SR 05-11-2021 3A
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: May 11, 2021
Agenda Item: 3.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Acting Public Works Director, Public Works, Water Resources
Subject: Award Request for Proposal #286 and Enter into Agreement with ICF
International for Olympic Well Field Groundwater Monitoring Professional
Services
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP# 286 to ICF International to perform regulatory mandated
groundwater monitoring and studies related to groundwater management in the
Olympic Well Field and for adaptive management of the City’s groundwater
resources to help achieve the City’s water self-sufficiency goals for the Public
Works Department; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with ICF
International in an amount not to exceed $1,675,130 for three years, with two
additional one-year renewal options in a total amount not to exceed $1,329,952
for the two years, on the same terms and conditions, for a total amount not to
exceed $3,005,082 over a five-year period.
Summary
The Olympic Well Field is the City’s second largest source of groundwater and has
historically been impacted by third-party contamination. The Los Angeles Regional
Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB) mandates the City to monitor Olympic Well
Field groundwater quality to ensure Santa Monica’s wells successfully capture the
contamination plume and remediate the groundwater aquifer to safe levels. Further,
because the Olympic Well Field is a significant source of drinking water for the City,
restoring the quality and production capacity of the Olympic Well Field is a key element
of the City’s water self-sufficiency goals (Component 3 of the 2018 Sustainable Water
Master Plan Update). Specialized consulting services are needed to continue the
regulatory mandated groundwater modeling and monitoring for adaptive management of
the Olympic Well Field to help achieve the City’s water self-sufficiency goals. Staff
recommends awarding RFP# 286 to ICF International for a three-year term at a cost
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of $1,675,130 with two one-year options to extend the contract. A five-year agreement
would not exceed $3,005,082.
Discussion
The City’s Water Resources Division provides water and wastewater services to over
93,000 residents and over 2,700 commercial customers in the City. The City owns and
operates three groundwater production well fields in the Santa Monica Groundwater
Basin (SMGB): Arcadia, Charnock, and Olympic Well Fields that combine to provide 60 to
70% of the City’s water supply. The Olympic Well Field is located in a corridor formerly
occupied by a number of industrial operations. Some of these prior industrial operations
resulted in the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have adversely
impacted groundwater quality and limited groundwater production from the Olympic Well
Field. The City entered into Settlement and Release Agreements (SRAs) with two
companies that formerly conducted business in the Olympic Well Field area and
contributed to the contamination there. Under conditions set forth in the SRAs and
through a modified Clean-up and Abatement Order (CAO) issued to one of the parties by
the LARWQCB, the City agreed to perform activities to demonstrate that dissolved-phase
VOCs in the B- and C- water-bearing zones (B- and C-Zones) in the Olympic Well Field
are captured by the pumping of groundwater production wells.
Groundwater Monitoring
The City subsequently developed the Olympic Well Field Management Plan (Plan),
approved by the LARWQCB in June 2012, to guide its efforts to monitor water quality and
demonstrate contamination plume capture. The Plan consists of numerous activities the
City has implemented to manage and remediate the contamination plume, including water
quality samples collected on a quarterly basis from 26 groundwater monitoring wells and
three production wells around the Olympic Well Field and analysis of the samples for over
400 parameters by a certified laboratory. Quarterly reports are submitted to the
LARWQCB, summarizing monitoring results and relevant well field activities to comply
with the SRA and CAO.
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The City also conducts groundwater monitoring as part of a General Waste Discharge
Requirements (WDR) permit obtained from the LARWQCB for short-term injection testing
of exploratory well SM-10i and will ultimately be equipped to recharge the Olympic Well
Field with advanced treated recycled water from the City’s Sustainable Water
Infrastructure Project. Additional details regarding the injection testing and WDR permit
are provided below.
Groundwater Production and Planned Aquifer Injection
To reduce the City’s reliance on the use of imported water to supplement local water
supplies, the City plans to increase local groundwater production from the Olympic Well
Field through remediation treatment as well as groundwater recharge. To increase local
water production, the City is currently building two new wells that are planned to be
completed in 2023. The groundwater modeling and monitoring effort included in this
contract will support the City’s current efforts to comply with the State Water Resources
Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) for permitting increased groundwater
production, track the movement of the contamination plume, set the criteria for the
remediation treatment system, and provide adaptive management strategies for the
Olympic Well Field.
To support sustainable groundwater production, the City plans to recharge the Olympic
Well Field aquifer with advanced treated recycled water from the Sustainable Water
Infrastructure Project (SWIP). The groundwater modeling and monitoring effort included in
this contract will also support regulatory compliance, such as tracking the travel time of
the injected water in the groundwater aquifer, and reporting requirements outlined under
Title 22 Groundwater Replenishment Reuse Project (GRRP) and be permitted by the
LARWQCB.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Person/Firm ICF International
Evaluation Criteria
(include all that apply)
Experience, References, Work Plans/Timelines, Project Team, Cost,
Breath of Service, and Technical Capabilities
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
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RFPs Received
Alisto Engineering Group Dudek Rubicon Engineering Corporation ICF International
RFP Data
Posted On Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
02/09/21 City's Online
Bidding Site Santa Monica Daily Press 42 03/05/21
Justification to Award
Staff evaluated submissions from the four firms. Based on the evaluation criteria
established in the RFP and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, staff recommends ICF
International as the best qualified firm to provide consulting services for the Olympic
Well Field. ICF International has specialized expertise and experience with the site
geology and hydrogeologic flow modeling of the Olympic Well Field aquifers, upon which
the City depends for a significant portion of its local water supply. They are also
especially knowledgeable of the terms and requirements of the Olympic Subbasin
remediation agreement between the City and the LARWQCB. Moreover, ICF was the
only bidder that has expertise in 97-005 analyses and document preparation under the
auspices of the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (the
lead agency that approves the City’s drinking water permit and must approve all efforts
in the Olympic Well Field for drinking water production). Recently, ICF successfully
prepared the first three 97-005 regulatory documents for the Olympic Well Field for
submittal to DDW, which has helped maintain regulatory confidence in the City’s efforts
to remediate the Olympic Well Field and support the City’s success for groundwater
sustainability programs.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Water Fund to award an agreement
with ICF International for the Olympic Wellfield Groundwater Monitoring. Future year
funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Agreement Request
FY 2020-21
Budget
Request Amount
Department/CIP Account # Total Contract
Amount
$395,320 C5005880.689410 $3,005,082
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Prepared By: Lisette Gold, Environmental Remediation Coordinator
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. ICF Oaks Form
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE DISCLOSURE FORM
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City compiles
and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person or
persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather
than an individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a)
trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the
entity.
Public benefits include:
1.Personal services contracts in excess of $25,000 over any 12-month period;
2.Sale of material, equipment or supplies to the City in excess of $25,000 over a 12-month
period;
3.Purchase, sale or lease of real property to or from the City in excess of $25,000 over a
12-month period;
4.Non-competitive franchise awards with gross revenue of $50,000 or more in any 12-
month period;
5.Land use variance, special use permit, or other exception to an established land use plan,
where the decision has a value in excess of $25,000;
6.Tax “abatement, exception, or benefit” of a value in excess of $5,000 in any 12-month
period; or
7.Payment of “cash or specie” of a net value to the recipient of $10,000 in any 12-month
period.
Name(s) of persons or entities receiving public benefit:
Name(s) of trustees, directors, partners, and officers:
Name(s) of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation, or revenue interest:
Prepared by: ____________________________Title: __________________________
Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ________________
Email: ____________________________________ Phone: ____________________
FOR CITY USE ONLY:
Bid/PO/Contract # ____________________________ Permit # ___________________________
Jodi Young Manager, Contracts
03/05/2021
jodi.young@icf.com 707-992-0768
ICF Jones & Stokes, Inc.
None
John Wasson, President/CEO; James Morgan, EVP/COO; Betina Welsh, CFO; Sergio Ostria, EVP; Caryn
McGarry, SVP, Human Resources; Hemant Bakshi, VP, Treasurer; James Daniel, EVP/General Counsel;
Byron Hennessey, EVP, Global Tax; Matt Selander, Assistant Secretary; Robert Toth, SVP, Contracts &
Administration; Ted Lee, SVP; Cyrstal Jones, Assistant Secretary; Rosemarie Jones, Assistant Secretary
3.A.a
Packet Pg. 19 Attachment: ICF Oaks Form (4360 : Award Contract for Olympic Wellfield Monitoring)