Item Number: 1
City Council / Board of Directors
Public Hearing(s)
Meeting of: September 1, 2026
Submitted By:
Fredy Bonilla, City Engineer
Doug Mathews, Director of Public Works and Water
Subject:
Turnout No. 5 Project – Approve Notice of Exemption, Award of Construction Contract, Approval of Amendment No. 4 to Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement, Approval of a Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement with Merrell Johnson Engineering, Inc., and approval of a Conveyance and Water Supply Agreements with Mojave Water Agency
Recommendation:
That the Honorable Board of Directors:
(1) Open and conduct the Public Hearing receiving testimony regarding the proposed capital improvement projects;
(2) Close the Public Hearing;
(3) Approve the Notice of Exemption and authorize staff to file the notice with the Office of Planning and Research and the County Clerk;
(4) Award a construction contract to High Desert Underground Inc., in the amount of $5,323,535 for the Turnout No. 5 Project;
(5) Approve Amendment No. 4 to the Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement Project No. ESC21-050 with Civiltec Engineering, Inc., in an amount of $117,750;
(6) Approve a Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement Project No.
MS26-110 with Merrell Johnson Engineering, Inc. for Construction Inspection and Materials Testing in the amount of $238,200; and
(7) Authorize the General Manager to execute a Conveyance Agreement with Mojave Water Agency for Turnout 5 subject to minor edits to be approved by the General Manager and Board Attorney;
(8) Authorize the General Manager to execute a Water Supply Connection Agreement with Mojave Water Agency for Turnout 5, subject to final review and approval by the General Manager and Board Attorney.
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Fiscal Impact:
This action will result in a fiscal impact of $5,679,485. This project is funded by Water Capacity Charges Fund No. 414 and a subgrant award from Mojave Water Agency (MWA) through the California Department of Water Resources. An additional appropriation will not be required. There are sufficient funds available in the project budget to cover the planned expenses. Please refer to the budget account numbers, descriptions, and available budget shown below:
Account Number Account Description Amount Available
4140020 - 55080 - 74338 Infrastructure Improvements $4,897,533 2657500N - 55080 - 74338 Grants $1,100,000
Total Amount Available $5,997,533
Strategic Plan Goal:
This item aligns with “Goal E Invest in infrastructure” in the City of Victorville Strategic Plan 2023-2026 by providing the Victorville Water District (VWD) with an alternate water supply. It will reduce groundwater pumping and arsenic treatment costs, while helping to sustain local aquifer levels.
Background:
The project consists of the construction of an approximately 1.25-mile-long, 24-inch- diameter steel pipeline along Amethyst Road from Mesa Street to Sycamore Street, and a reinforced masonry metering facility at the Victorville Water District (VWD) reservoir site. The pipeline will convey water from Mojave Water Agency’s (MWA) R-Cubed pipeline at Mesa Street to VWD’s reservoirs and the Amethyst Booster Pump Station located at Amethyst Road and Sycamore Street. The project will provide VWD with an alternative water supply, reducing groundwater pumping and arsenic treatment costs while helping maintain local aquifer levels and enhancing operational flexibility. The facilities being constructed will be dedicated solely to serving VWD and will be used exclusively for the benefit of VWD and its water system.
On July 18, 2017, the Board of Directors approved a Professional Services Agreement with Civiltec Engineering, Inc. (Civiltec) for the design of the MWA Turnout No. 5 Amethyst Road Water Pipeline and Metering Facility. Since then, three amendments have been approved to address additional engineering and environmental requirements as the project progressed.
Amendment No. 1 was approved on October 19, 2021, in the amount of $75,250 to provide additional services to obtain an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for Western Joshua Trees and to revise the pipeline alignment to avoid conflicts with a new tract home development that occurred while the City was awaiting issuance of the permit.
Amendment No. 2 was approved on April 18, 2023, in the amount of $45,000 to provide additional environmental services to pursue the streamlined Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act permitting process following enactment of the Act in 2023. 4 8
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Amendment No. 3 was approved on November 4, 2025, in the amount of $83,225 to provide additional engineering and environmental services necessary to finalize the project for construction. The work included a scour analysis, revisions to the project plans and specifications in response to MWA comments, updates to the Streambed Alteration Agreement and Revegetation and Restoration Plan, and supplemental surveying for slopes that had collapsed or washed out due to heavy rainfall over the past several years.
Additionally, on September 3, 2024, the Board of Directors approved an Agreement between the MWA and VWD for the use of Proposition 1, Round 1, Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Implementation Grant funding (Grant Agreement Number 4600013807, Amendment 3) from the California Department of Water Resources for the Victorville Regional Recharge and Recovery Turnout 5 Project. The grant provides $1,100,000 for the construction of the project which is included in the approved budget.
The Engineering Department released a Request for Proposals (RFP) in accordance with Victorville Municipal Code §2.28.280 to obtain the services of a consultant for construction inspection and materials testing services for the project. The inspections and materials testing required includes soil compaction, welding, reinforced masonry, concrete, and steel provided by deputy inspectors needed to ensure compliance with the Contract Documents. The RFP was advertised on April 17, 2026, and several consulting firms were notified. On May 13, 2026, four civil engineering consultants submitted proposals which included a scope of services, cost proposal, and fee schedule.
On July 22, 2026, Civiltec Engineering, Inc. submitted a proposal for Amendment No. 4 (Attachment D) in the amount of $117,750 to cover engineering services provided during bidding, including responding to Request for Information (RFIs) and providing continued engineering support during construction, including reviewing shop drawings for the metering facility, attending meetings and site visits, and preparing the as-built drawings.
The amendment also includes required environmental services, including pre- construction biological surveys, Worker Environmental Awareness Program (WEAP) training, construction monitoring within the Oro Grande Wash and near Western Joshua Trees, environmental documentation and reporting, and post-construction revegetation monitoring and reporting.
Discussion:
It is a routine requirement to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before construction starts on a Capital Improvement Project. On November 19, 2019, the Board of Directors adopted Resolution No. VWD19-009 approving the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program for the Amethyst Pipeline Alignment Water Main Extension Project, which is the pipeline installation of the Turnout 5 Project. A Notice of Exemption (Attachment B) to this Agenda Item, describes the project activities related to Turnout 5 Metering Facility, and states that the project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines section 15303(e) because the project consists of the construction of a small masonry block metering facility to house a magnetic flow meter and associated appurtenances within an already improved property currently used for District operations.
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After the issuance of the Construction Inspection and Materials Testing RFP, each proposal was reviewed and scored by Engineering Department staff in accordance with the criteria set forth in the RFP. The evaluation of the proposals was based upon the consultant’s qualifications, work plan, and staff resources. From the evaluation of the four proposals received, the evaluators determined that Merrell Johnson Engineering, Inc. was the most qualified consultant to provide the services required based upon the average scores of the evaluators. The Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement with Merrell Johnson Engineering, Inc. has been included as (Attachment E).
This construction portion of the project was bid using formal bidding procedures in accordance with Victorville Municipal Code §2.28.210 and the California Public Contract Code. Formal bidding procedures are used for public works contracts with an estimated cost in excess of five hundred thousand dollars. The Notice Inviting Bids was issued on the OpenGov Procurement Portal and advertised in the San Bernardino Sun on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. A second notice was published in the Daily Press on July 8, 2026. The mandatory pre-bid meeting and job walk were held on July 14, 2026. On August 5, 2026, four (4) bids were received.
The following is a summary of the quotes received:
Company Bid Amount
High Desert Underground, Inc. $5,323,535.00
Pyramid Building $5,597,155.67
CEM Construction $5,977,500.00
Griffith Company $7,060,179.00
The Engineer’s estimate for this project was $6,000,000 based on previous CIP projects with a similar scope of work. After a review of the bid proposals, it was determined that the lowest responsive, responsible bidder is High Desert Underground, Inc. Therefore, staff recommends awarding a construction contract to High Desert Underground, Inc. (Attachment C), which includes the contract bid items and total contract amount.
Although the Victorville Water District is the lead agency for the design and construction of the Project, once construction is complete, the pipeline and metering station will be conveyed to MWA pursuant to a Conveyance Agreement (Attachment F). This ownership arrangement is consistent with other MWA R-Cubed turnouts, where MWA owns the turnout facilities through and including the metering station. Staff is seeking Board approval for the General Manager to execute the Conveyance Agreement with MWA, subject to minor edits approved by the General Manager and Board Attorney. Once conveyed, MWA will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the new pipeline and metering station.
Additionally, this turnout will require a Water Supply Connection Agreement, similar to the agreements for other turnouts providing water service from MWA’s R-Cubed pipeline.
These agreements contain similar provisions but are specific to each individual turnout, establishing the terms under which Mojave Water Agency (MWA) owns, operates, and maintains the facilities that deliver potable water from the Regional Recharge and 4 8
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Recovery (R3) Project to the City of Victorville. The agreement defines the City’s responsibilities for facilities on its side of the connection; establishes requirements for water delivery, metering, pressure, and coordination of flow orders; acknowledges that water supplied through the R3 Project is an interruptible supply and is not to be relied upon to meet system demands; and outlines applicable service terms under MWA regulations and the State Water Project contract. It also includes provisions addressing annual water availability, liability, indemnification, and administrative procedures and establishes an automatically renewing 30-year term. Staff is seeking Board approval to authorize the General Manager to execute a Water Supply Connection Agreement with MWA for Turnout 5 once finalized, subject to final review and approval by the General Manager and Board Attorney,
Based on the foregoing, staff recommends that the Honorable Water District Board of Directors approve the Notice of Exemption; award the construction contract to High Desert Underground Inc. in the amount of $5,323,535; approve Amendment No. 4 to the Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement with Civiltec Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $117,750; approve a Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement with Merrell Johnson Engineering, Inc. for Construction Inspection and Materials Testing in the amount of $238,200; authorize the General Manager to execute a Conveyance and Water Supply Connection Agreements with MWA for Turnout 5 once finalized, subject to final review and approval by the General Manager and Board Attorney.
Staff is available for any questions the Board may have.
Prepared By:
Sylvia Severson, Management Technician
Dennis Lee, Associate Civil Engineer
Attachments: A. Location Map
B. Notice of Exemption
C. Construction Agreement
D. Amendment No. 4
E. Consultant/Professional Services Provider Agreement
F. Conveyance Agreement with Mojave Water Agency