DATE: April 9, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Water Utilities Department
TITLE: APPROVE CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY WORK TO REPAIR THE MESA LOMA 18-INCH WATER MAIN AT LOMA ALTA CREEK
RECOMMENDATION
title
Staff recommends that the City Council determine that there is a need to continue emergency work to repair the 18-inch Mesa Loma Water Main, and appropriate $500,000 from the Water Fixed Asset Replacement fund unrestricted fund balance.
body
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
On January 18, 2024, the City detected a decrease in water pressure within the system, triggering the need to activate the Mesa Loma Booster Pump Station to maintain adequate service to the affected pressure zone. City operations isolated a segment of the pipeline crossing Loma Alta Creek and the North County Transit District (NCTD) railroad tracks as the likely source of the issue. Despite challenges posed by heavy rain and excessive groundwater, staff maintained system pressure by operating the Mesa Loma Pump Station with one operational pump initially, allowing for temporary system stability while staff worked to locate the break. However, heavy rainfall and high groundwater levels complicated early efforts to determine the extent of the damage.
As the City continued its investigation, it became evident that the leak was located within an environmentally sensitive area and potentially under NCTD railroad tracks, requiring extensive environmental review and permitting. To address these challenges, the City engaged Helix Environmental Planning, Inc., in July 2024 to assess the regulatory requirements. The firm determined that California Environmental Quality Act compliance would take approximately nine to twelve months, further extending the timeline. During this period, additional field investigations and an internal pipeline condition assessment (CCTV) were conducted, confirming two defects in need of repair-one within Loma Alta Creek and another at the top of a slope.
To advance the repair process, the City contracted with Guida Surveying in early 2025 to stake the defect locations for environmental and field assessments. Simultaneously, Helix Environmental completed biological and aquatic surveys, while the City coordinated with NCTD to obtain access permits. With field data collected and regulatory requirements addressed, the City finalized and submitted permit applications to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Regional Water Quality Control Board in March 2025.
On March 13, 2025, under the City’s emergency procurement policy, the City Manager provided approval to use a pre-qualified emergency contractor, Cass-Arrieta. The contractor was provided notice to proceed to prepare a construction cost estimate and assist with permit applications. Repair work commenced March 31, 2025, and is being performed on a time-and-material basis. Investigative and permitting work was primarily performed under as-needed engineering services contracts and City staff.
The steps taken over the past year were necessary to ensure compliance with environmental and regulatory requirements, properly assess the condition of the pipeline, and plan for a safe and effective repair. Although these efforts extended the timeline, they were essential to protecting water service reliability while mitigating potential legal and environmental complications. Given the extensive planning, field assessments, and regulatory processes already undertaken, immediate repair is now necessary to prevent further damage and maintain system integrity.
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated construction cost is currently being finalized. Funding for the emergency repair will be sourced from the Water Fixed Asset Replacement Fund that is obtained from water usage and service charges. Since the repair work is being performed on a time and material basis, the final cost will not be known until completion of work in April 2025. The total construction cost will be finalized following the completion of the work.
The repair will continue to be funded under the Water Pipeline Replacement account 908163620712.5703.10600, which has an available balance of $151,111. Total estimated expenses for construction is $383,500 and plus an additional $100,000 to replenish the account for a future emergency for a total cost of $483,500. Additional expenses for support services to be encumbered under as-needed services contracts include $111,000 for Helix Environmental and LGC Geotechnical in the amount of $23,000. Staff is requesting to use reserves in the amount of $500,000 and appropriate $400,000 to 5703.10600 and $100,000 to 5305.10600. The funding source is the Water F/A Replacement - Unrestricted reserve account 712.3100.0002 which has an available balance of $72.2M: therefore, sufficient funds are available. Full accounting will be provided to Council, after the work is completed.
|
Water Pipeline Replacement 908164320712 |
|
Current Available Balance (5703.10600) |
$151,111 |
|
Estimated Construction Cost & Replenishment of $100,000 (5703.10600) |
483,500 |
|
Engineering Support Services (5305.10600) |
134,000 |
|
Projected Shortfall |
466,389 |
|
Requested use of Reserves (712.3100.0002) |
500,000 |
|
Appropriation to 5703.10600 |
400,000 |
|
Appropriation to 5305.10600 |
100,000 |
|
Projected Remaining Balance |
$33,661 |
Funding for this project will come from the Water Fixed Asset Replacement fund, 712
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
Due to the location of the pipeline within an environmentally sensitive area, the project required multiple environmental permits prior to construction. The City obtained the necessary permits from the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) under RGP 63 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under RGP 63, both of which were issued before construction commenced. Additionally, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1610 notification was submitted within 14 days of the start of construction, in compliance with regulatory requirements. The City worked closely with environmental consultants to ensure all necessary environmental approvals were in place and that impacts to the surrounding potentially environmentally sensitive habitat were minimized.
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
The Utilities Commission will receive a project update at its regularly scheduled meeting on May 20, 2025.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Emergency procurements for public projects without competitive bidding are authorized according to the provisions of Section 28A.24 of the Oceanside City Code and California Public Contract Code Section 22050. The emergency action should be terminated at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant so that the remainder of the work, if any, may be completed pursuant to the City’s regular competitive bidding process.
end
Prepared by: Mabel Uyeda, Principal Water Engineer
Reviewed by: Michael Gossman, Assistant City Manager
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Mesa Loma Repair Figure 1 Map
3. Mesa Loma 18in Main Cass-Arrieta Cost Estimate