To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Kris Loomis / 707-799-3621
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Bay Area Regional Water Conservation Program Proposition 1 Round 1
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with East Bay Municipal Utility District and accept related grant funding in the amount of $622,886; agreement terminates November 31, 2024, or when all parties’ obligations under the State of California Department of Water Resources) agreement are fully satisfied, whichever occurs earlier.
B) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to take all steps necessary to manage or amend the Memorandum of Understanding, including amending to accept additional funding if it becomes available.
C) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to negotiate and execute sub-recipient partner agreements with City of Petaluma, City of Sonoma, Valley of the Moon Water District, and North Marin Water District, or other local partners; agreements terminate November 31, 2024.
D) Authorize Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to amend the partner agreements as needed to update pass-through funding requirements, reallocate funding among the agreements, add additional local partners, extend the term, or take other steps necessary to accomplish the purposes of the grant.
end
Executive Summary:
The purpose of the Bay Area Regional Water Conservation Program Proposition 1 Round 1 Integrated Regional Water Management Implementation Grant (Program) is to provide funding for projects that help meet the long-term water needs of the state, including assisting water infrastructure systems to adapt to climate change, offering incentives throughout each watershed to collaborate in managing the region's water resources, setting regional priorities for water infrastructure, and improving regional water self-reliance. Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) will be allocated $622,886 from the State of California Department of Water Resources (State) for administering and implementing the Program for local partners. Sonoma Water and local partners have committed to provide an additional $622,887 in non-state matching funds, for a total Program cost of $1,245,773.
This item requests authority for Sonoma Water’s General Manager to enter into an MOU with EBMUD, and sub-recipient agreements with local partners, in a form approved by County Counsel
Discussion:
HISTORY OF ITEM/BACKGROUND
Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program, the administered by the State of California Department of Water Resources, provides funding for projects that help meet the long-term water needs of the state, including assisting water infrastructure systems to adapt to climate change, providing incentives throughout each watershed to collaborate in managing the region's water resources, setting regional priorities for water infrastructure, and improving regional water self-reliance.
On April 22, 2019, State released the Final Proposition 1 - Round 1 IRWM Implementation Grant Proposal Solicitation seeking applications from all State of California IRWM regions. The San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management, a nine-county effort to coordinate and improve water supply reliability and protect water quality in the Bay Area, subsequently put out a call for projects to eligible sub-applicants. EBMUD applied on behalf of itself and ten partners (including Sonoma Water), to implement a series of water conservation projects in the region. The Project Selection Committee reviewed and rated submitted applications and made several alternative funding recommendations to the Coordinating Committee for approval. The Coordinating Committee debated and selected a final suite of subprojects and tasked the Association of Bay Area Governments (Association), acting as lead applicant to the State, to work with the selected sub-applicants to complete the final regional application.
On June 2, 2020, the Association was notified that its Proposition 1, Round 1, grant application was awarded by State for a suite of projects, including the Bay Area Regional Water Conservation Program Proposition 1 Round 1 Integrated Regional Water Management Implementation Grant (Program) administered by EBMUD in partnership with multiple organizations. The EBMUD Program was awarded $4,177,875 for water conservation projects across eleven Bay Area water agencies, including Sonoma Water. In addition to EBMUD and Sonoma Water, the other participating water agencies in the Program are: Alameda County Water Agency, Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, Contra Costa Water District, Marin Municipal Utility District, City of Napa, Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Solano County Water Agency, and Zone 7 Water Agency. Each participating water agency will have an MOU with EBMUD, and be responsible for implementing its own project within the Program. The Program goals are to reduce urban water demand, mitigate against climate change effects, increase supply reliability, diversify regional water management portfolios, reduce impacts of drought, and increase environmental stewardship.
Under the proposed MOU with EBMUD, Sonoma Water will receive $622,886 from the State for administering and implementing the Program with local municipal partners. Under the proposed partner agreements, local municipal partners will include, but not be limited to, the City of Petaluma, City of Sonoma, Valley of the Moon Water District, and North Marin Water District. The Program represents a regional collaboration where each local partner is directly contributing match funds. Partners and Sonoma Water have committed to provide an additional $622,887 in non-State matching funds, for a total Program cost of $1,245,773. Sonoma Water and local partners will implement water-saving measures using State funds and contributing at least 50 percent match toward the implementation programs. Sonoma Water will contribute $25,228 toward Programs costs as match.
Sonoma Water’s responsibilities under the Program are to administer or implement the following activities and partner programs:
1. Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper Training: Launch training program to professional landscapers. Activities will include identifying training locations, marketing trainings, and hosting trainings.
2. Component Analysis Project: Conduct water loss analyses.
3. Single-Family Weather Based Irrigation Controller Rebate Program: Implement program, including marketing, processing and issuance of rebates for self-adjusting irrigation controllers.
4. Commercial Weather Based Irrigation Controller Rebate Program: Implement program, including marketing, processing and issuance of rebates for self-adjusting controllers.
5. Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program (turf replacement): Implement program, including marketing, processing and issuance of rebates for the conversion of lawn to water-wise landscapes.
6. Smart Metering Device Project: Install agency-owned smart water meters and incentivize the installation of customer-owned smart meters through processing and issuance of rebates.
Sonoma Water will pass funding and implementation requirements to its local partners through the proposed partner agreements.
Over the past several years Sonoma Water has implemented multiple water conservation projects that involved local municipal partners. The Program will build on that experience and further mitigate the effects of climate change by providing greater water supply reliability, reducing water demand, reducing the impacts of drought, and increasing environmental stewardship.
Prior Board Actions:
None.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 20-21 Adopted |
FY21-22 Projected |
FY 22-23 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$35,000 |
$663,994 |
$87,273 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$35,000 |
$663,994 |
$87,273 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
$561,700 |
$61,186 |
|
Fees/Other |
$35,000 |
$102,294 |
$26,087 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
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|
|
|
Total Sources |
$35,000 |
$663,994 |
$87,273 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budgeted amount of $35,000 is available from FY 2020/2021 appropriations for the Water Conservation fund. FY 2021/2022 and FY 2022/2023 appropriations for the Proposition 1 Grant and Sonoma Water matching funds will be budgeted in their respective fiscal years.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
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Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
None
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None