Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Manager
Subject: Letter of Commitment to California State Water Resources Control Board for Pescadero Middle/High School Water Project
RECOMMENDATION:
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Direct the County Manager to sign the attached letter affirming the County of San Mateo’s commitment to working with the California State Water Resources Control Board to implement a long-term solution to connect the Pescadero Middle/High School to a potable water source.
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BACKGROUND:
The Pescadero Middle/High School water system serves treated drinking water to its students and staff. The school’s drinking water source had been an on-site well with subsequent pH adjustment, but the well exceeded standards for nitrate and coliform contaminant levels four times between 2015 and 2017. The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) issued a citation to the school in May 2017, requiring the school to bring the water system up to regulatory drinking water standards. Since that time, and in the absence of a safe drinking water source, students at the school have been supplied with bottled water.
The State Water Board, using technical assistance funds available under Proposition 1, seeks to implement a project to provide clean drinking water to Pescadero Middle/High School, which could entail a new waterline extension from the existing County Service Area-11 (CSA-11) waterline to the school. Technical assistance funded under Proposition 1 will include preliminary engineering, design, technical specification, financial estimates, and limited environmental review of the proposed waterline extension.
DISCUSSION:
Implementing a long-term solution to ensure a clean drinking water source for the school will require the involvement of numerous County departments, and extensive coordination with the State Water Board and other external agencies. The technical analysis described above is a critical component of the potential project. The attached letter from the County Manager expresses the County’s commitment to cooperate with the State Water Board and other key stakeholders to advance the analysis, design, engineering, and construction in order to complete the project to connect the school to a potable water supply, subject to the identification of potential environmental impacts and implementation of appropriate mitigation measures and consideration of project alternatives identified as part of the review of the project under the California Environmental Quality Act.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Project costs to connect the school to a potable water source will be funded by the State Water Board using Proposition 1 funds. There is no direct impact to the General Fund associated with County cooperation with the State Water Board as described in the letter of commitment.