To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Phil Brun, Utilities Director
Prepared By: Joy Eldredge, Deputy Utilities Director
TITLE:
Title
Emergency Shoring and Excavation for the 36-inch Water Transmission Main Leak Repair
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution: 1) determining there is a need to continue the emergency action to execute and implement contracts for the 36-inch water transmission main leak repair; 2) approving a transfer of $250,000 from Water Fund Emergency Reserves to water transmission expenditure budget as documented in Budget Adjustment No. BE2102504; and 3) determining that the actions authorized by this resolution are exempt from CEQA.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City of Napa Utilities Water Division operates three water treatment plants and maintains 350 miles of pipe to provide potable drinking water to more than 80,000 persons in the City of Napa and unincorporated Napa County. Our pipe network consists of transmission mains that are greater than 12 inches in diameter up to and including 42-inch pipes. The 1967 bond issuance facilitated construction of over 17 miles of predominantly 36-inch transmission main to convey water from the Barwick Jamieson Treatment Plant to the City of Napa at West Pueblo Avenue where it connects to the 36-inch transmission main that carries water to the City of Napa from Lake Hennessey since 1948.
Currently there is a leak that has developed on a section of the 36-inch pipeline that is critical to providing reliable water service to customers throughout the system. The leak is near the Napa Sanitation District and is challenging to access and specialty services and equipment are required to safely keep the trench area open to access the pipe and complete the repair.
Although the rainy season has started and customer demands are lower (8 million gallons per day (MGD)) than during the summer months at 23 MGD, it is imperative that this repair is completed in a timely manner to ensure water service reliability.
Current operations base-load water that comes from the delta through the North Bay Aqueduct to use State Water Project Supplies as purchased from the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR.) DWR will start annual major maintenance on its facilities March 5th and this SWP source will not be available through March 23, 2021. To complete repairs on this major pipeline ahead of the planned source interruption, operations must shift to Lake Hennessey for hydraulic reasons to keep the system pressurized. Customers may detect a difference in the aesthetics of the treated water since Lake Hennessey is not subject to stratification during cold months. Stratification during warmer months allows water treatment staff to choose the most aesthetically pleasing water which is at middle depths below the warmest water at the surface and above the coldest water near the bottom of the reservoir such that less algae and metals are suspended in the source water. The water meets and exceeds all water quality standards however the aesthetics of the water is different.
Staff will post information about this change in source and the stratification phenomenon on the website ahead of these operational changes.
Continuation of the Emergency Action:
The emergency declaration by the City Manager on January 27, 2021(Attachment 2) was made under the authority of Napa Municipal Code Section 2.91.040. The repair work authorized by the declaration is ongoing and directly related to resolving the emergency. Staff recommends that City Council adopt the attached resolution, by four-fifths vote, which documents the need to continue the emergency action until the repair work is completed.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
Sufficient funds are available in the Water Fund Emergency Reserve account and $250,000 will be transferred via Resolution to the water transmission expenditure budget for construction services as shown in Budget Adjustment No. BE2102504.
CEQA:
City staff recommends that the City Council determine that 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)); 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; and CEQA Guidelines Section 15302 (Categorical Exemption Class 2 Replacement or Reconstruction), which exempts replacement or reconstruction of existing facilities on the same site and with the same purpose.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
EX A - Budget Adjustment No. BE2102504
ATCH 2 - Emergency Declaration
NOTIFICATION:
None