REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: BROCK D. BUCHE, PE, PLS, Director Department of Public Utilities BY: PETER A. MARACCINI, PE, PhD, Licensed Engineer Manager Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering SUBJECT ..Title Approve the Fourth Amendment to the consultant services agreement with Water Systems Consulting, Inc., to extend the term of the contract to December 31, 2026, for the development of the Metropolitan Water Resources Management Plan, Programmatic Environmental Impact Report and 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (Citywide). ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends City Council approve the Fourth Amendment to the consultant services agreement with Water Systems Consulting, Inc., to extend the term of the contract from October 18, 2023, to December 31, 2026, for the development of the Metropolitan Water Resources Management Plan, Programmatic Environmental Impact Report and 2020 Urban Water Management Plan; and authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign the amendment on behalf of the City of Fresno (City). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is currently working with Water Systems Consulting, Inc. (WSC) to renew its long-range water supply planning document known as the Metropolitan Water Resources Management Plan (Metro Plan) and its associated Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR). The current consultant services agreement expires October 18, 2023, and the City desires to extend the agreement to December 31, 2026, to allow for the completion of the Metro Plan and PEIR with necessary periods for environmental review, public comment, and adoption by City Council. The effective date of the Fourth Amendment is October 18, 2023. BACKGROUND In recognition of the vulnerability of the City's water supply system, as highlighted in the late 1980s by widespread regional groundwater contamination from agricultural pesticides, City Council in 1990 directed City staff to prepare a long-range water supply plan. City staff, with assistance from water supply consultants, initiated a multi-year analysis of water resources and water supply alternatives. This analysis provided the basis for development of the Department's 1996 and subsequent 2014 Metro Plans. This Metro Plan and associated PEIR is a continuation of the City's near-term (1-10-year) and long-range (50-year projection) planning document that outlines water supply programs and proposed capital projects needed to meet the projected demands into the future. On June 18, 2020, the City entered into a consultant services agreement with WSC to develop the Metro Plan, PEIR, and 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) for a total amount not to exceed $2,005,762. WSC prepared the 2020 UWMP, which was adopted by City Council on July 15, 2021. Subsequently, the City and WSC have executed three amendments to the Agreement: On October 4, 2021, the City and WSC executed the First Amendment to the Agreement to modify the scope of services to refine the final project deliverables. On November 15, 2021, the City and WSC executed the Second Amendment to the Agreement to expand the scope of services to include the development of a United States Bureau of Reclamation Water Management Plan and increase the total fee to compensate for the expanded scope of services, which was paid by the available contract contingency. On May 5, 2022, the City and WSC executed a Third Amendment to the Agreement to expand the scope of services to include the development of the Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment according to guidance from the California Department of Water Resources, and increase the total fee to compensate for the expanded scope of services, paid by the available contract contingency. The Fourth Amendment extends the term of the agreement to December 31, 2026, to retain WSC through the completion of the Metro Plan and associated PEIR. The City Attorney's Office has reviewed and approved as to form this Fourth Amendment to the Agreement. Upon approval by the City Council, the Fourth Amendment to the Agreement will be executed by the Director of Public Utilities, or designee. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS By the definition of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, amending of this consultant services agreement is not a "Project" for purposes of CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference does not apply to this action because this is an amendment to an existing consultant services agreement. FISCAL IMPACT There is no impact to the General Fund. The project is citywide. Attachments: Attachment 1 - Fourth Amendment to Agreement Attachment 2 - Third Amendment to Agreement Attachment 3 - Second Amendment to Agreement Attachment 4 - First Amendment to Agreement Attachment 5 - Original Agreement