For Water Subcommittee Meeting [November 17, 2021]
TO: Honorable Chairperson and Commission
FROM: Thomas J. Crowley, P.E., Utilities Manager
Title
Water and Wastewater Grant Opportunities and Submittals
Body
BACKGROUND
Soto Resources was awarded a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) on July 13, 2021, to provide a Funding Research and Strategy Report for the Lake Rialto Project and as-needed grant writing assistance to the Utilities Division. The PSA was amended on October 26, 2021, to increase the total contract amount by $100,000 to an amount not to exceed $150,250.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Below are the priorities that Soto Resources has been assigned to work on:
Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) Project - United States Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Program Application - The application was submitted on November 2, 2021, and the City passed the authorizing resolution on November 9, 2021. We were able to get six letters of support from local and federal legislators and other water agencies. Congressman Peter Aguilar's Office will be tracking the progress of our application and will put a good word in on our behalf. The grant application is in for review, and the results should be released in March. Grant amount is for $2.0 million. Project Cost is $6.8 million.
Lake Rialto Project/Coastal Conservancy - Pre-Application Ongoing Funding - Pre-Proposal Application for the Coastal Conservancy Ongoing Funding Program for Lake Rialto Habitat Management and Community Open Space Project was submitted on November 3, 2021. The pre-application will be reviewed by the Conservancy, and they will inform us on what parts of the project would be eligible for funding. Once we have this information, we will prepare a formal application for those parts of the project that will be considered.
Lake Rialto Project - State Water Resources Control Board - Application Materials for State Earmark Funds - The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) requested a formal application on October 22, 2021, in order to process the Earmark Funds in the amount of $1.05 million to the City that were made available through State Senator Connie Leyva’s office. Soto Resources is assisting the City in preparing these documents. The funds do not require matching funds and can be used for any part of the project (CEQA, design, or construction activities). At the December 14, 2021 City Council meeting, a resolution authorizing staff to submit the application will be presented for approval. The City will be entering into an agreement with the SWRCB in order to access the funds.
Lake Rialto Project - Land and Water Conservation Fund - Grant Applications are due February 1, 2022. Application preparation webinars are being held this month and Soto Resources will be attending one of the webinars. There will be up to $40 million in grant requests this cycle; maximum grant amount will be $6 million. There is a 50% match requirement and applicants must demonstrate they can fund 100% of the project costs before reimbursement.
City Well 3A Groundwater Treatment System Project - Department of Water Resources - Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program - The Budget Act of 2021 (Stats. 2021, ch. 69, § 112) allocated $300 million to State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to deliver grants for interim and immediate drought relief to urban communities and for multibenefit projects. These grants are intended to provide water to communities that face the loss or contamination of their water supplies, to address immediate impacts on human health and safety, and to protect fish and wildlife resources. The application is due by December 17, 2021. No funding match is required for this program; however, applicants are encouraged to use other fund sources to supplement the grant funds. Applicants are required to describe all other funding sources (actual and anticipated) necessary to complete the project.
The City currently has a well site, City Well 3A, that meets the eligibility requirements for the Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program. City currently has water rights in the Lytle Creek Basin which is a sub-basin of the San Bernardino Basin Area. In 2010 the City drilled a new groundwater well, City Well 3A in the Lytle Creek Basin just north of East Baseline Road and west of North Lassen Street, in the City of San Bernardino, CA. Lytle Creek lies approximately 1,500 feet east of the City Well No. 3A.
The well was drilled, and the casing was designed and installed. Pumping tests were completed and analyses of the final well water blend sample revealed that arsenic (As) was detected at a concentration of 9.3 micrograms per liter (µg/L). This value is below the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), Division of Drinking Water (DDW) Primary Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 micrograms per Liter (µg/L) for this constituent but above the Detection Limit for Reporting of 2 micrograms per Liter (µg/L) and the Public Health Goal of 0.004 micrograms per Liter (µg/L).
In 2015, the City conducted a series of tests to determine if we could pump from different parts of the aquifer to avoid having to equip the well with arsenic treatment. The conclusions revealed the pumping from different portions of the aquifer was not possible and therefore treatment would be required.
The project would consist of equipping the well with an ion-exchange (IX) treatment system that would remove arsenic from the groundwater. The well will be rated for 1,500 gpm and would require a two-vessel IX system (lead/lag configuration), 1,700 linear feet of 12” pipeline to reach the distribution system, electrical equipment, well motor and pump equipment, chlorination system, SCADA and security equipment, fencing, lighting, flush discharge basin, and miscellaneous site improvements. The total project cost is approximately $3.5 million.
A resolution authorizing the submission of the application will be presented at the December 14, 2021, City Council meeting. The City will be entering into an agreement with the DWR in order to access the funds.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive an update on the water and wastewater grant opportunities and submittals.