Title
[Contract Amendment] Combined Sewer System Regulatory Services [Published for 10-Day Review 09/30/2026]
End
FileID
File ID: 2026-01542
End
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion 1) authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute Contract Amendment No. 1 to City Agreement 2025-4689 with Larry Walker Associates, Inc.(LWA) to continue providing regulatory compliance support services for the Combined Sewer System (CSS) Regulatory Compliance (I14120600, Funds 6006 and 6011 and I14620100, Fund 6006), for an amount not to exceed $2,167,139, bringing the agreement’s total not-to-exceed amount to $2,760,241 and extend the agreement through October 31, 2030; and 2) resetting the City Manager’s or designee’s authority to issue contract amendments for the agreement.
End
Contact
Contact: Fernando Duenas, Project Manager, (916) 808-4953, fduenas@cityofsacramento.org; Michelle Carrey, Engineering & Water Resources Division Manager, (916) 808-1438, mcarrey@cityofsacramento.org; Dalia Fadl, Director, (916) 808-3765, dfadl@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Utilities
End
Presenter
Presenter: None
End
Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Contract Amendment
End
Additional Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: Staff recommends City Council approve a contract amendment with LWA for the CSS monitoring services and regulatory support. The City of Sacramento (City) owns and operates the CSS, which serves Downtown Sacramento, Oak Park, East Sacramento, and Land Park areas. The CSS is regulated under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit (CSS Permit) (Permit No. CA0079111, Order No. R5-2026-0003), which was adopted by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board on February 27, 2026, and expires on March 31, 2031. The goals of the CSS Permit are to protect the water quality of the Sacramento River from CSS discharges, reduce Combined Sewer Overflows into the Sacramento River, and to reduce flooding and outflows within the area of the City served by the CSS.
This contract includes specialized services to meet regulatory requirements for permit compliance related to sample collection, laboratory analysis, regulatory reporting, evaluation and optimization of CSS performance, and provision of regulatory expertise. Services also include support of the sanitary sewer system for evaluating sanitary sewer overflows or other sanitary sewer field support, including sampling collection and analysis. City staff do not have expertise with the equipment and procedures required by the City's CSS NPDES permit, nor the subject matter expertise. Therefore, contracting these services is essential to ensure the City remains in compliance with the CSS NPDES permit through the duration of the current permit term.
End
PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The proposed contract amendment exceeds the City Manager’s
approval authority and requires Council approval pursuant to City Code section 3.04.020. City Council approval is required when the sum of all contract amendments exceeds 10% of the original contract price for contracts originally awarded for a price of at least $250,000, but less than $1,000,000.
Sacramento City Code Section 4.04.020 and the City Council Rules of Procedure (Chapter 7 Section E.2.d) mandate that unless waived by a two-thirds vote of the City Council, all labor agreements, and all agreements greater than $1,000,000 shall be made available to the public at least 10 days prior to City Council action. This item was published for 10-day review on September 30, 2026, in compliance with the City Code.
End
EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
End
EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The proposed activity is not a project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378(b) (2 and 5). The activities described in this report include an amendment to a Professional Services Agreement for consultant services that are continuing administrative activities that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. This activity is not subject to CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3).
End
Sustainability
Sustainability: The proposed project is consistent with the 2040 General Plan as it supports rehabilitation of the CSS, to provide adequate wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal in the City and to maintain the systems and facilities to protect surface water and groundwater resources from contamination. Implementation of the NPDES permit requirements ensures that the CSS is operated and maintained in a way that protects the designated uses of the Sacramento River. The conducted activities ensure responsible management of water resources that preserve and enhance water quality and availability (2040 General Plan Goal ERC-1), specifically by protecting surface water from point and non-point sources of pollution as required by federal and State regulations (ERC-1.3).
End
Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
End
RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: On April 30, 2025, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
(Q25141331010) was advertised and issued on PlanetBids for CSS regulatory compliance support. On the due date of June 6, 2025, one (1) Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) was received from the following firm:
1. Larry Walker Associates, Inc. (LWA).
Staff reviewed the proposal and based on their knowledge, expertise, and experience, LWA was selected to provide the requested services.
The original agreement was approved by City Council on October 21, 2025, for FY2025/26, with the option to renew the contract for four additional years. This request is to authorize the extension of the contract for four years. Approval of this contract amendment is recommended to continue professional services needed to comply with the requirements in this NPDES Permit term.
End
FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: The initial cost of the contract for FY 2025/26 was a not-to-exceed amount of $593,102. The proposed contract amendment, in the amount of $2,167,139, would increase the agreement’s not-to-exceed amount to $2,760,241.
Funding for the contract is from the CSS Regulatory Compliance Support MYOP (I14120600) which is split 50% from the Wastewater Fund (6006) and 50% from the Storm Drainage Fund (6011), and from the Sanitary Sewer Management Plan Engineering Regulatory Support MYOP (I14620100). Sufficient funding exists in MYOPs I14120600 and I14620100 to support services provided in FY 2026/27. Funding to support contract services for future fiscal years shall be subject to funding availability in the adopted budgets for the applicable fiscal year in an amount not to exceed $2,760,241 over the contract amendment’s term. Anticipated charges for services for FY2026/27 to FY2029/30 will be as follows:
|
Name |
MYOP |
Fund |
FY26/27 |
FY27/28 |
FY28/29 |
FY29/30 |
Total |
|
CSS Regulatory Compliance Support, Wastewater |
I14120600 |
6006 |
$265,611.50 |
$244,873.50 |
$274,364 |
$246,002 |
$1,030,851 |
|
CSS Regulatory Compliance Support, Drainage |
I14120600 |
6011 |
$265,611.50 |
$244,873.50 |
$274,364 |
$246,002 |
$1,030,851 |
|
Sanitary Sewer Management Plan Engineering/ Regulatory Support |
I14620100 |
6006 |
$26,517 |
$26,359 |
$26,202 |
$26,359 |
$105,437 |
|
Total |
$557,740 |
$516,106 |
$574,930 |
$518,363 |
$2,167,139 |
There are no General Funds allocated or planned for this project.
End
LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): LWA is not an LBE, but has partnered with an LBE, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (Stantec), for this contract to exceed the minimum LBE participation requirement. Stantec will provide monitoring support and analysis of CSS performance services.
End
Background
Background: The City of Sacramento (City) owns and operates a CSS that conveys both sewer and drainage in common pipelines from the Downtown, East Sacramento, and Land Park areas. The overall CSS is comprised of approximately 11,300 acres. The service area is comprised of a 7,500 acre service area that contributes both wastewater and stormwater to a common collection system, and a 3,800 acre service area that is a separated sewer system that contributes only wastewater flows into the CSS. The CSS is regulated under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit No. CA0079111, Order No. Order No. R5-2026-0003 (Permit).
The CSS NPDES Permit requires extensive water quality and toxicity sampling of influent and effluent discharge; comprehensive reporting of system operations applicable to the CSS, various feasibility studies; annual analysis and reporting of untreated discharges to the river and on-line reporting of CSS outflows; and extensive regulatory reporting and public notification including notification of downstream municipal water users.
End