Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: AUGUST 19, 2025
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: STEVEN BISE, P.E., PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR PREPARED BY: DAVID GRANTHAM, P.E., CITY ENGINEER
TODD LE, P.E., PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - WATER
GAR HUANG, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
SUBJECT: $162,000 CONTRACT WITH STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES, INC. FOR WATER WELL SITING AND FEASIBILITY STUDY
SUMMARY
Award $162,000 consultant contract to Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for the Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study.
PROPOSED MOTION
Approve $300,000 Water Funds (Fund 44) budget appropriation from available fund balance to Project 53731 New Water Well Christlieb 15B within the Water Fund (Fund 44).
Award $162,000 consultant contract to Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for the Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study and authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute and administer the contract, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Authorize Public Works Director, or designee, to approve change orders for professional engineering services within the approved project budget.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve the Proposed Motion
Reject Stantec proposal and award contract to a different submitted proposal Reject all proposals and solicit new proposals for engineering services Other options brought by City Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Proposed Motion.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
None.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Fiscal and Organizational Stability
Public Safety
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff recommends a $300,000 Water Funds budget appropriation from available Fund Balance to Project 53731 New Water Well Christlieb 15B within the Water Fund (Fund 44) to support Stantec consulting services for the Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study and initial project phase costs.
Staff would complete this project in multiple phases over 7 to 12 years for an estimated $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 total cost. Staff requested appropriation to complete the current phase and plans to request additional funding as new phases commence with more details available. Staff continually seeks grants and other additional funding sources.
Staff attached a Budget Data Sheet, the Request for Proposal and the Stantec proposal for reference (Attachments 1, 2 and 3).
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Construction began on the Christlieb Well 15A Rehabilitation project in October 2023. Staff determined the Well is compromised and entering the last phases of its useful service life during construction. Staff seeks methods to maintain production from the well. However, the results of downhole video loggings and the hydrogeologist's opinion indicate the City should begin planning to replace Christlieb Well 15A.
The 2025 Water Master Plan (accepted by City Council in April 2025) referenced the need for new potable wells for the City of Fullerton as a preferred and fiscally responsible solution, as costs to pump from the groundwater basin typically cost half as much as imported water from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the only other water source available.
Identifying a new water well site first requires a Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study (Study) to develop a list of three to five potential sites based on extensive hydrogeological investigation and consideration as well as water availability and quality, proximity to existing utilities, site location and other criterion. This selection process would closely coordinate with Orange County Water District (OCWD) which encourages and typically assists with funding groundwater well development in the mutually beneficial effort to reduce City (and regional) reliance on imported water.
Staff issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study in March 2025 and sent the RFP to five firms from the approved On-Call list of consulting engineers: Cannon, JIG Consultants, Psomas, Stantec and Tetra Tech. All five firms submitted proposals on April 28, 2025.
City staff reviewed the proposals in detail and, based on specific criteria not related to cost, the three top consultants included Cannon, Psomas and Stantec. Staff then interviewed these consultants and unanimously found Stantec the most qualified consultant to meet City needs for this Study. Staff completed a reference check and as found the fee acceptable, which supported this selection.
The Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study would provide a short list (three to five) of ranked candidates with a recommended highest priority site. Staff would present this selection to City Council with a recommendation that staff pursue a Focused Well Feasibility Study and Preliminary Design Report for the preferred site candidate through a separate RFP process. Future phases associated with this project would include:
well feasibility study and preliminary design report, estimated to cost between $400,000 and 800,000 well drilling, estimated to cost between $1,800,000 and $3,000,000 well equipment design, estimated to cost between $600,000 and $1,000,000 new well equipping, estimated to cost between $3,000,000 and $5,000,000.
Altogether, a new well would start producing water in 7 to 12 years, depending on issues arising during the process. Staff provides a large time range due to several unknown variables, including many site-specific obstacles that could greatly extend the upper limits. These variables include acquiring new land, extending existing utilities, consideration for neighbors and many others.
This study is the first step towards drilling a new water well, whether replacing Well 15A or on an entirely new site. The City needs more than one well site and this study would identify multiple sites to serve as a road map for future well development in the City of Fullerton.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Budget Data Sheet
Attachment 2 – Request for Proposal
Attachment 3 – Consultant Proposal and Fees
Attachment 4 – Stantec 2023 On-Call Agreement
cc: Interim City Manager Eddie Manfro
Water Well Siting and Feasibility Study
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