Purpose

This staff report requests authorization to execute Service Agreement AO-5045 with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) for the construction of Service Connection B-06.  Burbank will pay MWD for their engineering and construction costs related to the service turnout, control valve structure and meter structure.  The estimated reimbursement to MWD is $878,000.  MWD will grant Burbank a renewable 50-year license for the construction, operation, access, repair and maintenance of the delivery pipeline that Burbank will construct in the MWD right-of-way to deliver water from the service turnout to the Pacoima Wash.  The project is budgeted for $2.0 million in the Fiscal Year 2004/05 budget.

Background

The Burbank Water and Power, Water Division, proposes to construct a Replenishment Water Service Connection at the east portal of the MWD San Fernando tunnel.  The connection will consist of the appropriate control valves and metering devices to operate the connection.  Approximately 1,050 feet of 48-inch diameter, ductile iron pipe will move the water to the Pacoima Wash and a diversion and energy dissipation structure will be constructed at the Pacoima Wash channel.  The Pacoima Wash channel diversion will allow the water to flow to the Pacoima Spreading Grounds.  Los Angeles County Department of Public Works currently operates and maintains the channel and will divert the water from the Pacoima Wash into the spreading grounds, utilizing existing infrastructure. 

The stored groundwater will be extracted by the Burbank Operable Unit (BOU) well field pumping facilities.  The BOU facilities has eight wells specifically sited to intercept the VOC contaminant plume, a well water collection and transmission system, a VOC removal treatment plant, and a treated water disinfection system.  The BOU facilities have been operating since 1996.  The BOU produces between 11,000 and 13,000 Acre-Feet per year (AF/Y).

Burbank cannot legally pump groundwater out of the San Fernando Basin unless it creates ground water credits.  Such credits are earned through the importation and storage of water in the basin.  Burbank creates groundwater credits through its Import Return Water Credit and through direct spreading.  Groundwater credits from importation return averages about 5,000 AF/Y.  In addition, Burbank will implement direct spreading from the proposed Replenishment Water Service Connection.  The connection will be used to provide approximately 6,000 to 8,000 AF/Y on an on-going basis.

The BOU is essential in removing VOC contaminant from the San Fernando Basin and restoring the usefulness of the basin�s groundwater resources.  Until contaminant plumes are removed, the naturally occurring groundwater resource and the import return water are unusable without treatment.  Until such plumes are removed, the ground water has to be processed through costly treatment systems.  Currently, Lockheed-Martin Corporation is obligated by the Second Consent Decree to pay the treatment costs for the BOU through 2016.

The Water Division anticipates an 8,000 AF/Y credit from the spreading grounds and a 5,000 AF/Y credit from import return, creating a 13,000 AF/Y pumping allowance at maximum annual BOU production.  The proposed 8,000 AF represents 35% of Burbank's yearly domestic water consumption.  The 13,000 AF/Y produced at the BOU represents 56% of the system demand.  The remaining 44% of system demand is provided by MWD as treated water service.  The MWD Replenishment Service Water is the most economic resource available for creating ground water credits.  It is the City's obligation to provide replenishment water for the operation of the BOU in response to the City�s requirement in the EPA Second Consent Decree.

Analysis

 The 1979 Superior Court Judgment for the San Fernando Basin awarded naturally occurring groundwater to the City of Los Angeles and created the Import Return Groundwater Credit that Burbank utilizes.  The Court also established the Upper Los Angeles River Area (ULARA) Watermaster.  The ULARA Watermaster accounts for all annual pumping and spreading of water in the basin and publishes groundwater credit balances for basin participants in its Annual Report to the Court.

Burbank�s groundwater credit balance grew from 1979 to 1995 due to the Import Return Credit as little or no groundwater was pumped because of VOC contamination.  The balance was over 60,000 AF in 1996 when the BOU went into production.  BOU production exceeds the Import Return Credit so the balance has steadily declined.  The current balance is about 23,000 AF.  The current spreading plan is to ramp up the annual purchase of water for spreading through fiscal year 2007/2008 so that Burbank will reach a balanced operation between groundwater pumping and earned imported water credits at that time.

The key to efficient operation is to purchase this water as economically as possible.  The Replenishment Service offered seasonally by the MWD is currently $230/AF.  Burbank can exercise a provision in the Superior Court Judgment, and purchase up to 4,200 AF from the City of Los Angeles for approximately $280/AF.  MWD also offers raw untreated water that is not part of their Replenishment Service for $330/AF.  The differential cost of the alternative sources when purchasing 6,000 AF/Y are $300,000 and $400,000 more per year, respectively.  Burbank will have to buy the replenishment water to meet its on-going Basin obligations.  Constructing our own Replenishment Water Service Connection is clearly the best choice and will recovers its cost in cost savings in five or six years of operation.

Fiscal Impact Statement

MWD will bill Burbank on a cost reimbursable basis for their work on the connection.  The current estimate for the MWD work is $878,000, which includes $110,000 in contingency.  The project is funded in the Fiscal Year 2004/05 BWP Water Division budget.

Recommendation

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the proposed resolution entitled:

A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK APPROVING THE AGREEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF SERVICE CONNECTION B-06, AGREEMENT NO. A0-5045, BETWEEN THE CITY OF BURBANK AND THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

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