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Home My WebLink About02/03/2004, C6 - AUTHORIZATION OF BIDS FOR COON CREEK FILL REMOVAL AND BRIDGE AND ASSOCIATED CREEK ENHANCEMENTS: SPE i acEnaa nEpont CITY OF SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Wendy George,Assistant City Administrative Officer Prepared By: Neil Havlik,Natural Resources Manager SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION OF BIDS FOR COON CREEK FILL REMOVAL AND BRIDGE AND ASSOCIATED CREEK ENHANCEMENTS: SPECIFICATION NO. 99124. CAO RECOMMENDATION 1. Approve plans and specifications for the project known as "Coon Creek Fill Removal and Bridge and Associated Creek Enhancements",Specification No. 99124; 2. Authorize staff to advertise for bids; and 3. Authorize the City Administrative Officer to award the contract if the lowest responsible bid is within the engineer's estimate of$760,367. DISCUSSION Coon Creek is a relatively pristine coastal stream that originates in the Irish Hills or San Luis Range, and flows in a generally westerly direction for about eight miles, emptying into the Pacific Ocean just south of Montana de Oro State Park on property owned by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. An emergency access road crosses the creek about one-half mile above its mouth. In 1995 heavy flooding caused the culvert under the road to become blocked, and the overflow culverts on the road fill became the "normal" flow for the creek after this flood event. The creek bed was raised about six feet by the event and a six foot waterfall at the downstream end of the overflow culvert was the ultimate result. Continued erosion at the waterfall has increased its height to about eight feet today. This waterfall is therefore now a complete barrier to fish movements and has effectively cut off the upper portion of the creek (over six miles of high quality habitat) to the local anadromous fish species, southern steelhead. As part of the permit process for the City of San Luis Obispo'.s Water Reuse Project, various mitigations for impacts occasioned by that project were required. The City and various regulatory agencies agreed that a fish passage restoration project on Coon Creek would fulfill in part those mitigation requirements. Accordingly, City staff obtained an agreement with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to replace the blocked culvert with a bridge structure restoring fish passage to Coon Creek. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requires that the completed project provide migrating anadromous fish with immediate access to the creek. This requirement has effectively doubled the scope, and cost, of the project. In addition to replacing the blocked culvert with a free- span bridge, the project now also includes a fish passage structure of approximately 20 rock "step pools" to restore the natural grade to the creek bed. The final structure will be similar to the type of Council Agenda Report — Coon Creek Fill Removal and Bridge and Associated Creek Enhancements: Specification No.99124 Page.2 construction at the upper San Luis Obispo Creek dam, and is expected to permanently correct the problem. Further expansion in the scope of the project has resulted from PG&E requirements that the bridge be built to specifications that will accommodate emergency fire vehicles; that the bridge be fitted with side barriers; and that 24-hour emergency access be maintained through the construction site at all times. The City contracted with the engineering firm of TRC Engineers of Irvine California to design the facility. City Natural Resources staff are undertaking the environmental and permitting portions of the project. Design work was recently completed, and permit applications have been submitted to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the County of San Luis Obispo, which acts as the local administrator for the State Coastal Commission. An initial study and mitigated negative declaration (MND) of environmental impact was circulated in early 2003, and certified by the City Council in July. Some of the permits have been received at this time; however, all are in process and no complications are anticipated. The project is self-mitigating by its design and identified approach to construction. Voluntary restrictions on timing of the project, locations of staging, fueling, and equipment servicing areas, and erosion, vegetation, and water quality protections included in the project are deemed sufficient to mitigate any adverse environmental impacts of project construction to a level of less than significant. The start date for the project is anticipated to be between May 15 and June 1, with the first allowable activity in the creek to be on June 15. We expect the project to be completed by November 1. It is critical that this project be completed on schedule, this year. The Water Reuse project biological opinion and incidental take permit are conditioned upon completion of this mitigation prior to initiation of the reuse project, a.k.a. delivery of water. The Water Reuse project is currently under construction and is scheduled to begin delivery of recycled water this fall. FISCAL UAPACT As a mitigation requirement of the Water Reuse Project, the Coon Creek project is funded within the environmental phase of the Water Reuse capital improvement project. The engineer's estimate for project cost is$760,367. A 10%contingency brings the total project construction estimated cost to$836,403. Currently, there is adequate available funding within the Water Reuse project construction and environmental accounts to complete the Coon Creek project. Given the complex nature of this project and inherent difficulty in providing a truly accurate estimate of project costs at this stage, staff recommends transferring funds from Water Reuse construction and environmental accounts to the Coon Creek construction account at the time bids are received and award is recommended to the CAO. Although not anticipated, should the project bids exceed the engineer's estimate, staff will return to Council with the appropriate recommended action to either approve additional funding or re-bid the project. Staff has analyzed the total Water Reuse project funding and there is currently excess budget in the G/Havlik/councilagenda/coon creek �( j Council Agenda Report — Coon Creek Fill Removal and Bridge and Associated Creek Enhancements: Specification No.99124 Page 3 construction phase, due to a number of factors including the very favorable bids received, that will be further explained in the mid-year budget. As part of the mid-year process, staff will reevaluate project component costs and redistribute available project funds as required: In addition to the costs for construction of the Coon Creek bridge and fish passage improvements, there are expected to be other construction related costs, such as biological and archaeological monitoring, project inspection by City staff, and possibly special inspections by design consultants (for example of the bridge footings). These services will be further defined and solicited during the bid phase of this project and contracts will be awarded consistent with the City's financial management policies. CONCURRENCES The Utilities Department, which is funding the project; supports this effort; as removal of the road as a barrier to fish migration is a major mitigation for a City-sponsored project. Both the Utilities and Public Works Departments likewise support the project as achieving a major City goal (of a long-term water supply), and both have budgeted staff time for necessary review, inspection, and administration. Natural Resources Protection Program staff will provide biological monitoring for the project. ALTERNATIVES This project is a key component of the Water Reuse project mitigation. Staff is not aware of a similar opportunity in the Central Coast area where the reuse project mitigation requirement of "creating or restoring an amount of habitat comparable to that affected by the reuse project"can be feasibly obtained. The project as currently designed has had input from, and meets the requiremenis of, the California Department of Fish and Game, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the property owner; PG&E,. There is no known alternative to completion of this project that can be achieved within the time and fiscal constraints of the Water Reuse.project. Attachments 1. Vicinity map 2. A copy of the plans and specifications are in the Council reading file. G/Havlik/coiincilagenda/coon creek Attachment I TOPOI map printed on 09/06/02 from Tallfbmla.tpo"and"Untided.tpg" 121-15,000'W 121-04,000'W 120'53.000'W 120-42.000'W 120-31.000'W 120-20.000'W WGS84 120-01.000'W Wst- 4, k ",Pal z r ake "Antonio :;', a -N, Z To Na tmen it M ...... Project Site cho4;1- Palntj3a z Mt. pwo FOR 4'Tl L 81 (C)1WI Z Z 170,W O b 0 W. 0 C� 0 30 �n i W S M J S P DRES reres Z 6.7 z L I A % 0 0 0 T1161 6 oro FOREST c1t) HU b M 4 \S3 32 0 —JM 0 I hell IN 0 M J z 41" Tmq4/.i 0 0 es 0G Z z 00 OalYma vane� Ip T A V. 44 Z z 0s 1 0 qm M M M HWd C.ftd, 0 �d A.W6 9 hh 121-15.000'W 121-04:000-W 120-53.000'W 120-42.000-W 120-31:000-W 120-20.000'W WGS84 120-01.000.W tIbIN a 5 10 1.5� 25 miler 6 3 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 km r #I Pnnted fi=TOPOI 02MI Nefiarml OeopV*Haklup(vrwwtapoxon) Vicinity Map Coon Creek Culvert Replacement and Fish Passage Enhancement Project