REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 6, 2020
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Interim Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to the United States Bureau of Reclamation for 2021 WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of County Service Area 70 (CSA 70) - Zone W-3 (Hacienda Heights), CSA 70 - Zone J (Oak Hills), CSA 70 - Zone W-4 (Pioneertown), CSA 70 - Zone F (Morongo Valley), and CSA 70 - Zone CG (Cedar Glen):
1. Ratify submittal of grant application to the United States Bureau of Reclamation requesting 2021 WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant funding in the amount of $543,120 for the installation and/or replacement of water meters and related meter reading/data capturing equipment.
2. Adopt resolution designating the Chair of the Board of Supervisors or Chief Executive Officer or Director/Interim Director of the Department of Public Works, on behalf of CSA 70 - Zone W-3 (Hacienda Heights), CSA 70 - Zone J (Oak Hills), CSA 70 - Zone W-4 (Pioneertown), CSA 70 - Zone F (Morongo Valley), and CSA 70 - Zone CG (Cedar Glen), to execute all documents and non-substantive amendments for this grant application, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or Director/Interim Director of the Department of Public Works to transmit all documents and non-substantive amendments for this grant application to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Luther Snoke, Interim Director, 386-8811)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
The San Bernardino County Department of Public Works - Special Districts, Water and Sanitation Division (Department) is seeking federal funding of $543,120 under the WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Program to assist the five water districts identified in the Recommendation section (Districts) with the cost of installing/replacing water meters. This grant opportunity from the United States Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau of Reclamation) does require a corresponding local match of $543,120, which results in a total amount of $1,086,240 towards the project. The local match amount would be accomplished by the Districts through the following:
• Purchase of water meters ($141,040).
• Use of existing Department staff and vehicles to install/replace the meters ($338,705).
• Other in-kind services ($49,375).
• Contract services ($14,000).
If this grant is ultimately awarded, the Department will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for acceptance of the grant funds and approval of any needed budget adjustments.
The estimated completion date for replacement of the old meters and installation of the new meters is December 30, 2023.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department oversees the management, operations, and maintenance of various County Service Areas for water services. Residents and business within these County Service Areas (specifically Hacienda Heights, Oak Hills, Pioneertown, Morongo Valley, and Cedar Glen) are facing water conservation concerns due to the age and reliability of existing meters. These meters currently provide inaccurate readings and must be replaced to fully support new technology and ensure water efficiency. Accordingly, the Department has been pursuing funding assistance to help pay for meter installation and replacement costs, as well as related software that will allow for automatic remote readings by staff and customers. Department staff currently reads municipal meters manually, which is inefficient and consumes valuable staff time.
Through the 2021 WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Program, the Bureau of Reclamation is providing 50/50 cost share funding to water districts for projects that conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of hydropower; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; or accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability in the western United States. Projects are selected through a competitive process and the focus is on projects that can be completed within three years. The Department did a thorough cost analysis and determined that the installation of new meters is the most cost-effective way to measure water deliveries, detect continuous usage, and encourage water conservation. The Department also determined that requesting WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant funding for this purpose would be appropriate.
Due to recent hiring and training of new staff, the Department did not become aware of this grant opportunity from the Bureau of Reclamation until August 2020. Because of the short timeframe to complete the application and for its submittal by the September 17, 2020 deadline, the Department submitted the grant application without prior Board approval. County Policy No. 05-13 requires the Board to approve the submission of any grant application that requires a governing board resolution. As a result, the Department is seeking ratification from the Board for this grant application (Recommendation No.1). Per the application guidelines, the resolution may be submitted up to 30 days after the application deadline. Recommendation No. 2 is for adoption of the resolution.
To prevent the need for future Board ratification items, the Department has taken the proper action of informing applicable staff about the requirements of County Policy No. 05-13 for grant funding.
PROCUREMENT
The Department plans to install/replace approximately 1,400 water meters for the Districts over the next three years. Department staff will do the vast majority of the installations/replacements. However, installation of the larger water meters will be accomplished through a contractor. The Department will obtain competitive bids for this work, which has an estimated cost of $28,000.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 18, 2020; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on September 21, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on September 22, 2020.