DATE: March 25, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Public Works Department
TITLE: AMENDMENT TO AN AGREEMENT FOR BIOLOGICAL MONITORING, REPORT PREPARATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR THE SAN LUIS REY RIVER PROJECT
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve Amendment 2 in the amount of $2,518,404 to the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with RECON Environmental, Inc., for a contract price of $2,956,365, for biological monitoring, annual regulatory compliance, report preparation and environmental services related to the Phase III turnover event for the San Luis Rey River (SLRR) project for a three-year term; and authorize the City Manager or designee, to execute the amendment upon receipt of all supporting documents.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
In 1988, the City of Oceanside and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) entered into a Local Cooperation Agreement (LCA) for the construction of the San Luis Rey River Flood Control Project (SLRR). The project was constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with levee completion occurring in 2000.
Pursuant to the terms of the 1988 LCA, once the federal government determines that the project, or a functional element thereof, has been completed, it formally transfers that project or element to the City of Oceanside as the designated Local Sponsor. Upon transfer, the City accepts the project component and assumes full responsibility for its operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and rehabilitation in accordance with the agreement.
USACE completed Phase I vegetation clearance in December 2008 and Operation, Maintenance, Repair, Rehabilitation, and Replacement (OMRR&R) of Phase I vegetation areas was formally transferred to the City on June 4, 2010. Phase II vegetation clearance was subsequently transferred to the City on January 31, 2014. On April 29, 2025, USACE notified the City that OMRR&R responsibilities for Phase III would commence.
On September 1, 2021, City Council approved a multi-year PSA with RECON Environmental to provide biological monitoring services required to support SLRR maintenance activities. Services included biological surveys, delineation of mowing limits, monitoring of vegetation management activities, invasive species removal oversight, preparation of annual regulatory compliance reports, and the renewal of permits with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The original PSA in the amount of $288,120 had five (5) additional consecutive one (1) year terms with compensation adjustments.
On February 15, 2022, the City received notification from USACE that, as part of the SLRR turnover process, responsibility for water quality monitoring, sampling, and reporting would transfer to the City. These activities are required as conditions of the regulatory permits associated with Phase I and Phase II annual mowing operations. On April 20, 2022, City Council approved Amendment 1 in the amount of $149,841 with RECON Environmental for water quality monitoring and report preparation services.
On April 29, 2025, the City received notification from USACE transferring additional Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement, and Rehabilitation (OMRR&R) responsibilities to the City. This Phase III turnover includes vegetation management areas, unmaintained buffer strips, compensation and preservation areas, detention ponds, mitigation sites, and expanded biological monitoring and reporting obligations.
Specifically, Phase III turnover responsibilities include:
• Vegetation management for Phase III, Phase III Rotation 1 (Phase IIIR-1), and Phase III Rotation 2 (Phase IIIR-2) within Reaches 2, 3a, 3b, and 4;
• Designated unmaintained strips within Reaches 2, 3a, 3b, and 4;
• Compensation and preservation areas in Reaches 1, 2, and 3a, including mitigation sites such as Tuley Canyon, Priory North Bank, South Bench, Foussat South Bench, Whelan I and II, Mar Lado Bench, South Park Bench, Fireside Bench, and Pilgrim North Bench; and
• Six detention ponds: Lower Pond, Riverside Pond, Pilgrim Pond, Upper Pond, Park Pond, and Middle Pond, five of which also function as mitigation facilities.
OMRR&R responsibilities include annual mowing of Phase III areas, rotational mowing of two additional areas on a ten-year cycle, environmental monitoring, regulatory reporting, permit compliance, and maintenance and updates to the Adaptive Habitat Management Plan.
The Phase III turnover also triggers the requirement for the City to obtain permits under Clean Water Act Section 404 and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act for vegetation management activities. USACE regulatory staff reviewed the Interim OMRR&R Manual and incorporated their recommendations to facilitate permit processing.
Amendment 2 to the PSA with RECON Environmental expands the existing scope of work to address the additional biological monitoring, annual environmental compliance, continued permitting coordination and reporting requirements associated with the Phase III turnover. The multi-year amendment also includes annual invasive plant species removal work within the channel and other areas associated with the turnover. Approval of Amendment 2 will allow the City to meet its expanded federal and state regulatory obligations and ensure continued compliance with the terms of the Local Cooperation Agreement. The proposed amendment is for an additional three-years. Also included is the provision for an additional five, one-year options for the continuance of biological monitoring, report preparation, permitting coordination and other environmental services required for the San Luis Rey River Flood Risk Management Project
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This effort is part of the ongoing and increasing maintenance responsibilities and costs associated with SLRR project that the City is expected to incur as maintenance responsibilities are transferred from the USACE.
FISCAL IMPACT
Amendment 2 with RECON Environmental for FY 2025-26 in the amount of $937,951 will be charged to the SLRR Biological Services account 905831121501.5305.10600 which has an available balance of $1,337,766; therefore, sufficient funds are available. The future years’ costs will be programmed as part of the CIP budget during the normal budget process as shown in the table below.
|
Description |
Amount |
Account |
Available Balance |
|
RECON Environmental SLRR Biological Services |
$937,951 FY25-26 |
905831121501.5305.10600 SLRR Biological Services Account |
$1,337,766 FY25-26 |
|
|
731,045 FY 26-27 |
|
880,000 FY 26-27 |
|
|
849,408 FY 27-28 |
|
880,000 FY 27-28 |
|
Total |
$2,518,404 |
|
|
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Nathan Mertz, Public Works Division Manager
Reviewed by: Hamid Bahadori, Public Works Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Amendment 2
3. Exhibit A
4. SLRR Vegetation Plan