To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Julie Lucido, Public Works Director
Prepared By: Dwight Bray, Assistant Engineer
TITLE:
Title
Emergency Repair of Browns Valley Creek at Tall Grass Drive Bridge
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Determine there is a need to continue the emergency action to execute and implement a contract for the design, permitting, and construction to stabilize the creek bank and adjacent roadway for Browns Valley Creek at Tall Grass Drive, and determine that the actions authorized by this item are exempt from CEQA.
Body
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to City of Napa Municipal Code 2.91.040, City staff shall continue to make reports to City Council at each regularly scheduled City Council meeting until the emergency action is terminated by City Council. On December 7, 2024, Council meeting, City Council determined the need to continue the emergency.
Background:
Inspections of the Tall Grass Drive Bridge have shown that erosion to the Browns Valley Creek banks beneath the bridge has progressed. Public Works engaged professional structural and civil engineers, along with an environmental specialist, who determined that, to prevent further damage, ensure public safety, and maintain vehicle and emergency access, immediate action is required to stabilize the creek bank before sustained heavy winter rains. On December 3, 2024, the City Manager declared an emergency and authorized the Public Works Director to execute emergency contracts.
Update:
Initial work to stabilize the creek bank was completed using hand tools and manual labor. Additional intermediate stabilization as emergency work - including armoring the banks - is required to be completed while the banks are not saturated, until a permanent repair can be designed and constructed.
Designing the intermediate and permanent repairs required topographic survey, geotechnical analysis, and a hydrologic and hydraulic study to account for both normal creek flows and storm events. A contract for the intermediate design was executed with BKF Engineers. Staff continue to meet regularly with BKF Engineers to oversee progress of their work. Weekly site monitoring continues until the permanent repairs are complete.
Initial surveys and hydrologic/hydraulic reports and a draft geotechnical report were completed. Once preliminary plans for the intermediate stabilization were complete, City staff engaged a contractor specializing in the work to verify feasibility and constructability of the design, estimate the repair’s costs, and provide a construction schedule. Plans are now 100% completed.
Staff completed contract negotiations with Hanford ARC, a contractor specializing in ecological restoration and heavy civil construction in environmentally sensitive areas, and a contract with Hanford ARC to complete the emergency repair was signed on October 7, 2025. Construction began on October 9, 2025, and is estimated to take five weeks to complete. A right-of-entry has been obtained for the private property areas surrounding the bridge to allow access for construction, and nearby residents were notified about the start of construction activities. Staff will be on site during the construction to monitor progress. Staff recommend continuing the emergency to expedite repairs and allow construction of additional stabilization (armoring).
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
There are adequate available funds in the Tall Grass Bridge Repair project (33BR25PW01) for the design of the intermediate repair.
CEQA:
City staff recommends that the City Council determine the Recommended Action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to: CEQA Guidelines Section 15269 (Statutory exemption for emergency repairs, in accordance with California Public Resources Code Section 21080(b)(2)); and CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Categorical exemption Class 1 Existing Facilities), which exempts repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing facilities involving negligible or no expansion of use.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None.
NOTIFICATION:
None.