Award construction contract to TNT Industrial Contractors, Inc. in the amount of $1,611,249 for Wild Wings County Service Area (Wild Wings CSA) Wood Duck pump station project; authorize the County Administrator, or the Deputy County Administrator as the County Administrator's designee, to execute the contract and approve change orders consistent with the applicable limits of the Public Contract Code but not to exceed a cumulative total of $161,125; and authorize a total project budget not to exceed $1,772,374. (No general fund impact) (Webb/Pavlova)

 

The Wild Wings County Service Area (CSA) is a rural residential golf community located in unincorporated Yolo County, just outside the City of Woodland. The water system, managed by the County of Yolo, supports 338 residences and includes two existing groundwater wells that serve as the community's primary water supply. Installed in 2005, the system consists of the Canvasback and Pintail well sites, two 360,000-gallon water storage tanks, a potable water distribution network, and a raw water conveyance system.

The Canvasback well has been on emergency standby since 2009 due to arsenic concentrations exceeding the State Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). Currently, this well is limited to providing irrigation water through the raw water system. As a result, the Pintail well is the sole provider of potable water for the community, which underscores its critical role in maintaining the water supply as well as the crucial need for stabilizing the community water system.

In recent years, the Canvasback and Pintail wells have experienced significant declines in groundwater levels. To mitigate this, the pumps for both Canvasback and Pintail were lowered in 2018 and again in 2021. However, the Canvasback pump has reached its lowest allowable depth just above the well screens, making further adjustment impossible.

On March 5, 2021, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture designated 50 California counties, including Yolo County, as primary natural disaster areas due to drought.  On May 10, 2021, the Governor of the State of California proclaimed a state of emergency in 41 counties, including Yolo County, due to drought conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed.  The Governor’s proclamation acknowledged that California was in a second consecutive year of dry conditions, resulting in drought or near-drought throughout the state.  On July 27, 2021, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution proclaiming the existence of a local drought emergency and further confirmed the authority of the Director of Emergency Services to implement mandatory restrictions within Wild Wings due to uncertain water supply conditions of the Wild Wings groundwater wells.  

As of early spring 2021, the drought impacted the Wild Wings domestic wells: both wells were approximately 18 feet lower than the previous year, and the Canvasback well was not available for emergency use.  As a consequence of the ongoing drought and negative impacts to Wild Wings residents, Yolo County applied for emergency grant funding from the California Department of Water Resources through its Small Community Drought Relief Program in order to improve water conditions in Wild Wings.  The County was fortunate to receive a $3,800,000 grant from DWR (Grant Agreement No. 4600014563, Attachment A) in order to (1) install an arsenic treatment system at the Pintail well and (2) build a new well on Wood Duck street (the Wood Duck Pump Station Project). 

Pintail Well Arsenic Treatment System:
As noted above, the Pintail well is currently the only well available for potable water use in the Wild Wings CSA.  Arsenic levels in the Pintail well fluctuate, and in recent years have been nearing and/or exceeding the state MCL.  A new arsenic treatment system is under construction at the Pintail well site, with completion expected in summer 2025.

Wood Duck Pump Station Project:
The Wood Duck Pump Station Project is located on County-owned property in the northwest corner of the Wild Wings CSA.  The well has been drilled, but financial pressures have precluded its construction.  Without the completion of the Wood Duck Pump Station Project, the Wild Wings community faces an unacceptable risk of water shortages, particularly as groundwater levels continue to decline. The CSA Manager, in collaboration with the Wild Wings CSA Advisory Committee and DWR, has pursued various cost-saving measures, including project scope reductions, phased design, and multiple re-bid attempts.  Over the past several months, the CSA Manager has also negotiated obtaining additional grant funding from DWR in order to complete the Wood Duck Pump Station Project. 

DWR recently awarded the County $640,070 in additional funding to Grant Agreement No. 4600014563, which the Board approved on August 31, 2021. The additional allocation allows the Wood Duck Pump Station Project to move forward.

The following timeline outlines the key milestones and decisions for the Wood Duck Pump Station Project:

County Procurement issued an intent to award the Wood Duck Pump Station Project to TNT Industrial, the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, on May 20, 2025.  The protest period closed on May 28, 2025.  County staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors award the construction contract for the Wood Duck Pump Station Project to TNT Industrial Contractors, Inc. and authorize the County Administrator or his designee to execute the contract (Attachment D), so that construction may commence as soon as possible.

Wild Wings CSA Advisory Committee, Department of Water Resources, County Counsel, General Services Department - Procurement Division, Luhdorff and Scalmanini Consulting Engineers

Invitation for Bids
The County issued an invitation for bids for the Wood Duck Pump Station Project on February 13, 2025 (this was the third bid advertisement).  The bid opening occurred on March 19, 2025.

Bids Received