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Home My WebLink AboutAGENDA REPORT 1994 1102 CC REG ITEM 11EAGENDA REPORT C i ty o f Moorpark To: The Honorable City Council From: Ken Gilbert, Director of Public Works Date: October 7, 1994 (Meeting 10- 19 -94) IT E. 11 • 10-107 ?'ASK, CA! ETC" < : ",/Council Moetncg Subject: Consider Authorizing Staff to Solicit Proposals for a Feasibility Study to Construct a Pumping and Transport System to Convey Groundwater from the Water Wells at Arroyo Vista Community Park to other City Parks and Landscaped Areas in the City This report requests authorization to proceed with steps necessary to retain a consultant to investigate the feasibility of constructing a pumping and transport system to convey groundwater from the City -owned irrigation water wells located at Arroyo Vista Community Park, to all or a significant number of City parks, parkways and medians located throughout the City. Background The property upon which the Arroyo Vista Community Park is constructed was conveyed to the City with two existing water wells. These water wells, which are more than forty (40) years old, were used by the prior owners /tenants of the property to provide irrigation water to the prior agricultural uses of the property. The design for the irrigation system for Arroyo Vista Community Park utilizes these water wells to provide irrigation water to the park. The City is in the process of drilling a replacement well for one of the existing wells which was recently abandoned. Ultimately, it is proposed that the second well also be replaced. val_axpt 00227 Irrigation Water October 1994 Page 2 Discussion Transport System A. Extraction Rights The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency ( FCGWMA) has advised City staff that the maximum amount of groundwater which can be extracted from these two wells is approximately 574 acre feet (af) per year. The estimated amount of water required to irrigate the present 33 acre park is approximately 100 of per year. The estimated amount of water required to irrigate Arroyo Vista Community Park subsequent to full development is approximately 200 of per year. This leaves approximately 374 of per year of groundwater extraction rights which are not anticipated to be required for the irrigation of Arroyo Vista Community Park. In addition, staff has learned that the City may be able to acquire additional groundwater extraction rights, making even more groundwater available for other uses. B. FCGWMA Regulations The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency ( FCGWMA) has established regulations requiring owners of water wells under their jurisdiction to gradually reduce the amount of groundwater extracted over the next several years. These regulations may have a bearing on the feasibility of developing and implementing the subject concept. C. Irrigation Water Needs Staff has prepared a survey of all of the City parks (other than Arroyo Vista Community Park) and the City - maintained parkways and medians. That survey indicates that the annual irrigation water demands and costs for all of the parks, parkways and medians now maintained by the City is estimated to be approximately as follows: AF /Yr Cost /Yr ($) City Parks 163 100,000 Parkways & Medians 70 40,000 233 140,000 From this preliminary estimate it appears that the City has sufficient unused groundwater extraction rights to serve these facilities. rel_expt V V 2 Z v 1% Irrigation Water Transport System October 1994 Page 3 D. Water Cost Comparison 1. Purchased Water: The above chart indicates that the City's annual water purchase costs for landscape irrigation is approximately $140,000. With the rate increases being proposed by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), it is anticipated that the cost of purchased water will increase at a rate much higher than inflation over the next several years. 2. Reclaimed Water: Like other water purveyors in Southern California, the County Waterworks District #1 is looking into the feasibility of marketing reclaimed water from their sewage treatment plant. As you know, the maximum amount of this resource available to the District for this purpose is limited to the volume of the treatment plant effluent. It is the understanding of City staff that, when and if the District is in a position to distribute reclaimed water to its agricultural use customers, the cost for this product would be comparable to the cost of potable water. The primary objective of developing this resource is a water conservation effort aimed at lessening regional dependence on water imported from sources outside of Southern California. 3. Well Water: If approved, the cost to construct the capital improvements necessary to extract, store, pump and distribute groundwater to the City's landscaped areas would be amortized over a thirty (30) year period. It is anticipated that this cost would be considerably less than the cost of purchased potable or reclaimed water. E. Groundwater Transport System The objective of the subject feasibility study would be to determine if it would be cost effective to construct storage facilities, booster pumps and water transport lines to convey groundwater pumped from the Arroyo Vista Community Park irrigation water wells to some or all of the parkways, medians and City Parks in the City. That study would consider a number of factors in providing this analysis, including the following: • the irrigation water requirements of those facilities; • the extraction limitations imposed by FCGWMA; vel_expt 14 �.. Irrigation Water Transport System October 1994 Page 4 • the estimated amount of the capital improvement costs; • the long term maintenance and operation costs; • the estimated capital replacement costs; and, • an assessment of the cost /benefit (or amortization period) of the capital construction cost as compared to the long term savings in water purchase costs. F. Estimated Cost of Consultant Study Although a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) has not been prepared and the full scope of work has not yet been defined by a Proposal prepared by a qualified Consultant, it is estimated that the cost of performing the subject study would be between $10,000 and $20,000. G. Committee Recommendation At .a recent meeting of the Public Works, Facilities and Solid Waste Committee (Councilmembers Wozniak and Montgomery) discussed the subject project and recommended that the City proceed with the steps necessary to have a Feasibility Study prepared. H. FY 1994195 Goals & Objectives This new project is not listed as one of the identified objectives in the FY 1994/95 Goals & Objectives being considered by the City Council. If this prject is approved, it is recommended that it be added to the list of Goals and Objectives as a high priority ( *) item. I. Fiscal Impact If approved, it is the recommendation of staff that the subject study be funded by a loan from the General Fund, to be repaid by Assessment Districts 84 -2 and 85 -1. The repayment of this loan could be handled in a number of ways including the following: • repayment of the loan from the FY 1995/96 assessments; • repayment of the loan spread over several years; • repayment of the loan whether or not the program is actually implemented; • repayment only if the program is designed, constructed and implemented; ve7_eupt Irrigation Water Transport System October 1994 Page 5 • deferral of the repayment until actual irrigation water cost savings are realized by the Assessment Districts through the implementation of this program; or, • future City Council action to forgive the loan if the irrigation water distribution system is not implemented. It is also recommended that the actual appropriation and budget amendment for the subject study be deferred until the City Council considers a staff report recommending retaining a consultant to perform the study. The Public Works, Facilities and Solid Waste Committee recommend that the City Council authorize staff to proceed with the steps required to solicit proposals for a study to evaluate the feasibility of developing and implementing the above described irrigation well water distribution system. vel expt