On October 23, 2018, Congress signed into law the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA). Per Section 2013 of Title II, the AWIA requires all drinking water utilities to conduct an RRA of their community water system and develop a corresponding ERP.  All drinking water utilities with greater than 3,000 customers must complete these efforts and self-certify their compliance within the next two (2) years depending on the size of the agency.

MWDOC was requested to facilitate this joint effort to retain one consulting firm to prepare RRA's and ERP's, and to potentially save time and costs through economies of scale.  In May 2019, MWDOC solicited Request for Proposals to prepare an RRA and ERP on behalf of MWDOC member agencies, of which Garden Grove is a member.  A selection committee evaluated the proposals and recommended Herndon Solutions Group (HSG) based on their proposal being geared towards efficiency and partnership with MWDOC in obtaining key information such as data collection and risk analyses.

MWDOC proposed a 3 Phase process to meet the AWIA requirements. Phase 1 will determine what resources each agency already has and identify any deficiencies for compliance. Phase 2 will consist of the completion of the RRA to determine the risk and resilience of all drinking water assets (physical, operational, and cyber) owned, utilized, or operated by each participating agency in accordance with industry standards. Phase 3 will be tailored to each agency’s needs, based on the level of ERP development required. Each agency will receive the support and attention of experienced emergency planners to update their ERP documents.

MWDOC recommended that all agencies participate in Phase 1, as the determination of resources and identification of deficiencies is key to the completion of Phases 2 and 3. A letter of commitment indicating participation in Phase 1 was submitted to MWDOC and will be handled as a separate item than Phase 2 and 3.

In accordance with the AWIA, the RRA and updated ERP must be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by March 31, 2020, and September 30, 2020, respectively. Staff has limited resources and an aggressive schedule in which to complete the RRA and ERP by the required due date.  Therefore, staff is seeking to enter into a cost sharing agreement, in the amount of $145,405 with MWDOC to have HSG prepare the City’s RRA and ERP update.  

There is no impact to the General Fund. For this cost sharing agreement, funding in the amount of $145,405 has been allocated in the Fiscal Year 2019-20 Water Enterprise Budget. 

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Approve the cost sharing agreement with the Municipal Water District Orange County for sharing consultant costs, in the amount of $145,405, for the preparation of a Risk and Resilience Assessment and update of an Emergency Response Plan to implement the 2019 America’s Water Infrastructure Act Compliance; and
  

•  Authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement on behalf of the City.

By:     Katie Delfin, Senior Administrative Analyst