Title
a. Approve Amendment No. 2 to Joint Funding Agreement (JFA) 16WSCA600466210 with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to include new additional tasks to complete the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation which includes hydrologic model development and technical reports and trainings, in the amount of $509,622 ($463,292 to be funded by County; $46,330 to be funded by USGS), for a total amount not to exceed $1,330,560 ($1,220,622 to be funded by County; $109,938 to be funded by USGS), and extend the term to October 31, 2021; and
b. Authorize the Resource Management Agency Director to execute Amendment No. 2 to Joint Funding Agreement No. 16WSCA600466210 and future amendments to the Agreement where the amendments do not significantly alter the scope of work or change the approved Agreement amount.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve Amendment No. 2 to Joint Funding Agreement (JFA) 16WSCA600466210 with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to include new additional tasks to complete the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation which includes hydrologic model development and technical reports and trainings, in the amount of $509,622 ($463,292 to be paid by County; $46,330 to be paid by USGS), for a total amount not to exceed $1,330,560 ($1,220,622 to be paid by County; $109,938 to be paid by USGS), and extend the term to October 31, 2021.; and
b. Authorize the Resource Management Agency Director to execute Amendment No. 2 to Joint Funding Agreement No. 16WSCA600466210 and future amendments to the Agreement where the amendments do not significantly alter the scope of work or change the approved Agreement amount.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
As part of a settlement of litigation over the 2010 Monterey County General Plan, in July 2014, the County began a five-year comprehensive water resources assessment of Zone 2C of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin - the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation (“Investigation”). A primary objective of the Investigation is to assess the general health of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (SVGB) with regards to its ability to provide a sustainable supply of water for land use activities projected to the year 2030 to meet County General Plan obligation. The project will also assess conditions of the SVGB to the year 2040 to meet the planning horizon for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
As part of the Investigation the County entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to configure and calibrate an integrated comprehensive hydrogeologic model to assess the general health of the Groundwater Basin. A preliminary version of the Salinas Valley Integrated Hydrologic Model (SVIHM) has been calibrated through the historical hydrologic period 1967 - 2014; the SVIHM-2014. Additional updates and calibrations are scheduled throughout the five-year Investigation for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The completed and refined SVIHM will allow for modeling of groundwater levels, seawater intrusion, and analysis of a water budget. Results and products from the initial SVIHM analyses were presented to the Board of Supervisors on July 11, 2017 (Legistar File No. 17-0712).
This is Amendment No. 2 to the Joint Funding Agreement No. 16WSCA600466210 adds new tasks to the scope of work and increases the budget for the USGS to continue development of the model and related analyses, including:
1. SVIHM refinements for the 1967-2014 historical model
2. Development of a new land use and water demand tool & methodology
3. Future model update training and model transfer
4. Scientific Investigations Reports and Fact Sheets,
5. model archive and data releases were included in the original agreement and are funded in this amendment
Items 1-3 are new tasks added to USGS’s Scope of Work. Items 4 and 5 were unfunded tasks included in the original agreement. See Attachment 5 - Scope of Work and Fee Schedule for additional details.
The proposed actions are not projects under CEQA per CEQA Guideline Sections 15060 (c) (3) and 15378(b) (4). The actions create funding mechanisms and will not result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Office of the County Counsel, Auditor-Controller Office and Risk Management have reviewed and approved JFA 16WSCA600466210-A2 as to form and legality, and fiscal and liability provisions, respectively. Monterey County Water Resources Agency is providing, under a Memorandum of Understanding with the County, technical and managerial support to the SVGB Investigation.
FINANCING:
Total expenditures since 2010 related to litigation of the 2010 Monterey County General Plan and the resultant Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation is $1,632,717. It is estimated that the total cost to complete this project will be $2,253,378 through FY2020-2021.
On May 8, 2015, the Resource Management Agency (RMA) entered into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Act Agreement (15WSZG00154386, ICA#15-4386) with the USGS for their participation in the SVGB Investigation for a total cost of $21,786. In March of 2016 the County and USGS entered into a Joint Funding Agreement No.16WSCA600466210 (JFA), with a term from January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2019 in the amount of $757,330. The JFA was amended (JFA No. 16WSCA600466210-A1) in June 2016 to increase the match funding commitment of the USGS to $63,608, increasing the total amount for the agreement to $820,908.
A total of $$743,505.94 has been paid to the USGS through FY17 for work performed pursuant to the JFA. Amendment No.2 increases the agreement amount by $509,622, for a total agreement amount of $1,330,560. Amendment No.2 increases the County’s contribution by $463,292, for an agreement total of $1,220,622. The USGS increases its contribution in Amendment No.2 by $46,330, bringing USGS’s total contribution to $109,938, subject to the availability of Cooperative Matching Funds (CMF).
The FY 2017-18 Recommended Budget included one-time funding for costs associated with the Salinas Valley Water Basin Study in the amount of $428,000. Expenditures in FY18 for USGS are anticipated to be $246,483.06. There are sufficient funds in the RMA’s FY18 Adopted Budget (RMA001-001-30000-8172) to cover these costs. Ongoing work associated with the amendment will require additional funding in future fiscal years. The remaining $230,633 in the USGS Amendment 2 budget is for work anticipated in FY2018-19 (estimated $105,618), FY2019-20 (estimated $109,725) and FY2020-21 (estimated $15,290). Staff will return to the Board to request funding for future years as part of the annual budget process.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The execution of the agreement to complete the development of the SVGB Investigation supports the Board’s 2011- 2015 Strategic Initiative (SI) No. 16 to Complete the 5-Year Report related to the General Plan Policy PS-3.1. These actions implement policy language in the County General Plan that was amended in 2013 as part of a settlement agreement with the Salinas Valley Water Coalition. Monterey County Water Resources Agency, Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA), and others can use the model created for the County’s assessment. This model will benefit projects like the Interlake Tunnel.
Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives
____ Economic Development
X Administration
____ Health and Human Services
X Infrastructure
____ Public Safety
Prepared by: Melanie Beretti, RMA Services Manager X5285
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, AICP, RMA Director
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - JFA Amendment and Budget Summary
Attachment 2 - Joint Funding Agreement No. 16WSCA600466210-A2
Attachment 3 - Joint Funding Agreement No. 16WSCA600466210
Attachment 4 - Joint Funding Agreement No. 16WSCA600466210-A1 with Addendum
Attachment 5 - Amended Scope and Fee Schedule for Agreement #16WSCA600466210