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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 Page 1 of 3 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, Page 2 of 3 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 Page 3 of 3