EXHIBIT A
STATEMENT OF WORK
The wastewater collection system in the City of San Clemente relies upon trunk lines buried at the foot of coastal bluffs, and landward of the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor, to safely and efficiently bring wastewater from properties as far south as Calafia Beach to the Water Reclamation Plant along Avenida Pico near North Beach. The LOSSAN corridor provides a high degree of protection for the trunk lines against possible erosion by high tides and waves, as it itself is designed and maintained to withstand flooding and erosion. However, the rail corridor has had its services disrupted in recent years from bluff failures and landslides, and beach loss over recent years has resulted in higher flooding and erosion risks. These conditions alongside expectations of higher future sea levels have motivated Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) to consider the possibility, in future decades, of re-routing the LOSSAN rail corridor inland. Were that to occur, the sewer trunk lines along the bluffs could possibly become more vulnerable to erosion damage and to unintended leakage of wastewater into the coastal ocean, which warrants planning into the possibility, feasibility and likely costs of alternate approaches for routing wastewater to the Water Reclamation Plant.
The scope of work will involve a collaboration with UC Irvine School of Engineering to develop at least three wastewater collection system adaptation options, for example one that involves re-routing the trunk line inland (uphill from the existing line), one that involves tunnelling under the bluffs, and one that involves stabilization of the existing right-of-way. For each option the work will include routing and pumping plans, preliminary cost estimates, life-cycle assessments, and estimated dates (with uncertainties) for when these options could be needed based on existing projections of sea level rise and beach loss, bluff erosion, long-term plans by the City of San Clemente for beach nourishment and bluff stabilization, and available information about the OCTA planning timeline about the rail.
The collaboration will revolve around a Masters of Engineering (M.Eng) project with a team of students working from January to May of 2026. Participants will include two faculty members from the UC Irvine School of Engineering representing expertise in environment and hydraulics (Professor Brett Sanders) and infrastructure systems and lifecycle assessment (Professor Mo Li), representatives from the City of San Clemente Department of Public Works with expertise in sewer pipeline and pumpstation planning and design, and two Ph.D students—one each working under Professor Sanders and Li.
Specific activities include:
M.Eng Project Coordination ($15,000)
The UC Irvine School of Engineering will put together a team of Engineering students from several disciplines (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical) and hold weekly meetings with faculty, City of San Clemente representatives, M.Eng students, Ph.D students and possibly others based upon project needs. The meetings will begin in January 2025 and be completed in June 2025, with Winter Quarter (Jan-Mar) focused on a Preliminary Study and Spring (April-Jun) focus on Preliminary Design. Weekly meeting time will be used for updates by the M.Eng and Ph.D students, input and guidance from the collaboration team, and scheduling of individual meetings with City of San Clemente representatives for technical guidance on sewer pipeline and pump station planning and cost estimation.
Trunk Line and Pumpstation Scenarios ($25,000 to cover researcher time and effort) UCI teams will develop at least three alternative scenarios for adapting the trunk lines that presently run along the coast between Califia and North Beach. These scenarios will include infrastructure layouts, cost estimates, and life-cycle analyses. Note that this task will require involvement of representatives from the City of San Clemente to guide students through the practical tasks of planning sewer pipeline and pumpstation infrastructure, building upon their foundational knowledge of engineering principles and concepts.
Timelines and Trigger Points ($25,000 to cover researcher time and effort) Due to uncertainty in future sea level rise, beach erosion, bluff erosion, beach nourishment and plans to relocate the LOSSAN rail corridor, the timing of future infrastructure adaptation would be highly uncertain. UCI teams will work to reduce this uncertainty and bring clarity to key trigger points that would motivate additional planning and design. UCI teams will review existing projections of coastal erosion and existing reports on bluff instabilities, prepare new predictions of shoreline change considering planned beach nourishment, review OCTA timelines for rail planning, and prepare a set of trigger points for future action. Importantly, this task will link to the costs and life-cycle analysis which will be critical for financial planning purposes.
UCI/San Clemente Mixer ($5,000 to cover refreshments for around 50 attendees) UCI will hold an evening reception along the coast in San Clemente to: (1) allow the student team to gather feedback from representatives of the City of San Clemente and community members, which would help the students to adjust and refine their planning, and (2) facilitate networking amongst UCI faculty, researchers, students and personnel from the City of San Clemente, other agencies (e.g., representatives from OCTA, California Coastal Commission) and others from the community. This event would be tailored towards the specific outreach and engagement needs of the City of San Clemente, and the City would review and approve all invitees.
Deliverables
Winter Quarter: Overview of three (or possibly more) wastewater collection infrastructure adaptation options. (Presentation) Early Spring Quarter: Outreach to City of San Clemente stakeholders with mixer event, where students share preliminary concepts and gather input.
Late Spring Quarter: Infrastructure adaptation plan with cost estimates, life-cycle assessment, timeline, and trigger points all linked to possible future scenarios. (Presentation to City, Report) Summer: Draft technical article describing adaptation pathways and costs for waste water collection and transportation infrastructure vulnerable to increasing risks of coastal flooding and erosion.
Attachment 3