TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian Bordona - Director, Planning, Building & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jamison Crosby - Natural Resources Conservation Manager
SUBJECT: Approval of Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 200181B with Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers
RECOMMENDATION
title
Approve and authorize Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 200181B with Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers, increasing the maximum compensation by $150,000 per year for a total contract maximum of $397,300 to extend the term to June 30, 2026, in order to provide a Final Draft and documentation for a Final Water Availability Analysis and technical support, and provide assistance with related revisions to its Chapter 13.15 of the Groundwater Conservation Ordinance. (Fiscal Impact: $150,000 Expense; General Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
body
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Napa County is required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to conduct an environmental analysis of all discretionary permits submitted for approval. CEQA requires analysis of dozens of environmental aspects, including the potential substantial depletion of groundwater supplies or substantial interference with groundwater recharge such that there would be a net deficit in aquifer volume or a lowering of the local groundwater table. The Water Availability Analysis (WAA) provides guidance and a procedure to assist applicants, neighbors, county staff, decision makers, and other interested parties to gather the information necessary to adequately evaluate potential impacts to groundwater. In addition, the WAA is increasingly being used to evaluate the consistency of proposed wells with the adopted Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), as administered by the Groundwater Sustainability Agency. This ensures that additional concerns such as subsidence, reduction in interconnected surface waters, and other issues are also taken in to consideration.
A WAA is required for any discretionar...
Click here for full text