Public Works Agency
www.santa-ana.org/pw
Item # 18
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Draft Staff Report
September 16, 2025
TOPIC: Agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County for Shared Programs and Services
AGENDA TITLE
Agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County for Shared Programs and Services (Non-General Fund)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize the City Manager to execute the Master Agreement for Shared Programs and Services with the Municipal Water District of Orange County, for a three-year period with provisions for two one-year extensions beginning upon approval by the Municipal Water District of Orange County and expiring September 15, 2030, in an aggregate amount not to exceed of $1,500,000 (Agreement No. A-2025-XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
The Public Works Agency Water Resources Division (PWA) operates and maintains the City’s water and sanitary sewer systems. The water system is comprised of approximately 480 miles of water main, 21 groundwater wells, seven pump stations, 10 reservoirs with a storage capacity of 49 million gallons, four pressure regulating stations, and seven connection points to Metropolitan Water District. The system has an average daily demand of 30 million gallons from its roughly 45,500 metered service connections.
The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) provides wholesale imported water, services, and programs to its member agencies throughout Orange County.
While the City is not a member of MWDOC, it does engage MWDOC for water enterprise support services such as water use efficiency and water loss control activities, emergency preparedness and response planning efforts through Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County (WEROC), providing education and resources to local schools via the Choice School Program, and receiving assistance with meeting regulatory requirements, including preparation of the Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) required by the state and updating risk and resilience assessments (RRAs) and emergency response plans (ERPs) required by the Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water Act. As both the City and
Shared Program Services Agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County
September 16, 2025
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MWDOC are member agencies of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and have many common interests related to water activities, programs, and organizations within Orange County, the agencies have partnered to fund and collaborate in efforts including water supply planning, research, policy development, and other activities.
The following are examples of the MWDOC-led programs that PWA staff have utilized in the past and plan to continue to use over the term of the proposed agreement:
•Water use efficiency programs
•School education programs (K-12)
•Shared consulting services (Conservation Framework Technical Assistance Program)
•Water resource planning
•Water loss control shared services and technical assistance •Water emergency preparedness and support of the Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County (WEROC)
On June 21, 2022, City Council approved a Shared Services Agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County. PWA has utilized MWDOC’s shared services, such as water loss and water use efficiency programs, to remain in compliance with existing and upcoming state regulations. Staff recommends continuing the Shared Service Agreement with MWDOC to continue to provide quality services to the community.
Partnering with MWDOC proves advantageous because their regional presence helps ensure consistent, high-quality deliverables, and compliance across Orange County water agencies. MWDOC is able to secure large, specialized technical contracts that are shared among nearly all water agencies in Orange County, resulting in more competitive rates. If the City were to take these services on independently, the City would need to hire consultants and subject matter experts for individual projects and efforts. In many cases, the limited scope of work may attract a smaller pool of technical professionals and lead to higher individual rates. Invaluable resources such as WEROC, the Choice School Program, and access to additional grant funding for conservation rebate programs, are only available through partnership with MWDOC.
To standardize and simplify implementation of these activities, the agreement requires approval of all programs and services on annual basis at the City’s sole discretion.
There is no obligation by the City to participate in, or provide financial contribution for, any program or service other than those elected each year. As described in the agreement, if additional supplementary programs or services need to be added during the term of this agreement, staff will return to City Council for approval of an amendment to incorporate those activities.
Shared Program Services Agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County
September 16, 2025
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MWDOC’s coordination of shared services for its member agencies provides operational efficiencies and allows the City to quickly engage in MWDOC activities by establishing a basic foundation for this contractual business relationship. Approval of the master agreement will authorize the Water Resources Manager to approve and participate in specific programs and services offered by MWDOC as outlined in the agreement (Exhibit 1).
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with the action.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds are budgeted and available for expenditure in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget and funding for subsequent fiscal years will be included in the proposed budgets for City Council consideration, based on the needs of the Water Resources Division. The following is an estimate of expenditures by fiscal year:
Fiscal
Year
Accounting
Unit - Account
#
Fund
Description Accounting Unit,
Account Description
Budget
Available /
Projected
2025-26 06017645-
62300 Water
Water Admin &
Engineering, Contract
Services-Professional
$300,000
2026-27 06017645-
62300 Water
Water Admin &
Engineering, Contract
Services-Professional
$300,000
2027-28 06017645-
62300 Water
Water Admin &
Engineering, Contract
Services-Professional
$300,000
2028-29 06017645-
62300 Water
Water Admin &
Engineering, Contract
Services-Professional
$300,000
2029-30 06017645-
62300 Water
Water Admin &
Engineering, Contract
Services-Professional
$300,000
Total: $1,500,000
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Master Agreement with MWDOC
Shared Program Services Agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County
September 16, 2025
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Submitted By: Rodolfo Rosas, P.E., Acting Executive Director – Public Works Agency Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager