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Home My WebLink About01-22-08 EO&WR Committee PacketOTAY WATER DISTRICT ENGINEERING, OPERATIONS & WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING and SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2554 SWEETWATER SPRINGS BOULEVARD SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA Board Room Tuesday January 22, 2008 12:00 P.M. This is a District Committee meeting. This meeting is being posted as a special meeting in order to comply with the Brown Act (Government Code Section §54954.2) in the event that a quorum of the Board is present. Items will be deliberated. however, no formal board actions will be taken at this meeting. The committee makes recommendations to the full board for its consideration and formal action. AGENDA 1. ROLL CALL 2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION-OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ON ANY SUBJECT MATTER WITHIN THE BOARD'S JURISDICTION BUT NOT AN ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA INFORMATION I ACTION ITEMS 3. APPROVAL OF AN 18-MONTH EXTENSION OF THE AGREEMENT TIME FOR THE JONES & STROKES PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES CONTRACT FOR THE HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA (HMA) MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING (RIPPERGER/COBURN-BOYD) [10 minutes] 4. ADJOURNMENT BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: Jose Lopez, Chair Gary Croucher All items appearing on this agenda, whether or not expressly listed for action, may be deliberated and may be subject to action by the Board. If you have any disability that would require accommodation in order to enable you to participate in this meeting, please call the District Secretary at 670-2280 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Certification of Posting I certify that on January 18, 2008 I posted a copy of the foregoing agenda near the regular meeting place of the Board of Directors of Otay Water District, said time be- ing at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting of the Board of Directors (Government Code Section §54954.2). Executed at Spring Valley, California on January 18, 2008. Connie Rathbone, Assistant District Secretary G:\UserData\DistSec\WINWORDICOMMITTEE MEETINGS\AD HOC EXECUTIVE\Ad Hoc Engr'g & Water Ops\Agenda\AGENDA Eng-Ops 1-22-0S.DOC 2 STAFF REPORT TYPE MEETING: Regular Board SUBMITTED BY: Lisa Coburn-Boyd CJ,C-5 Environmental Compliance Specialist APPROVED BY: (ChieQ Ron Ripperger~ Engineering Manager Rod Posad~~ Chief, Engineering Manny Magan~~ AGENDA ITEM 3 MEETING DATE: Project/Subproject: p 1253/002000 February 6, 2008 DIV. NO. 4 APPROVED BY: (Asst. GM): Assistant GeneraiJNanager, Engineering and Operations SUBJECT: Time extension for the Professional Environmental Services Contract issued to Jones & Stokes for the Habitat Management Area Maintenance and Monitoring GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION: That the Otay Water District (District) Board approves an eighteen (18) month extension of the agreement time for the Jones & Stokes Professional Environmental Services Contract for the Habitat Management Area (HMA) Maintenance and Monitoring (see Exhibit A for locations). COMMITTEE ACTION: Please see Attachment A. PURPOSE: To update the Board regarding the status of Jones & Stokes progress in maintaining, monitoring, and reporting for the HMA and to obtain Board approval authorizing the General Manager to extend the original agreement for an additional 18-month time period. ANALYSIS: At the March 13, 2006, meeting the Board awarded a contract to Jones & Stokes to provide environmental services for a two year period with an optional time extension of one year based on performance. However, the agreement was executed for only an eighteen month period to try and match the Fiscal Year cycle. In order to utilize the complete three year option, Staff is requesting an 18-month extension that will be for one time only. The original contract amount of $566,443 will be sufficient and will not change. The HMA Jones & Stokes has performed a variety of work within the HMA to improve the quality of the existing habitat. They have been intensively working to improve the productivity of the Native Grasslands area which was in very poor condition when their contract began. Native species are now well distributed throughout the grassland and invasive non-native species have been effectively suppressed. Their successful efforts need to be continued or this area could be in jeopardy again. The artificial burrows in the burrowing owl restoration area are located within the grasslands area of the HMA. These burrows have not been used by burrowing owls for several years because of the poor conditions of the grasslands area. With the current success in this area, it is hoped that the burrows might be used again by the burrowing owls in coming years. The Rickey Pond restoration area is flourishing due to the efforts of Jones & Stokes. They have planted many willow cuttings around the pond area which are thriving and weed populations within the area are being effectively controlled. Jones & Stokes biologists also conduct periodic surveys of the HMA for plants and animals species, as required by the California Department of Fish & Game and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The results of these surveys and the description of management and maintenance efforts are presented in the monthly HMA progress reports for the District and in the annual reports which must also be sent to the California Department of Fish & Game and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The District is required to maintain and report on the HMA in perpetuity to satisfy the Section 7 Biological Opinion approval of many of the District's CIP projects by the Resource Agencies. The October 2007 Harris wildfire caused extensive damage to the HMA. About seventy-five percent of the vegetation was burned. Fortunately, two of the mitigation areas, the Native grasslands and the area directly around Rickey Pond were not burned in the fire and the efforts described above will continue. Jones & Stokes has evaluated the fire damage and has prepared a plan of action for the next eighteen months. There are specific fire-related tasks that have already begun in order to maintain the integrity of the HMA. These include repair of damage to the irrigation system and perimeter fencing and installation of erosion control measures. The District hopes to recover some of the cost for these tasks through FEMA. During the next six (6) months, Jones & Stokes will need to increase their monitoring of the HMA in order to keep track of rain related issues such as plant germination and potential erosion problems. The 2 scope of work for the next eighteen months is included in Attachment B. The Wildlife Agencies, US Fish & Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish & Game, are the agencies that established the operating procedures for the HMA. They expect that the burned areas will recover naturally with time. The Operating Procedures state that wildfires are a stochastic event beyond the control of the District and will not affect the mitigation value of the HMA. They also state that this type of event is considered to be temporary and does not remove the responsibility of site management. --~ ;:%:f?/, FISCAL IMPACT: The funds for this contract are covered by the existing operating budget. $350,000 is budgeted for the HMA maintenance and monitoring for Fiscal Year 2008. For future fiscal years covered by this extension, funds will be budgeted appropriately for the tasks that are covered under the HMA contract. STRATEGIC GOAL: This project supports the District's strategic goal of creating a comprehensive environmental program that is proactive in response to environmental compliance. LEGAL IMPACT: General Manager P:\WORKING\CIP W253 HMA\WO 8645\Staff Reports\HMA contract extension staff report 01-0S.doc LC-B/RR:jf Attachments: Attachment A Attachment B Exhibit A 3 Sl •I '" P1253/002000 r;N.O. 8645) ATTACHMENT A Time extension for the Professional Environmental Services Contract issued to Jones & Stokes for the Habitat Management Area Maintenance and Monitoring COMMITTEE ACTION: The Engineering, Operations, and Water Resources Committee reviewed this item at a meeting held on January 22, 2008. The Committee supported Staff's recommendation. NOTE: The "Committee Action" is written in anticipation of the Committee moving the item forward for Board approval. This report will be sent to the Board as a Committee approved item, or modified to reflect any discussion or changes as directed from the Committee prior to presentation to the full Board. ATTACHMENT B !si.iaJE:crifiR:o3E:ci':···I-Time ~~t:~ri:S:Lc:;;:; :fo~ t:iler~of~:s;;;:c:;;:;a:iEfi:Vi~onmental s~~vices-t_ 1 ! p12531002000 i Contract issued to Jones & Stokes for the Habitat I 0fV.0--~-~-~5)-________ t_~an·~-~-~:::~ Area·--~~-~~-~:~~~-~:-and·---~=~~-~o~ing ·········--····· ···················· .. 1 San Miguel Habitat Management Area Scope of Work Standard Monitoring (twice per month through July 2008, once per month thereafter) For the Native Grassland Area: Assess the general site conditions. Inspect owl burrows for any sign of activity. Identify any weed species that are becoming problematic, mapping these areas and communicate the need for increased weeding to D&D. Take photographs from monitoring points. Document any sensitive flora/fauna. HRS: 195 $ 16,500.00 For Rickey Pond Area: Inspect the restoration area for signs of new seedling establishment. Make a qualitative assessment of the various fresh water marsh plants including willows, mule fat, and coyote bush. Document signs of natural recruitment, weed outbreaks, erosion issues. Take photographs from monitoring points. Document any sensitive flora/fauna. For the general HMA: HRS: 154 $ 13,000.00 Inspect for any potential problems or threats to biological resources. Identify invasive weed species. Look for erosion or trash (illegal dumping). Inspect the condition of the fence line. Assess the conditions for the various sensitive species, both plant and animal. Document any sensitive flora/fauna. Note: Twice per month monitoring is necessary through June 2008 in order to conduct a more thorough inspection of the burned areas to document what plant species are recruiting. Large outbreaks of non- native species must be caught early to prevent a large scale conversion of fire-affected areas. One visit per month does not allow enough time to thoroughly inspect the hillsides for these conditions. HRS: 120 $ 10,140.00 Survey Tasks Surveys conducted once per year during species specific times. The following surveys are required by the Wildlife Agencies. Quine Checkerspot butterfly surveys Least Bells Vireo surveys California Gnatcatcher surveys Rare plant surveys Vegetation mapping Monthly Reporting HRS: 400 $ 44,000.00 Monthly HMA reports to the District and included in the annual report to the Wildlife Agencies. HRS: 225 $ 17,000.00 Annual reporting Annual report submitted to the District and to US Fish & Wildlife and California Department of Fish & Game. Report includes three volumes, the overall Sam Miguel HMA Report, Native Grasslands Report, and Rickey Pond Report. HRS: 280 $ 24,000.00 Fire-related Tasks Pipes and Pumps Remove 2,308 linear feet of reclaimed 3-inch schedule 40 pvc pipe, fittings, 1-valve, and 300 linear feet of silt fence, haul to the Otay Landfill. Purchase, deliver & install 2,308 linear feet of reclaimed 3-inch schedule 40 pvc pipe, fittings and shutoff valve (re-use steel rebar J-Bar stakes to hold pipe) . Remove 260 linear feet of reclaimed ~-inch schedule 40 pvc pipe, fittings and haul to Otay Landfill. Purchase, deliver & install 260 linear feet of reclaimed ~-inch schedule 40 pvc pipe and fittings. HRS: 60 $ 9,010.00 Fence Damages Remove signs, wire and posts destroyed by fire and haul to Otay Landfill. Purchase, deliver and install posts, signs and wire to replace materials destroyed by fire. HRS: 40 $ 8,100.00 Erosion Control Install 9-12-inch diameter rice straw wattles in strategic areas of all canyon flow channels that carry run-off rain water to all storm drains or water ways off-site. Jones & Stokes recommends a minimal installation, requiring 3,000 linear feet of wattles. HRS: 30 $ 11,000.00 Re-seeding No revegetation seeding or planting of the mature habitat areas that burned is recommended at this time. Good recovery can be expected if we receive minimal rain over the next three year period. A detailed evaluation of vegetation re-growth or losses should be done every four months to determine natural recovery or revegetation planting & seeding, if needed. A good pro-active approach would be to purchase enough native plant seed to hand cultivate in areas with poor natural recovery. Enough seed (25 lbs. per acre) to cover 10% of the burn areas (up to 30 acres) would be a reasonable assumption. All of the fire-related tasks have been submitted to FEMA for cost reimbursement. HRS: N/A $ 44,000.00 Total: HRS: 1,504 $196,750.00 EXHIBIT A Otay Water District San Miguel Habitat Management Area Th Sqn Migu el Hqb itqt Mq nq ge ent Ateq Stqtus of the H MA Bqckgtounq The HMA is a 230 acre biological preserve thqt surrounds the Sqlt Creel< Golf Course in C h u I q Vi stq Functions ~ Mitig'1tion bC1nk with creqits thC1t c(1n be useq to offset (o(1st(1 I 5'1ge Scrub i mpC1cts (1ssoci(1ted with District profects C1nd fC1cilities ~ HC1 bit'1t restor(1tion '1 re(1 for other veget(1tion impC1cts (1ssoci(1ted with the construction of Distrrct profects '1 nd facilities lmporl:qnt Ateqs qt the HMA >-(oqStql Sqge Scrub hqbitqt (210 (1cres) -created in 1994-as required by e1 Section 7 consu lte1tion with US Fish & Wildlife to mitigate for future impacts of District profects to the California gnatcatcher >-Rickey Ponci Restorqtion Areq -to compensate for wetland impacts by the constructron of the 711-3 Reservoir >-Nqtive Grqsslancis Area -for the restoration of 14 acres of ne1trve grasslands required because of impe1cts to burrowing owl e1nd re1ptor fore1ging habitat associated with the construction of the 711- 3 Reservoir and the Salt Creek Golf Course Vegetqtion lmpqcts que to Construction of the 30-inch pipeline, 450-1 Reservoir & 680-1 Pump Stqtion The 1 mp~cts due to the construction oF these profects includes the preserv~tion &lor restor~tton o( the (o[ lowing ~ re~s ~t the H MA >-6.23 ~cres o( 0t'1y T~rpl~nt >-1.20 (1cres o( Co~st~ [ S~ge Scrub h~ bit~t >-0.68 ~ere o( M~ritime Succulent scrub h~bit~t >-1.15 (1cres o(Non-n~tive Gr~ssl~nds h~bit~t >-0.03 ~ere o( Jurisdiction~( Wetl~nds >-0.01 ~ere o( Orcutt's birds-beC1k Photogtaphs of the HMA pte-fire Photographs of the HMA post-fire --------------------------- Wha t 's next fot t he M Al >-Jones & Stokes, our HMA Mctintenctnce & Monitoring contrctctor, hcts surveyed the dct mctge ct nd hcts come up with ct plctn oF work For the ctrect . >-lmmedictte work includes repctirs oF dctmctged irrigcttion system ctnd perimeter Fencing ctnd erosion control mectsures. >-Monitoring during the next 6 months will be increctsed to keep trctck oF ctny ret in relctted issues (erosion, plctnt germincttion). >-Fire is considered to be ct nctturctl occurrence by the wildliFe ctgencies ctnd they ctnticipctte thctt ctrects such cts our HMA will recover with time. >-Jones & Stokes will meet with the wildliFe ctgencies to discuss specific projects (i.e., 30-inch pipeline Project) thctt were to be mitigctted For ctt the HMA to determine whctt their expectcttions ct re For these ct rects. Ttees at the HMA M~ny euc~lyptus trees burned ~nd ~rein d~nger of f'1lling, these will be cut down. These (1re non-n'1tive trees '1nd (1re not needed for mitig'1tion. The gooQ news ... Two mitigation areas did not burn, the native grasslands area and the area around Rickey Pond. ~~~~~ ,., ...... ,~~~B.i Area around Rickey Pond Native grasslands area