HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2c: Agreement with Stetson Engineers for Water Supply Assessment for 2010 Urban Water Management Plan and General Plan EIRDATE: March 16, 2010
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Tom Tait, Public Works Services Director
SUMMARY
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STAFF REPORT
Public Works Services Department
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH STETSON ENGINEERS, INC. TO
PREPARE A WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FOR THE 2010 URBAN
WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AND GENERAL PLAN EIR IN THE
AMOUNT OF $24,600
Recommendation: Approve
In 1983, the California Legislature enacted the Urban Water Management Planning
(UWMP) Act. The Act states that every urban water supplier that provides water to
3,000 or more customers or that provides over 3,000 acre -feet of water annually, shall
prepare a UWMP and update this plan every five (5) years. The City will be due for this
update in the next fiscal year and will budget to update its UWMP in next years Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget. In addition, the City is currently working on an update
to its General Plan. Part of this process is to project growth and development over the
next 25 years. To evaluate growth within the City and study all potential impacts, an
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is under production to be reviewed along with the
General Plan. The EIR will study all potential impacts to utilities and services as a result
of expected residential and commercial growth throughout the City.
For both projects, the City needs to prepare a Water Supply Assessment (WSA) that will
incorporate the impacts to water supply reliability in response to recent laws regarding
imported water supplies and water conservation. Much has changed with respect to
water law and supply reliability in recent years and these laws were not applicable
during the preparation of the City's existing Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) or
the WSA for the Shops at Santa Anita project.
The proposed WSA will include information on population, historic /projected supply and
demands, impacts of conservation (20% reduction in per capita demand by 2020),
impacts to imported water supplies, imported /local water reliability. Additionally, the
WSA for the 2010 Urban Water Management Plan and General Plan will be a source
document for other similar projects in the City to evaluate their impacts on water supply.
Mayor and City Council
March 16, 2010
Therefore, staff is recommending the City Council authorize the City Manager to
execute a Professional Services Agreement with Stetson Engineers, Inc. to prepare a
Water Supply Assessment for the 2010 Urban Water Management Plan and General
Plan EIR in the amount of $24,600.
DISCUSSION
Depending on local climate conditions, Arcadia meets roughly 70 percent of the City's
annual demand with local groundwater. The remaining annual water supply is imported
from the Colorado River Aqueduct system and the California State Water Project
through Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Recent environmental and regulatory
challenges have significantly impacted the supply of water available to Southern
California. Three (3) consecutive years of drought have caused local ground water
tables to drop therefore reducing the amount of water the City can pump out of the
ground. In order to meet current and future water demands, the City must rely on
imported water from MWD.
In 1983, the California Legislature enacted the Urban Water Management Planning
(UWMP) Act. The Act states that every urban water supplier that provides water to
3,000 or more customers, or that provides over 3,000 acre -feet of water annually, shall
prepare an UWMP and update this plan every five (5) years. The Public Works
Services Department will budget to update the UWMP in next years Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget.
The last major WSA completed within the City was in 2005 for the proposed Shops at
Santa Anita Project at the Santa Anita Racetrack to ensure increased water demands
generated by that project would be adequately addressed and that a reliable supply of
water would be available.
Staff feels it is prudent to prepare a comprehensive Water Supply Assessment (WSA) at
this time given the many changes in water law and water supply reliability in the State.
The WSA is critical for the pending update of the 2010 Urban Water Management Plan,
the General Plan EIR, and for other city and private projects. The proposed WSA will
incorporate the impacts to water supply reliability as a result of recent laws regarding
imported water supplies and water conservation. These laws were not applicable
during the preparation of the City's existing Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) or
the WSA for the Shops at Santa Anita project. The proposed WSA will include the
following information:
o New and updated discussion of regulatory settings impacting local and
regional water supplies
o Potential impacts of the Wanger Decision and other applicable rulings
protecting salmon, smelt, and other species in the Sacramento -San
Joaquin Delta and Central Valley areas,
o Reliability of State Water Project deliveries,
o Reliability of Colorado River water deliveries,
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Mayor and City Council
March 16, 2010
o Reliability of the Main San Gabriel Basin and Raymond Basin supplies,
o New and updated water demand projections for mixed / redevelopment
areas and,
o Incorporation of the recent Senate Bill 7 (SBX 7 7) which requires a 20%
reduction in per capita water use by 2020
A study of this caliber requires extensive knowledge and expertise in the water
management field. Staff conducted a request for proposals from local Engineering firms
with the following results:
Rank Firm Location Bid
1 Stetson Engineers, Inc. Covina, CA $24,600
2 Geoscience Support Services La Verne, CA $30,000
3 MWH Arcadia, CA $50,000
Stetson Engineers, Inc. works extensively in the field of water resource engineering and
they are heavily involved with the local Watermasters and water districts. Stetson
Engineers, Inc. collaborated with City staff on the 2010 UWMP update and prepared the
WSA for the Shops at Santa Anita project. Their familiarity with the City and local water
issues allow them to have easy access to the amount of historical data and information
that will be necessary to prepare an accurate and reliable report, which will minimize the
amount of work required by City staff and will reduce the cost of collecting data and
report preparation. Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City
Manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Stetson Engineers, Inc. to
prepare a Water Supply Assessment in the amount of $24,600.
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient funds are available in the 2009 -10 Operations and Maintenance Budget for
the Water Fund.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Award Professional Services Agreement to Stetson Engineers, Inc. to
prepare a Water Supply Assessment in the amount of $24,600.
2. Waive any informalities in the proposal or request for proposal process.
3. Authorize the City Manager and City Clerk to execute contracts in a form
approved by the City Attorney.
TT
Approved by: s.Q�
Donald Penman, City Manager
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