City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Christiana Giedd, Associate Civil Engineer
Date: 11/12/2024
Subject: Surface Water Supply Project Status Update
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff to present an update regarding the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) Surface Water Connection Project.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Ripon serves water to 16,000 residents along with businesses and industries located within city limits. The City potable water supply is currently served entirely from groundwater wells. The City has explored the possibility of connecting to the SSJID South County Water Supply Project to supplement the City of Ripon’s municipal water supply with treated surface water.
The SSJID Surface Water Connection Project (Project) involves constructing a 4.5-mile pipeline from the existing SSJID surface water transmission pipeline that is located at the intersection of Jack Tone Road and French Camp Road, to Ripon’s water distribution system, along with a booster pump station. A map of the Project area is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – Project Area
Benefits of the Project include:
Groundwater conservation through “in-lieu” recharge
Diversification of water sources to extend the life of existing wells Renewable energy usage and energy savings
The infrastructure required for the Project requires significant funds to complete. After years of submitting grant applications, the City of Ripon secured a legislation earmark of $3.8 million through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Grants Program.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Recipients of the Community Grants are required to complete certain statutory and regulatory requirements before the EPA can award the grant funding. For the City of Ripon’s project, the following is required:
Grant application and work plan submitted to the EPA
CEQA Initial Study
Environmental Information Document (EID) that allows the EPA to complete the NEPA review process
Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act impact determination Basecamp Environmental was contracted in June 2023 to prepare the CEQA Initial Study and EID documentation required by the EPA. The CEQA Initial Study evaluated the environmental impacts, as described below:
The existing public right of way on each side of Jack Tone Road for installation of the pipeline and all necessary valves from French Camp Road to River Road. An area of up to one-half acre on the north (located on private property at the southwest corner of the intersection of French Camp Road and Jack Tone Road) and south (located at Mistlin Sports Park) ends of the project for a location of a pump station. At this time, the exact location has not yet been determined.
The draft CEQA Initial Study was determined to be a Mitigated Negative Declaration based on the project environmental impacts. The CEQA Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration (ISMND) for the Project is ready for public review, which involves distributing documents to various agencies for feedback. Comments will be reviewed and incorporated as necessary to the final ISMND that is presented to the City Council for approval.
The regulatory and statutory items summarized above are expected to be ready to submit to the EPA by May 2025. It is not clear at this time how long it will take the EPA to complete their review and the funds awarded to the City. In addition to completing the EPA Community Grant requirements, staff is working on the following tasks related to the Project:
Negotiating an operating agreement with SSJID and the cities currently participating in the South County Water Supply Project.
Finalizing Project design and cost estimate.
Evaluating funding options and impacts to utility rates. Applying for an Encroachment Permit for work in the San Joaquin County right of way. Applying for a Construction General Permit through the State Water Resources Control Board.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The estimated cost of the Project is $15.55 million. Table 1 shows a breakdown of cost for the pipeline and pump station, which was presented to Council at the 2023 Strategic Planning Meeting.
Table 1 – Design and Construction Cost Estimate
Item Cost
Pipeline Construction $ 10,000,000
Pump Station Construction $ 3,200,000
Pipe Design QA/QC $ 100,000
Pump Station Design $ 300,000
NEPA/CEQA $ 650,000
Encroachment Permits $ 1,300,000
Total $ 15,550,000
The table below summarizes the funding that has been secured for the Project.
Table 2 – Project Funding
Funding Source Amount
EPA Community Grants Program $ 3,800,000
Water Enterprise Capital Fund $ 2,000,000
Water PFFP Capital Fund $ 900,000
To Be Determined $ 8,850,000
Total $ 15,550,000