SR 07-24-2018 3C
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: July 24, 2018
Agenda Item: 3.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Director, Public Works, Water Resources
Subject: Joint Funding Agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), for
Hydrogeologic Sampling, Planning and Installation of a Deep Nested
Monitoring Well, and Development of a Basin-Wide Hydrogeologic Model for
the Santa Monica Groundwater Basin
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a Joint Funding Agreement (JFA) with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), an
agency within the United States Department of the Interior, for hydrogeologic sampling,
planning and installation of a deep nested monitoring well, and development of a basin -
wide hydrogeologic model for the Santa Monica Groundwater Basin. This
recommendation is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant
to Section 2.24.080 (d) and is for an initial amount not to exceed $1,800,000. Future
year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
To help the City achieve its goal of water self-sufficiency, staff recommends that the City
enter into a Joint Funding Agreement with the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
to install a monitoring well for the City’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP)
in the Santa Monica Basin and to provide hydrogeological modeling services for an
initial amount not to exceed $1,800,000. This agreement would allow the City to meet
regulatory requirements for aquifer recharge related to the SWIP and would provide vital
hydrogeologic information to assist the City in the sustainable management of its
groundwater resources.
Discussion
On September 12, 2017, the City Council authorized the City Manager to accept and
execute a funding agreement in the amount of $56,885,903 with the State Water
Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Clean Water State Revolvin g Fund
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(CWSRF) Program for the SWIP. The SWIP will help the City achieve water self-
sufficiency by 2020. The SWIP will increase the City’s water supply by harvesting and
advance treating municipal wastewater, brackish groundwater, stormwater, and urban
runoff.
In order for advanced treated water from the SWIP to be used for aquifer recharge , staff
is required to obtain a permit declaring the SWIP as a Groundwater Replenishment
Reuse Project (GRRP) from the State Water Board. The State Water Board defines a
GRRP as “a project involving the planned use of recycled municipal wastewater that is
operated for the purpose of replenishing a groundwater basin… for use as a source of
municipal and domestic water supply.” To operate as a GRRP, the SWIP must meet the
State’s recycled water regulations. One of these regulatory requirements is response
retention time. State Water Board response retention time requires recycled municipal
wastewater applied by a GRRP to be retained underground for a period of
approximately two to four months to ensure protection of public health.
Staff proposes to work jointly with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to
provide existing City well field modeling information to the USGS and oversee the
installation of a minimum of one deep nested (multiple zone) monitoring well to gather
critical hydrogeologic data that would be used to prepare a detailed hydrogeologic
model of the Santa Monica Groundwater Basin. Additionally, the data would assist the
City with studies related to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The proposed location for the well is in a median on Olympic Boulevard between
Stewart Street and Cloverfield Boulevard. Staff anticipates that well drilling work would
commence in late fall 2018 and would be completed by early 2019. Data collection and
monitoring work would continue until project completion in approximately 2022.
In advance of the drilling work, informational notices would be mailed to residents and
businesses within a 500-foot radius of a drilling site. Well drilling activities would be
conducted during daytime hours. However, test-pumping activities related to aquifer
zone testing and constant rate pump testing, will require continuous water flow over 24
hours or longer for reliable data. The well location is in an industrial corridor, bounded
by the Metro Expo Line and office space.
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Under a joint funding agreement, City staff and the City’s groundwater consultants
would work cooperatively with the USGS to extend the existing USGS groundwater flow
model for the Los Angeles Basin into the Santa Monica Groundwater Basin. By
incorporating the Santa Monica Groundwater Basin into the broader USGS
hydrogeologic model, the City would be able to have a well-defined regional
understanding of the occurrence, quantity, and quality of groundwater resources in the
Santa Monica Groundwater Basin and would be better able to sustainably manage the
long-term yield of the City’s groundwater resources.
The USGS would invoice the City for drilling, sampling and analysis, hydrogeologic
modeling, and other work related to preparing a hydrogeologic model of the Santa
Monica Groundwater Basin. It is envisioned that this working relationship would be a
multi-year effort and that any future requests for funding would be presented to City
Council for approval. Project completion is estimated in 2022. Depending on initial
results, additional funding at a similar level of funding may be neces sary in a future
fiscal year to address any identified data gaps.
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends USGS to furnish a monitoring well and collect hydrogeologic data as
an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code 2.24.080 (d). The USGS, a federal
government agency has extensive experience drilling and installing deep nested
monitoring wells and conducting sophisticated hydrogeologic modeling of groundwater
resources.
d. The USGS possesses the unique ability or capability to meet the particular technical
requirements of the solicitation, such as a good or service that is copyrighted,
patented or otherwise only available from one license holder. The purchase is
economically available from a single source because: the USGS is recognized a s
the penultimate expert in hydrogeologic studies in the United States.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
01/09/18
(Attachment A)
Approval of funding for five Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
projects, including a USGS numerical flow model
09/12/17
(Attachment B)
Authorization for SWIP funding
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
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Staff seeks authority to award an agreement with the United States Geological Survey
for installation of a monitoring well in the Santa Monica Basin and performance of
hydrogeological modeling work which will assist the City in achieving its goal of water
self-sufficiency by 2020. Depending on initial results, additional funding may be
necessary in a future fiscal year to address any identified data gaps.
Joint Funding Agreement Request
Request
Amount
FY 2018-19 Budget
CIP Account # Total Contract Amount
$1,800,000 C5007460.689000 $1,800,000
Prepared By: Thomas Watson, Water Resources Protection Programs
Coordinator
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. January 9, 2018 Staff Report (Web Link)
B. September 12, 2017 Staff Report (Web Link)
REFERENCE:
Agreement No. 10714