Approve agreement with SB Coleman, dba Sanbell, in the amount of $150,000 for the period of December 13, 2024, through December 31, 2025 for the provision of a Water/Wastewater Consolidation Feasibility Study for the town of Dunnigan. (No general fund impact) (Lindbo/Trebec)

The funds for the consolidation feasibility study are part of the $200,000 allocated from the American Rescue Plan funds for Community Service Districts in the County. SB Coleman shall provide the County professional consulting services to conduct an operational and infrastructure consolidation feasibility study that will provide a comprehensive overview of current conditions and phased recommendations for consolidating domestic well users in the unincorporated community of Dunnigan with the existing drinking water and wastewater treatment entity, California American Water (“CalAM-Dunnigan”), including alternative organizational and system models that minimize long-term costs and maximize overall efficiencies.

The rural community of Dunnigan is in the northeastern portion of Yolo County, bisected by Interstate 5, just north of the interchange between I-505 and I-5.  The City of Woodland is located approximately 14 miles to the south, and the town of Arbuckle, in Colusa County, is located approximately 8 miles to the north. Dunnigan is located within County Supervisorial District 5. The 2020 population of Dunnigan is 1,390 and the median household income is $40,875 (45% of state MHI). There are approximately 501 housing units in Dunnigan, with a vacancy rate of less than 5%. Owner-occupied housing units account for 60% of the total housing units. The town has one small community water system and primarily relies on individual groundwater wells, septic systems, and small wastewater treatment facilities with ponds.

The CalAM-Dunnigan service area, as approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, encompasses the entirety of the Dunnigan community; however, the infrastructure currently only serves the southeastern portion of Dunnigan. CalAM-Dunnigan’s sole water supply source is groundwater that is pumped by two active wells. CalAM-Dunnigan is part of the greater Sacramento service area, which has approximately 65,000 connections. CalAM’s Dunnigan distribution system has 153 existing domestic connections and 13 existing commercial connections. CalAM-Dunnigan currently provides potable water to approximately 600 people. The remaining population, approximately 800 residents and 350 dwelling units, is served by individual domestic wells. The majority of the domestic wells access water in the shallow aquifer, and at similar depths, which leaves the wells vulnerable to large fluctuations in groundwater levels, which can occur in periods of drought. Should the groundwater levels drop precipitously in this area, hundreds of residents may be without access to potable water. Consolidation with CalAM-Dunnigan is being explored as a proactive mitigation measure against future extreme drought events.

CalAM-Dunnigan employs drinking water treatment technologies to remove hexavalent chromium, and uses chlorination for disinfection, to maintain water quality in the Dunnigan water distribution system. A 2022 analysis of this system found that the water source is most vulnerable to the following activities: sewage collection, high density housing, a nearby RV park, transportation corridors (busy nearby freeway, railroad tracks, community streets, and rural roads where illegal dumping is a possibility), and farming.

System consolidation options/recommendations shall include:

The Department of Community Services worked with the Department of General Services, Procurement Division in the competitive bidding process. The agreement was approved as to form by County Counsel. 

On May 9, 2024, the County, via the Department of General Services, Procurement Division, issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of the Department of Community Services (DCS). The County accepted bids through June 6, 2024, and received one proposal from this solicitation. The Procurement Division reviewed the proposal for minimum requirements and moved the proposal forward to the Review Committee, comprised of two DCS staff and one Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) staff member.

The Review Committee evaluated the proposal and determined that the proposal submitted by SB Coleman met all the required qualifications necessary to successfully provide these services.  On July 9, 2024, the County issued an Intent to Award letter.