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Report regarding a resolution approving and authorizing the City Manager to execute a Project Partnership Agreement with the Department of the Army for the Design and Implementation of the Water Quality Control Plant Sea Level Rise Project and approving Budget Amendment Number 25.029 (Audriana Hossfeld, Senior Civil Engineer)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving and authorizing the City Manager to execute a Project Partnership Agreement with the Department of the Army for the Design and Implementation of the Water Quality Control Plant Sea Level Rise Project (ss1802) in the amount projected to be $5,652,138 and approving Budget Amendment Number 25.029.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Colma Creek watershed, which flows through the southern part of the City of South San Francisco (“City”) into the San Francisco Bay, contains habitat for threatened and endangered species, substantial public infrastructure, and residential neighborhoods that have been severely flooded. The South San Francisco San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant (“WQCP”) is a critical infrastructure asset within this watershed that treats wastewater for residents and businesses in South San Francisco, San Bruno, Colma, and Daly City and serves as a shared final effluent pump station for Millbrae, Burlingame, and San Francisco International Airport. The WQCP is vulnerable to flooding as identified in the 2018 San Mateo County Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment (Attachment 1) and by observations during King Tide and rainfall events. The power distribution within the WQCP is an essential, critical, and sensitive component that may lose power even in minor flooding.
On September 26, 2018, the City requested assistance from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (“Army Corps”), part of the United States Department of the Army, under Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948. For the feasibility study, the City confirmed an understanding to cost sharing of 50% of the feasibility study costs exceeding $100,000.
On August 27, 2019, the Army Corps completed their Federal Interest Determination Report and recommended that the Army Corps proceed with the feasibility study under the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) Section 103, as part of the River and Harbor Act of 1962. The Feasibility Study and the rest of the CAP Section 103 project was managed by the Army Corps with the City as the non-Federal sponsor.
In May 2023, Army Corps released the final detailed project report and environmental assessment (DPR/EA) as part of the feasibility study phase. The DPR/EA recommended the City construct two steel sheetpile floodwalls capped with concrete on the north and south sides of the WQCP along with a ringwall constructed to fully surround Pump Station 4 (Attachment 2).
The next step of this project is to execute the Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) for the design and implementation phase. The estimated total design and implementation costs to move forward with the recommended alternative are estimated to be $16,800,599. The design and implementation costs will be shared as a 65/35 split between the Army Corps and the City. The entire project cost, including the feasibility phase cost, is estimated to be $17,970,599. The Army Corp has a cap at $10,000,000. Based on this framework, it is estimated the total remaining cost share for the City would be $7,385,599. The City will receive a credit for owning the project property, which will lower the cost share by $1,733,461 to $5,652,138.
The following is a summary of the split cost.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Army Corps has estimated that the City’s portion of the shared cost for the implementation of the recommendation of the feasibility study would be $5,652,138. The City has appropriated $6,213,572 to project ss1802 as part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program budget using Sewer Enterprise Funds and San Bruno Sewer Funds, of which $5,391,833.62 remains. Budget Amendment Number 25.029 would transfer $260,304.38 from the Sewer Enterprise Funds to ss1802 to increase the available project budget to match the estimated City cost share. There are sufficient funds within the Sewer Enterprise Funds, and a proportionate share would be charged to San Bruno as this is a capital improvement project for the WQCP. This would increase the total project budget to $6,473,876.38 (original budget increased by Budget Amendment Number 25.029).
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Approval of this action will contribute to the City’s Strategic Plan outcome of improved Quality of Life by protecting sewer service to the City’s residents and businesses.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving and authorizing the City Manager to execute a Project Partnership Agreement with the Department of the Army for the Design and Implementation of the Water Quality Control Plant Sea Level Rise Project (ss1802) in the amount projected to be $5,652,138 and approving Budget Amendment Number 25.029.
Attachments:
1. 2018 San Mateo County Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment
2. Project Footprint Map