February 3, 2026
TO: City Council
REQUESTED BY: Mathew Osborn, Superintendent
APPROVED BY: Robert A. Johnson, City Manager
SUBJECT: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for Backup Generators MOU RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. APPROVE the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of San Jacinto and the County of Riverside for participation in the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for the Backup Generators for Drinking Water Resiliency Mitigation Project, subject to review and amendments by the City Attorney; and
2. AUTHORIZE the City Manager to execute the MOU and any related documents necessary to fulfill the requirements of the HMGP grant.
DISCUSSION:
The City of San Jacinto operates critical water and wastewater infrastructure that relies on continuous electrical power to maintain public health, safety, and regulatory compliance. This infrastructure includes groundwater wells, treatment facilities, and booster pumps as well as wastewater lift stations, and the City’s Corporation Yard, which serves as the operational hub for the City’s Public Utilities and Public Works Divisions which includes water, wastewater, storm water, streets and parks.
Several of the City’s existing backup generators are aging and approaching the end of their useful life, increasing the risk of equipment failure during extended power outages. The City has taken proactive steps over time to address this risk and has been systematically and strategically replacing or upgrading backup generators as funding allows. Because permanent backup generators represent a significant capital investment, these improvements have been phased over multiple years to limit impacts to the City’s Capital Improvement Program and ongoing operational budgets. Despite these efforts, power disruptions have become more frequent due to wildfires, extreme heat events, high winds, and severe weather affecting Riverside County. Loss of power at these facilities can result in the inability to convey wastewater, maintain potable water pressure, or monitor system conditions in real time.
To accelerate replacement of aging backup generators while minimizing impacts to the City’s Capital Improvement Program and operational budgets, the City partnered with the County of Riverside to pursue funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The County, acting as the eligible grant recipient, submitted a Notice of Intent to the California Office of Emergency Services, which was accepted and authorized the City to submit a sub-application for the project.
The City’s sub-application was successfully submitted and selected for funding, providing a highly advantageous funding structure that requires only a 25 percent non-federal local match.
This funding approach allows the City to leverage limited CIP resources, significantly accelerate its planned generator replacement schedule, and complete multiple critical facility upgrades that would otherwise need to be phased over many additional years.
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) project is intended to replace or install permanent backup generators at the following City facilities:
• Wastewater Lift Stations:
o Mistletoe Lift Station
o Savory Lift Station
o Cottonwood Lift Station
• Groundwater Wells:
o Lake Park Well
o Artesia Well
• Corporation Yard: Installation of a new permanent backup generator to support the City’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and essential utility operations.
The Corporation Yard is a critical City facility that houses the Water, Wastewater, Streets, Parks, and Storm Water Departments. It also hosts the City’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) server, which provides centralized monitoring and control of the City’s water distribution and wastewater collection systems. SCADA allows operators to monitor flows, tank levels, pressures, pump status, alarms, and overall system conditions in real time. Maintaining power at this facility is essential to ensure continued visibility and control of the City’s utility systems, coordination of emergency response, and uninterrupted operation of essential City ANALYSIS:
The attached Memorandum of Understanding establishes the roles, responsibilities, and financial commitments between the City of San Jacinto and the County of Riverside related to the HMGP grant. Under the terms of the MOU:
• The County of Riverside will serve as the grant recipient and administrator, responsible for coordination with Cal OES and FEMA, grant reporting, and reimbursement processing.
• The City of San Jacinto will be responsible for project implementation, including environmental review, permitting, engineering, procurement, construction, and long-term maintenance of the generators.
• The project will replace aging and end-of-life backup generators at three (3) wastewater lift stations (Mistletoe, Savory, and Cottonwood), replace generators at two (2) groundwater wells (Lake Park Well and Artesia Well), and install a new permanent backup generator at the City’s Corporation Yard.
• The project will also ensure continuity of essential services at the Corporation Yard, allowing staff to safely operate, communicate, and respond to system conditions during extended power outages.
• The City will provide the required 25% non-federal local cost share for the project in the amount of $290,000, while the remaining $1,160,000 (75%) will be funded through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
• The City will advance project costs subject to reimbursement through the HMGP and agrees to operate and maintain the installed generators for a period of nineteen (19) years, as required by the grant guidelines.
Approval of this MOU is a required step for the City’s participation in the HMGP and is necessary for the County to accept the grant award on the City’s behalf. The agreement does not obligate the City to proceed with construction until grant funding is formally awarded and accepted, nor does it commit the City to future appropriations. Any required local funding to complete the project would be subject to future City Council approval through the budget and appropriation process.
Participation in this program provides a significant financial benefit to the City by leveraging federal and state funding to modernize aging generator infrastructure, strengthen emergency preparedness, and ensure uninterrupted operation of critical water and wastewater facilities during disaster-related power outages.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total project cost is $1,450,000, of which $1,160,000 (75 percent) will be reimbursed through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The City of San Jacinto will be responsible for the remaining $290,000 (25 percent) non-federal local match. The City will initially advance all project costs and will be reimbursed through the County of Riverside upon approval of eligible expenses by Cal OES and FEMA. $260,000 has been approved in the adopted FY 2025/26 budget under CIP Project No. 26-001 (Generators at Lift Stations). The remaining balance will be programmed in future fiscal years and allocated to the appropriate departments.
ATTACHMENTS:
MOU HMGP Generators San Jacinto and Riverside County