Implementation of Regional Water Supply Resiliency Workplan. (4/5 Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) and its retail customers would benefit from the development of a regional water supply decision support tool that can be used to evaluate the impacts from short- and long-term water shortages (such as seismic and drought events) and develop operational strategies and water supply capital projects to improve the region’s water supply resiliency. This evaluation will entail close coordination between Sonoma Water and the retail water customers. It is anticipated that the study will identify projects that Sonoma Water and its retail customers could pursue grant funding to implement. The decision support tool will be a planning-level model framework that will consider the collective built infrastructure, water supplies, and operations of Sonoma Water and its retail customers. Under a previous agreement, for the first phase of the project, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (Consultant) prepared a scoping document/work plan to be used in developing the decision support tool. The subject agreement is the next planned phase in this effort; Consultant will assist with the implementation of the plan.
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
Sonoma Water provides wholesale water supply to cities and water districts in Sonoma and Marin counties. This service area includes the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Sonoma, and Petaluma; Town of Windsor; and the Valley of the Moon, North Marin, and Marin Municipal water districts (Retail Customers). Collectively, these cities and districts serve a population of approximately 600,000 people. Along with purchasing wholesale water from Sonoma Water, each of the Retail Customers also has local water supplies that are used to meet the demands of their customers.
Although the water systems of Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers are inter-connected, they are not operated or managed in a coordinated manner, especially in times of water shortage. The region would significantly benefit by leveraging the collective water resources and infrastructure of Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers to improve regional water supply reliability and resiliency through integrated water resources planning and management.
The primary goal of this multi-phased project is to develop an integrated water supply planning process that takes into account the sources of water supply for Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers, and their specific vulnerabilities (hydro-climatic, seismic, regulatory and/or infrastructure related). Regional operational and capital improvement planning can be better integrated with each agency still doing their own planning and development of alternative supplies coupled with participation in regional decision-making and capital investments. This is particularly important because many Retail Customers draw supply directly from turnouts to Sonoma Water’s transmission system. Continuation of this project will enhance coordination and partnerships between Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers for improved regional integrated water supply planning.
Questions posed to Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers in the initial phase of the study included:
1. What are the most vulnerable supplies and what can Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers do to strengthen them?
2. What are specific water supply shortages (short and long-term) Sonoma Water and its Retail Customers are most concerned about?
3. Which projects are the most beneficial to improve regional reliability and resiliency?
4. How does Sonoma Water build support for regional projects and help the Retail Customers understand how a project at a different agency can benefit them?
In the first phase of the project a scoping document/work plan to be used in developing the decision support tool was completed (Attachment 3). The subject agreement is the next planned phase in this effort. Services to be performed are described below.
SELECTION PROCESS
On March 9, 2018, Sonoma Water issued a Request for Statements of Qualifications to the following six firms:
1. Brown & Caldwell, Rancho Cordova, CA
2. CH2M (now Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.), San Diego, CA
3. ESA, Petaluma, CA
4. EKI Environment & Water, Burlingame, CA
5. GEI Consultants, Rancho Cordova, CA
6. Woodard & Curran, San Francisco, CA
The Request for Statements of Qualifications was also posted on the Sonoma Water and County of Sonoma Purchasing Department websites.
The nine firms listed below submitted Statements of Qualifications:
1. GEI Consultants Rancho Cordova, CA
2. INTERA, Torrance, CA
3. Water Systems Consulting, Inc (WSC), San Luis Obispo, CA
4. CH2M (now Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.), San Diego, CA
5. Woodard & Curran, San Francisco, CA
6. Hazen & Sawyer, San Francisco, CA
7. Hydrologics/ECORP/Catalyst, Columbia, MD
8. Brown & Caldwell, Rancho Cordova, CA
9. FlowWest, Oakland, CA
The following criteria were used to evaluate each firm: thoroughness of statements of qualifications, professional qualifications and demonstrated ability to perform the work, local preference, and exceptions to standard terms in the sample agreement. Based on review of the Statements of Qualifications, the following firms were selected to be interviewed: (1) Brown & Caldwell; (2) Hazen & Sawyer; (3) Woodward & Curran; and (4) Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. The interview panel was comprised of staff from Sonoma Water, the City of Santa Rosa, the Town of Windsor, and North Marin Water District.
Based on the interviews, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (Consultant) was selected to perform the work. During the interview, Jacobs demonstrated substantial understanding of the region’s water resources and significant experience performing similar work and has successfully completed the first phase of the project.
Sonoma Water may seek to amend or enter into subsequent agreement(s) with Board approval if required, relying upon this competitive selection process, for later phases of this project.
SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED
Under the proposed agreement, Consultant will assist Sonoma Water in Phase Two development and implementation of the study. Phase Two will confirm and develop planning scenarios, develop decision support model, evaluate baseline water supply resilience, develop regional and sub-regional resiliency metrics, identify and evaluate performance of adaptation strategies, and includes report preparation, stakeholder engagement, and project management.
The cost of services will not exceed $600,000; the term end date is March 2023.
STEPS FOLLOWING APPROVAL
Additional implementation phases of the Plan are anticipated, pending funding and direction from Sonoma Water. Later phases are not included in this Board action and will require Board approval at a future date.
Prior Board Actions:
02/05/2019: Approved agreement between Sonoma Water and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. for preparation of a regional water supply reliability study. Cost $163,728; the term end date December 31, 2019. Phase Two was discussed in “Steps Following Approval” in that Board item.
Fiscal Summary
Expenditures |
FY 20-21 Adopted |
FY21-22 Projected |
FY 22-23 Projected |
Budgeted Expenses |
$150,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$150,000 |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budgeted amount of $150,000 is available from FY 2020/2021 appropriations for the Water Transmission fund. Additional appropriations of $150,000 are required to encumber this agreement in year one. With Board approval, unused appropriations budgeted in FY 2019/2020 and rolled over to FY 2020/2021 will be made in the Water Transmission Fund pursuant to the attached budgetary resolution.
FY 2021/2022 appropriations will be budgeted in that fiscal year.
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:
Attachment 1: Resolution
Attachment 2: Agreement with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
Attachment 3: Workplan
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board: