TO: City Council DATE: July 14, 2025 DEPARTMENT: Public Works
PREPARED BY: Diane O’Connor, Assistant City Engineer PRESENTER: John Smith, Director of Public Works AGENDA TITLE: Receive Report and Consider Adoption of City Council Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Agreement with Lumos & Associates for Pump Station Redesign for the Raw Water Line Replacement Project, Project WTR-00016, Amount Not To Exceed $198,600
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt City Council Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with Lumos Associates in the amount of $198,600 for the pump station redesign.
BACKGROUND
On February 12, 2024, the City Council approved the construction contract with T&S Construction for the Raw Water Line Replacement Project, Project WTR-00016, along with awarding the construction management to SHN Consultants. The construction included plans for a new pump station located at Newman Reservoir. The pump station was not anticipated in the early phases of the project design, so no geotechnical sampling was performed at the site. Late in the engineering design process, it was recognized that there was an elevation error on the original Newman Reservoir plans that would make it very difficult to achieve flow entirely via gravity. When that knowledge was combined with the close proximity of a very large Mendocino cypress tree located northwest of the spillway, the alignment was modified, and the pump station was designed and included in the plans.
The current location has the pump station poised above the edge of the Newman channel, and it encroaches within the Newman Reservoir embankment. The design engineer, Coleman Engineering, recommended that the City include the retaining wall design for the pump station in the construction contract so that the additional work needed for the design would commence with construction and not hold up the rest of the project. However, this recommendation placed the onus of designing the wall on the contractor T&S. On March 5, 2024, the Notice to Proceed was issued, and construction commenced. In September of 2024, SHN brought up their concern about the location within the embankment and suggested raising the elevation so that it would not excavate into the dam structure. When the issue was brought up to the design engineer, Coleman Engineering, in November, they also expressed significant concern about the pump station encroaching into the reservoir embankment, but were unwilling to perform any redesign unless the City agreed to a new intake, which would require additional permitting that the City was not prepared to pursue at the time. To further complicate the situation, T&S has not been able to find a structural engineer willing to design the wall.
Now that the City has purchased the former MCRPD property at Highway 20 and is planning to build additional water storage reservoirs, the proposed pump station will also be used to pump water up to the new reservoirs, which will require more powerful pumps than those proposed in the original design. Having the ability to fill the new reservoirs with water from the Noyo River during periods of high flows will allow the City to leave additional water in-stream during periods of low flow to support aquatic species.
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The redesign of the pump station is necessary to both reduce the risk of dam failure and to enable the City to pump Noyo River water from the treatment plant to the proposed reservoirs. Numerous alternative sites were evaluated, and most have significant challenges, as there is limited space available and the site is surrounded by environmentally sensitive habitat (Mendocino Cypress Woodland Association). The new location will be away from the existing embankment and the Newman Channel, will provide much better access for maintenance activities, and will enable the City to fill the new reservoirs with water from the Noyo River during periods of high flow.
FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE
The City has been awarded a DWR grant to pay for project construction, but no funds were included for design. Staff is investigating whether or not DWR will authorize a grant scope change since the construction contract was less than the grant amount. Either way, sufficient funds are budgeted in the FY 25/26 CIP for this activity.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
An IS/MND was completed for the project. It was adopted by the City Council on May 23, 2022. If the pump station redesign creates additional impacts that were not included in the IS/MND, then it will be amended appropriately.
STRATEGIC PLAN/COUNCIL PRIORITIES/GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY This Raw Water Line Replacement Project aligns with Strategic Plan Goal 2, Implement Resilient Infrastructure and Encourage Environmental Stewardship. It is also consistent with our General Plan Element 3, Public Facilities Goals, regarding public services.
ALTERNATIVES:
Council could direct staff to perform additional outreach to find a structural engineer willing to design the retaining wall at the current location. Alternatively, staff could put out an RFP for an open bidding process, but that will add additional delays to the project. The deadline to expend the DWR grant funds is December 2025.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution
Lumos Proposal
Contract
NOTIFICATION:
Lumos & Associates
AGENDA ITEM NO. 8D
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT