TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
title
Sewer Facility Transfer Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Orange and Orange County Sanitation District in conjunction with the District’s 2-49 Taft Branch Improvements.
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2. Summary
The City of Orange and the Orange County Sanitation District desire to formalize the transfer of certain sewer facilities between each agency in conjunction with the District’s 2-49 Taft Branch Improvements through a Sewer Transfer Agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding between the agencies defines the District’s obligations for the sewer improvements.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Approve the Sewer Transfer Agreement with Orange County Sanitation District and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City of Orange.
2. Approve the Memorandum of Understanding with Orange County Sanitation District and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City of Orange.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community.
b: Provide and maintain infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
Goal 4: Provide outstanding public service.
b: Provide facilities and services to meet customer expectations.
6. Discussion and Background
Orange County Sanitation District (OCSan) maintains sewage treatment plants and a network of regional lines throughout its service area of 479 square miles in central and northwest Orange County. Through this network of regional sewer lines, OCSan collects sewage from local agencies and transports it to its treatment plants. These regional lines are typically pipes of 10” diameter and larger.
The City of Orange (City) is the local sewer agency which maintains all the local sewer systems and is responsible for collecting sewage from individual properties. These local systems, with sewer pipes of mostly 6” or 8” in diameter, collect sewage from individual properties by way of sewer lateral lines. These systems convey local sewage to the regional lines maintained by OCSan downstream.
OCSan is committed to protecting public health and the environment by proactively replacing and maintaining its infrastructure through its Capital Improvement Program (CIP). One of the strategies is to increase the pipe diameter which increases the flow capacity of the pipe and accommodates peak weather flow.
OCSan’s Taft Branch Sewer Improvement Project (2-49) is one of the projects implemented under its CIP. The project will replace and relocate a portion of the Taft Ave. sewer in the City of Orange. The project will upsize almost two miles of pipe along Taft Ave. from Glassell St. northbound on Sacramento St., to Brentford Ave., to Breckenridge St. and to Meats Ave. where it joins its existing sewer facilities.
The existing OCSan sewer mainline, built in the 1960s, ranges between 12”-15” diameter pipes and will be upsized to 18”-21” pipes. A segment of the sewer mainline that currently runs along Meats Ave. and Tustin St. will be relocated to Sacramento St. The relocation is to minimize traffic impacts and construction inconveniences inherent with major construction activities along major arterials.
Under the Sewer Transfer Agreement, OCSan will transfer to the City 2,689 feet of existing 12”-18” diameter sewer mainline and 14 manholes. In addition, OCSan will construct and transfer 475 feet of new sewer pipes and eight manholes. Conversely, the City will transfer to OCSan a total of 2,389 feet of 12” diameter sewer pipes and nine manholes. Both agencies have conducted condition assessments of their respective sewer facilities. These facilities have been found to be acceptable in their current condition. Upon completion of the transfer, each agency will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the facilities acquired. OCSan transfers real property (sewer facilities) to local agencies through a Sewer Transfer Agreement.
The Memorandum of Understanding defines each agency’s obligations for the 2-49 sewer improvements. OCSan is responsible for the costs of environmental compliance, design, and construction. Furthermore, OCSan has also agreed to pay for acquisition of video detection systems at four intersections impacted by construction, while the City will be responsible for the installation as part of the City’s operation and maintenance activities. These intersections are (1) Taft Ave. and Shaffer St.; (2) Taft Ave. and Cambridge St.; (3) Taft Ave. and Tustin St.; (4) Taft Ave. and Tustin St./Briardale Ave. The video detection system, an upgrade to the existing loop detectors, will allow for the immediate restoration of traffic signal actuation and synchronization for efficient traffic flow through the Taft Ave. corridor.
The City and OCSan collaborated extensively on the traffic control plans for the project. Construction will start downstream at Glassell St. and Taft Ave., and will work in stages to the upstream end near Meats Ave. and Santiago Blvd. Generally, along arterials, two lanes in each direction will be maintained during the non-working construction hours from 7:00pm-7:00am. Travel lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction during working hours. Nighttime work will be allowed along commercial areas to expedite construction completion. On residential streets of Sacramento St., Brentford Ave., and Breckenridge St., full road closure by block will be necessary due to limited street widths but will always provide local and emergency access. Nighttime work will not be allowed in residential areas.
OCSan has conducted community outreach to introduce the project and will have a robust outreach program in place prior to and during construction. These include designating a community liaison, construction hotline, notifications/alerts, website updates, email and text alerts, social media posts, meeting and presentations, project information signs, and City coordination.
Construction is scheduled to start in the summer of 2024 and expected to be completed within 1.5 years.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Sewer Transfer Map
• Sewer Transfer Agreement
• Memorandum of Understanding