1 TO: City Council
FROM: Andrew Vialpando, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Lina Hernandez, Deputy City Manager/Public Works Director MEETING DATE: November 5, 2024
SUBJECT: First Amendment to the Agreement with Psomas for the Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the First Amendment to Agreement 2023-33 with Psomas for the Sewer System Master Plan extending the term to December 31, 2027; approve change order No. 2; appropriate an additional $24,900 plus a 10% contingency of $2,490 for unexpected costs for a total not to exceed $27,390 from the Sewer Master Fund; and authorize the City Manager to execute the Amendment.
BACKGROUND
The City of Lomita’s sanitary sewer collection system serves a population of approximately 20,000 residents and consists of roughly 36 miles of gravity sewer lines.
The City’s legal authority to own and operate the sanitary sewer system is derived from its incorporation as a City. The City, on June 30, 1964, granted the County of Los Angeles the consent and jurisdiction to annex portions of the sewer system into the Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District (CSMD). By that action, the City has entrusted the management, operation, and maintenance of its local sanitary sewer system to the CSMD. The City, however, maintains ownership of the sewer system, and is responsible for ensuring that the public sewer infrastructure is correctly designed, adequately sized, and easily maintained.
With the potential for new developments in the coming years, a Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan was completed to ensure sufficient sewer capacity for all future needs. On October 15, 2024, the City Council approved the City’s first ever Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan developed by Psomas.
CITY OF LOMITA
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
Item No. SCH
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2 DISCUSSION
The Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan contained several recommendations, as described below.
New Development Sewer Studies
The Plan recommends that the City require specific sewer studies for new development projects. As a part of the specific sewer studies, applicable data can be added to the existing sewer system model to evaluate projected flow and downstream sewer capacity related to the new development.
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Projects
The Plan identified Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects for sewer line segments that are capacity deficient under future buildout conditions or that require excessive maintenance. Future buildout conditions are based on growth according to the City’s Preferred Land Use Plan (November 2023 version). The CIP projects are included in Attachment 1.
The cost estimates for the CIP projects are listed in the table below:
CIP Number Location Estimated Cost
1 PCH to Ebony (aka Backyard Pipeline) $7,907,938
DIV 1* Western Avenue $242,875
2 248th Street $252,300
3 Oak Street $478,500
Total $8,881,613
*Near-term flow diversion improvement for CIP #1.
The Plan identified the PCH to Ebony Capital Improvement (CIP No. 1) as the City’s highest priority of the three CIP sewer system projects. The pipeline is nearing capacity and has structural damage identified in CCTV review. The pipeline was constructed in the 1930s and the alignment through back yards creates maintenance and access issues.
This CIP is prioritized as it will require long-term planning beginning with a feasibility study to conduct a pre-design analysis to evaluate feasibility and develop a recommended alternative. The cost estimate for the feasibility study for CIP No. 1 is $208,800.
Due to funding considerations, a near-term capacity solution has been provided (DIV No. 1) to divert flows away from the back yard pipeline to the LA County Sanitation District trunk sewer along Western Avenue (Attachment 2). The cost estimate for DIV No. 1 is $242,875 as shown in the table above.
The second priority CIP is the pipeline replacement along 248th Street (CIP No. 2). The identified segment has a sag and is hydro cleaned by the CSMD every three to four months. The third priority CIP on Oak Street (CIP No. 3) is to correct a flat slope between 3 PCH and 256th Street by replacing the pipeline along with the adjacent segment(s) to provide sufficient slope.
Harbor Hills Sewers
The master planning process also discovered a situation where City of Lomita public sewers flow to private sewers located at Harbor Hills Public Housing Development (Harbor Hills) and then flow back to City of Lomita public sewers. This risk should be mitigated as maintenance of the private sewer lines at Harbor Hills is not being performed by the CSMD as it is with the other City sewers, and it is unclear if the Housing Authority is maintaining these sewers. With little to no maintenance, these sewers could allow sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and block service to the upstream residences located at and to the west of Harbor Hills. Attachment 2 shows the direction of sewer flow to the west of and through Harbor Hills. These sewer segments carry between 64% to 100% of City flows.
It is recommended that the City negotiate the acquisition of the sewers identified by yellow dashed lines in Attachment 2 from the Los Angeles County Development Authority along with necessary easements. If owned by the City, the CSMD could maintain them along with the other City sewers to ensure continued service and prevent SSOs. Staff has been working with Psomas to address this issue. A change order to the Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan Agreement to allow Psomas to continue assisting the City in addressing this issue has been submitted in the amount of $24,900. Staff recommends adding a 10% contingency to this amount for a total not to exceed amount of $27,390. In addition, this change order requests an extension of the contract term to December 31, 2027. This change in cost and term is included in the attached contract amendment.
The CIP projects listed above will require significant funding to implement. Some of this funding could come from the collection of sewer impact fees. The City does not currently collect sewer impact fees, however Willdan Financial is conducting a comprehensive user fees and charges rate study that will provide recommendations regarding sewer impact fees which will be brought before City Council for consideration in 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff is recommending authorizing an appropriation in the amount of $24,900 plus a 10% contingency of $2,490 for unexpected costs for a not to exceed total of $27,390, inclusive of previously approved funding, from the City sewer fund. Previously approved funding and contingency were used to cover the costs of the development of Sanitary Sewer Master Plan and change order 1 to conduct additional studies of the sewers in Harbor Hills. The feasibility study and CIPs will be brought before the City Council as additional funding is identified and appropriated.
4 OPTIONS
1. Approve staff’s recommendations.
2. Provide staff with further direction.
ATTACHMENTS
1. CIP Projects Identified by the 2024 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan
2. DIV No. 1 and Harbor Hills Sewers Identified by the Sanitary Sewer Master Plan
3. First Amendment to Agreement 2023-33 with Exhibit A (Change Order)
4. Agreement 2023-33 with Psomas
Reviewed by: Approved by:
_______________________ ______________________
Gary Y. Sugano Andrew Vialpando
Assistant City Manager City Manager
Prepared by:
__________________________
Lina Hernandez
Deputy City Manager/Public Works Director