FROM: Robert Thompson, General Manager
Originator: Mike Dorman, Director of Engineering
SUBJECT:
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BAY BRIDGE PUMP STATION REPLACEMENT, PROJECT NO. 5-67
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
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RECOMMENDATION:
A. Approve a Utility Permit Agreement with the County of Orange for installing force mains under the Lower Newport Bay Channel for the Bay Bridge Pump Station Replacement, Project No. 5-67; and
B. Approve a one-time payment of $5,000 to the County of Orange for fees associated with the Utility Permit Agreement.
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BACKGROUND
The Bay Bridge Pump Station is located on East Coast Highway just east of the Lower Newport Bay Channel. The force mains are routed under East Coast Highway and Lower Newport Bay Channel. The pump station and force mains are critical to the Orange County Sanitation District’s (OC San) infrastructure as it conveys over half of Newport Beach’s wastewater. The pump station and force mains are at the end of their useful life and require replacement to ensure continuous service.
The new force mains will be constructed under the East Coast Highway and Lower Newport Bay Channel via micro tunneling. The Lower Newport Bay Channel is part of the tidelands and submerged lands granted in trust to the County of Orange by the State of California.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
• Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities
PROBLEM
OC San cannot construct the new force mains underneath the Lower Newport Bay Channel without permission in the form of a Utility Permit Agreement with the County of Orange.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Enter into a Utility Permit Agreement with the County of Orange to install the new force mains underneath the Lower Newport Bay Channel.
TIMING CONCERNS
Construction cannot begin until this agreement is in place. Delaying the approval of this agreement could delay the start of construction which is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2025.
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION
The reliability of the system will remain compromised until the pump station and force mains are replaced. There is a risk of pump station and force mains failure, potentially causing a spill into the Lower Newport Bay Channel.
PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS
September 2023 - Approved a License Agreement with the City of Newport Beach for the construction staging area for the Bay Bridge Pump Station and Force Mains Replacement, Project No. 5-67.
July 2023 - Adopted Resolution No. OC SAN 23-13 entitled, “A Resolution of the Orange County Sanitation District Board of Directors receiving and filing the Addendum to the Environmental Impact Report for the Bay Bridge Pump Station and Force Mains Replacement Project No. 5-67 and approving the Modified Project”.
February 2021 - Adopted Resolution No. OC SAN 21-03, entitled: “A Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Sanitation District Certifying the Environmental Impact Report for the Bay Bridge Pump Station and Force Mains Replacement Project, Project No. 5-67; Adopting the Mitigation Monitoring Program; and Approving the Bay Bridge Pump Station and Force Mains Replacement Project, Project No. 5-67”.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
N/A
CEQA
OC San, as lead agency, prepared a Final Program Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") for the Bay Bridge Pump Station and Force Mains Replacement Project, Project No. 5-67, dated May 2018. OC San ultimately certified the EIR for the Project on February 24, 2021. In response to a court ruling, the project was modified and the impacts of those modifications were analyzed in an Addendum to the EIR. OC San received and filed the Addendum and approved the modified project on July 26, 2023. (Public Resources Code Section 21166; CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, 15164.)
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
This request complies with the authority levels of OC San’s Purchasing Ordinance. This item has been budgeted (Budget FY 2024-25 and 2025-26, Section 8, Page 27, Bay Bridge Pump Station Replacement, Project No. 5-67) and the budget is sufficient for the recommended action.
ATTACHMENT
The following attachment(s) may be viewed on-line at the OC San website (www.ocsan.gov) with the complete agenda package:
• Utility Permit Agreement
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