The West Orange County Water Board (WOCWB) is a joint powers authority created in 1967 by the cities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, and Westminster for the purpose of maintenance and operation of shared water transmission lines for imported water. 

Of those shared water transmission lines, the OC-9 and OC-35 transmission lines require life extension, as each pipeline is 64 years and 56 years old respectively. The average lifespan of a cement lined and coated steel pipeline ranges between 70 and 80 years. The options to ensure that water service to member agencies would continue into the future would be to replace the pipelines in 10 to 20 years at a cost of $50 million or install a cathodic protection system (CP) at a cost of $8 million. On March 18, 2020, the WOCWB voted to proceed with the installation of a CP, which is also the most cost effective solution.

The WOCWB estimates that OC-9 will cost $3.8 million for a CP and OC-35 would cost $4.2 million for a CP. Due to these costs, WOCWB staff is recommending that the member agencies make an annual payment to a special fund over an eight-year period in order to finance both projects. The WOCWB would accumulate funds for OC-9 based on agency ownership share for the first four years, with design to begin in year three and construction in year four. Similarly, the WOCWB would accumulate funds for OC-35 in years five through eight, with design in year seven and construction in year eight. A table showing the annual breakdown by agency is included as an attachment.

The City of Garden Grove Water Services Division share is set at 4.2 percent of the project amount, for an annual total of $42,000. This will be funded by the Water Enterprise Fund. 

It is recommended that City Council:

• Approve the West Orange County Water Board Cathodic Protection Project.

By:   Samuel K. Kim, P.E. 
        Water Services Manager