Agenda Item No: K.13
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: September 16, 2025
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: David Gassaway, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution 2025-187 PW Zanjero Water Supply Portfolio and Water Legal Services
Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Professional Services Agreement Between the City of Fairfield and Zanjero, LLC. for Water Supply Portfolio Management Services and Water Related Legal Services
Funding Source: $250,000; Water Enterprise Fund
Contact: Michael J. Hether, (707) 428-7485
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt resolution.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
The Fairfield Municipal Utilit ies (FMU) provides water to the City on a continuous basis and is responsible for ensuring that the City’s water supply portfolio is adequate to meet future growth.
The proposed professional services agreement builds upon urban water management planning efforts and includes specialized water resource planning support services to ensure that the City’s water supply portfolio can meet the needs of the City’s general plan and identify opportunities to expand and secure new water supplies for the City of Fairfield . Staff recommend the City Council authorize the city manager to execute a professional services agreement with Zanjero LLC (Zanjero).
DISCUSSION
The City of Fairfield relies on two surface water sources: Lake Berryessa and the Delta. The water from Lake Berryessa, also referred to as the Solano Project (SP), is derived from the Upper Putah Creek watershed and captured by Monticello Dam to form Lake Berryessa. The water from the Delta, also referred to as State Water Project (SWP), is derive d from the Northern Sacramento River Valley watershed and captured by Oroville Dam to form Lake Oroville. All water supplies are delivered through contracts with the Solano County Water Agency (SCWA), which acts as the
wholesaler of raw water for both SP a nd SWP. FMU is the retail agency that is responsible for delivering potable water to Municipal and Industrial (M&I) customers.
Some of the responsibilities required of retail agencies who provide M&I water are to conduct urban water management planning. An Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) is a document that supports long -term water resource planning to ensure the availability of adequate water supplies for demands imposed by future growth. An UWMP plan generally describes and evaluates existing water su pply sources with projected population and future water demands.
The City’s UWMP, which is routinely updated every five years, seeks to ensure an appropriate level of reliability of existing water supplies in the City’s water supply portfolio.
Long term water resource planning also includes identifying opportunities to enhance the City’s water supply portfolio – such as acquiring additional water rights or securing long -term supply contracts for dry and critically dry years. Equally important is optimizing and maximizing the use of existing water resources. In order to achieve this, the planning process must include the development of a comprehensive strategy that balances cost, reliability, risk, and sustainability across multiple water sources. Upon completion, this scope of work will result in the development of a water supply portfolio management tool to support informed decision-making.
This tool will guide actions such as determining, in wet years, the quantity and type of water that could be made available for one-time transfer agreements.
This scope of work is a continuation of previous efforts to develop strategies to guard the City’s water supply against implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan. The Bay-Delta Plan seeks to increase water quantity and quality into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed and San Francisco Bay in compliance with the Federal and California Endangered Species Acts to protect a variety of different aquatic species of concern, particularly the Chinook Salmon, the Steelhead/Rainbow Trout, the Longfin Smelt, and the Delta Smelt.
Zanjero has worked with the City to support both its current and future water needs, including assisting FMU staff with water resource planning and regulatory analysis relating to the Bay-Delta Plan. Currently, FMU does not have staff dedicated to water resource planning. Given Zanjero’s comprehensive knowledge of the City’s water system and ongoing involvement in water system projects, Zanjero is the most qualified subject matter expert for this scope of work.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The professional service agreement with Zanjero for Water Supply Portfolio Management Services and Water Related Legal Services will authorize a not-to-exceed contract for $250,000.
Funding for the agreement will be provided from the Water Enterprise Fund (Fund 461)
PUBLIC CONTACT/ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDATION
N/A
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
The council may delay approval of the professional services agreement so that staff can address any council concerns.
COORDINATED WITH
N/A
STAFF CONTACT
Michael J. Hether, Assistant Public Works Director-Utilities (707) 428-7485
[email protected]
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 2: Proposed Resolution
Attachment 3: Proposed Agreement