CC SR 20250415 F - Landslide Emergency Contract Continuation
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 04/15/2025
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration to continue the emergency justification for work and emergency contracting
for the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Emergency Project.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Reconfirm, by a four-fifths vote, there is a need to continue the work on the Vertical
Deep Dewatering Emergency Project declared by Council-adopted Resolution No.
2024-20 on May 7, 2024, finding an emergency exists requiring immediate action
in the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex to seek to
mitigate the movement of the landslide; and
(2) Direct the City Clerk to confirm the same in the minutes of this City Council
meeting, via Minute Order, reflecting this action.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended Council
action as the City Council appropriated a total of $36.3 million in FY
2024-25 (including PO carryover and continuing appropriation from
FY 2023-24) for emergency work outside the normal bidding process
due to the emergency declaration as follows:
• $23.9 million for emergency response, boreholes and deep dewatering wells. This
amount also includes the $9.6 million approved on May 7, 2024 (unspent balance
from Hydraugers Project by June 30, 2024 was carried over in FY 2024-25) and
$6.1 million on October 1, 2024.
• $4 million for emergency stabilization measures for additional deep dewatering
wells approved on October 1, 2024.
• $4 million for winterization approved on October 1, 2024.
• $1.1 million for operations and maintenance of deep dewatering wells between
January and March 31, 2025, approved on December 17, 2024.
• Approximately $3.9 million of the following Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
projects are deferred to FY 2025-26 as approved on January 21, 2025:
o $0.6 million for Crenshaw Blvd. Rehab;
o $0.6 million for Park Playground Improvements;
o $0.55 million for the Sidewalk Management program;
o $1.7 million for Western Avenue Beautification; and,
o $0.5 million for Altamira Canyon Drainage
• $2 million for operations and maintenance of deep dewatering wells (approximately
$1.5 million from April 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025) and approximately $0.5
million for additional fissure filling approved on January 21, 2025.
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• On February 4, 2025, the City Council affirmed the use of the financial assistance
loan to ACLAD in the amount of $1.6 million approved by the City Council on July
2, 2024 for ACLAD to implement their deep dewatering well plan; and
• $100,000 for in-kind project and construction management services provided by
the City to assist the Abalone Cove Landslide Hazard Abatement District with
implementation of their deep dewatering wells plan.
• $710,000 from the CIP Fund for repairs to the Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer
System by:
o Reallocating $400,000 from the Measure R Fund to the CIP Fund for
landslide emergency road repairs,
o Reallocating $200,000 from the Gas Tax Fund to the CIP Fund for landslide
emergency road repairs, and
o Appropriating the remaining $110,000 from the CIP Fund. VR
FY 2024-25 Funding Sources $17.9M:
• $10.1 million CIP (Fund 330)
• $3.4 million General Fund
(Fund 101)
• $1.4 million Prop C (Fund 215)
• $2.9 million ARPA (Fund 333)
Additional FY 2024-25 Funding Sources $14.1M approved on October 1, 2024:
• $500,000 ARPA (Fund 333)
• $2.2 million Sup. Hahn Grant
(General Fund - Grant 101)
• $5 million CIP Emergency
Reserves (Fund 330)
• $6.4 million General Fund
Excess Reserves (Fund 101)
Additional FY 2024-25 Funding Source $1.1M approved on December 17, 2024:
• $1.1 million CIP (Fund 330)
Additional FY 2024-25 Funding Source $2M approved on January 21, 2025:
• $2 million CIP (Fund 330)
• $0.5 million CIP (Fund 330, for continuing approp/PO carryover)
Additional FY 2024-25 Funding Source $100,000 approved on February 4, 2025:
• $100,000 CIP (Fund 330)
Additional FY 2024-25 Funding Source $710,000 approved on March 18, 2025:
• $710,000 CIP (Fund 330)
by re-allocating $600,000 of
road repairs from Measure R
and Gas Tax.
Amount Budgeted: See Fiscal Impact above VR
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): Funding sources – see Fiscal Impact above
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ORIGINATED BY: David Copp, Deputy Public Works Director
REVIEWED BY: Ramzi Awwad, Public Works Director
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. April 1, 2025 City Council Staff Report – Emergency Hydraugers Contract
Continuation
B. February 4, 2025 City Council Staff Report
C. January 21, 2025 City Council Staff Report
D. December 17, 2024 City Council Staff Report
E. October 1, 2024 City Council Staff Report
F. August 20, 2024 City Council Staff Report
G. May 7, 2024 City Council Staff Report
BACKGROUND:
On October 3, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-47, declaring a state
of local emergency relating to the land movement in the landslide complex. The state of
emergency has been timely renewed and is current.
On May 7, 2024, the City Council extended the Local State of Emergency pursuant to
Resolution No. 2024-20 and approved, among other things, a Public Works Contract with
Malcolm Drilling Inc. (Malcolm) to perform the work of the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Emergency Hydraugers Project (Attachment G).
On August 20, 2024, the City Council approved expanding the scope of the emergency
hydraugers project and considering new alternatives including the installation of deep
vertical dewatering wells (Attachment F).
On October 1, 2024, the City Council approved expanding the scope of work to include
winterization work and the installation of additional vertical deep dewatering wells
(Attachments E).
On December 17, 2024, the City Council approved expanding the scope of work to include
operations and maintenance of the deep dewatering wells through March 31, 2025
(Attachment D).
On January 21, 2025, the City Council approved extending the duration of the operations
and maintenance of the deep dewatering wells work through June 30, 2025 and ongoing
fissure filling (Attachment C).
On February 4, 2025, the City Council approved expanding the scope of work to include
in-kind project and construction management services provided by the city to assist the
Abalone Cove Landslide Hazard Abatement District with implementation of their deep
dewatering wells plan. (Attachment B)
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On April 1, 2025, the City Council approved continuing the emergency justification for
work and emergency contracting for the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira
Landslide Emergency Project, and adopted Resolution No. 2025-20, confirming that
actions taken by the City Manager and city staff in retaining consultants to implement
landslide remediation measures is consistent with the authority delegated by the City
Council (Attachment A).
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to Public Contract Code § 22050, the City Manager and Director of Public Works
must report to the City Council at its regular meeting the reasons justifying why the
emergency continues to exist and why action outside of the normal bidding process is
necessary to respond to the emergency. Furthermore, Public Contract Code § 22050
states that the City Council shall, at every regularly scheduled meeting , consider and
reaffirm that there is a need to continue to remediate the emergency until the author ized
emergency repairs have been completed. Accordingly, because the work has not yet
been completed, this item is on tonight’s agenda. This item will be placed on each
subsequent agenda until all aspects of the project are completed.
The current status of the Deep Dewatering Wells program is the following:
• Work is complete for all DDWs as well as the associated test boreholes and monitoring
wells funded by the City Council. The DDWs continue to be monitored and re -drilled
or replaced as needed within the current approved budget.
• The total combined water extraction rate of the DDWs is currently at approximately
680 gallons per minute or 1 million gallons per day.
• Since the start of the DDW program, approximately 192 million gallons, or 589
acre-feet of water have been extracted from certain locations around the toe of the
Landslide Complex.
• The re-drilling of DDW-1, DDW-3, and DDW-5 are complete.
• DDW-4 was replaced with a new DDW (“4A”) due to land movement pinching off the
well to the extent that a re-drill was not possible.
• DDW-6 is being evaluated and may need to be re-drilled in the near future.
• DDW-10 has pinched off due to land movement and is being evaluated for a re -drill
in the near future.
• DDW-11 experienced pump failure because of an insufficient water flow rate to keep
the pump cooled. Based on the low production rate of this DDW, the City’s
geologists are advising that this well should not be re-drilled, but rather re-located,
should additional funding become available.
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DDW Current Water Extraction Rates as of April 7, 2025
DDW
No. Date Operational
Current Approximate
Water Extraction Rate
(Gallons Per Minute)
Total Water Extraction to Date
Acre-Ft Million Gallons
1 9/13/2024 105 (re-drilled 3/21/25) 70.1 22.8
2 9/17/2024 105 83.7 27.3
3 9/21/2024 120 (re-drilled 3/24/25) 68.8 22.4
4 9/21/2024 (decommissioned 3/27/25) 53.6 17.5
4A 3/29/2025 80 2.0 0.6
5 9/25/2024 110 (re-drilled 3/26/25) 73.3 23.9
6 9/28/2024 60 (re-drilled 12/29/24) 62.4 20.3
7 10/15/2024 15 12.8 4.2
8 10/17/2024 45 (re-drilled 01/30/25) 48.3 15.7
9 10/25/2024 Decommissioned 11/07/24 2.0 0.7
9A 11/16/2024 40 (re-drilled 12/29/24) 32.0 10.4
10 10/24/2024 0 77.9 25.4
11 12/03/2024 Decommissioned 3/14/25 2.1 0.7
Totals 680 589 192
All DDWs will continue to be monitored for pinching/shearing and re-drilling plans will be
developed as needed.
All planned winterization activities are completed. Monitoring of winterized areas will
continue, including assessments after rain events, and adjustments made in preparation
for future rain events, to the extent possible within the current approved budget.
The emergency conditions necessitating the project continue to exist.
CONCLUSION:
The effects of the ongoing land movement continue to be felt in the Greater Portuguese
Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex. Staff recommends reconfirming that there is
a need to continue to remediate the emergency identified by City Council -adopted
Resolution No. 2024-20 (originally by Resolution No. 2023-47), and reconfirm, by a four-
fifths vote, the need for continuing the work on the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Emergency Project.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to Staff recommendation, the following alternative action is available for the
City Council’s consideration:
1. Take other action or provide direction, as deemed appropriate.
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