For City Council and Rialto Utility Authority Meeting [December 14, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Thomas J. Crowley, P.E., Utilities Manager
Title
Request the City Council/Rialto Utility Authority Board: 1) Authorize submission of a grant application to the California Department of Water Resources’ Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program; 2) Adopt Resolution No. 7809 Authorizing the Grant Application, Acceptance, and Execution for the Well “City 3A” Groundwater Treatment System Project through the Department of Water Resources’ Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program Grant Application; and 3) Adopt RUA Resolution No. 10-21 Authorizing the Grant Application, Acceptance, and Execution for the Well “City 3A” Groundwater Treatment System Project through the Department of Water Resources’ Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program Grant Application.
Body
BACKGROUND
The Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program is one of two California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) Drought Relief Grant Programs that offers financial assistance to address drought impacts through implementation of projects with multiple benefits:
• For communities, including tribes, facing the loss or contamination of their water supplies due to the drought; and
• To address immediate drought impacts on human health and safety, and to protect fish and wildlife resources plus other public benefits, such as ecosystem improvements.
Funding for the Program was authorized by the Legislature pursuant to the Budget Act of 2021 and its Trailer Bill, Assembly Bill 148. DWR was allocated $100 million for Urban Communities and $200 million for Multibenefit projects. The same Budget Act also authorized $200 million for the Small Community Drought Relief Program. DWR is combining a portion of the Urban Community and the Multibenefit Drought Relief Funding into a $200 Million program. It should be noted that projects funded under Multibenefit do not need to be in an urban community.
The Budget Act of 2021 (Stats. 2021, ch. 69, § 112) allocated $300 million to the 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.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The City currently has a well site, City Well 3A, that meets the eligibility requirements for this grant program. The City also currently has water rights in the Lytle Creek Basin which is a sub-basin of the San Bernardino Basin Area. Lytle Creek lies approximately 1,500 feet east of this ground water well, that was drilled in 2010, located at a site just north of East Baseline Road and west of North Lassen Street, in the City of San Bernardino, CA.
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 groundwater could be pumped 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 gallons per minute (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 estimated at $3.5 million. A funding match is not 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 application is due by December 17, 2021.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This report is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3 in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and recommends approval of the staff report and Resolutions.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
The requested action does not impact the Operating Budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
The requested action does not impact the Capital Improvement Budget.
Licensing
The requested action does not impact Business Licensing in the City.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council/Rialto Utility Authority Board:
1) Authorize submission of a grant application to the California Department of Water Resources’ Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program;
2) Adopt Resolution No. 7809 Authorizing the Grant Application, Acceptance, and Execution for the Well “City 3A” Groundwater Treatment System Project through the Department of Water Resources’ Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program Grant Application; and
3) Adopt RUA Resolution No. 10-21 Authorizing the Grant Application, Acceptance, and Execution for the Well “City 3A” Groundwater Treatment System Project through the Department of Water Resources’ Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Program Grant Application