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Public Works Agency <br />www.santa-ana.org/pw <br />Item # 20 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> Staff Report <br />November 2, 2021 <br />TOPIC: Grant Application for Well 38 Water Treatment Project <br />AGENDA TITLE <br />Adopt a Resolution Authorizing a Grant Application Submission for the Bureau of <br />Reclamation WaterSMART Drought Response Program for the Well 38 Water Treatment <br />Project <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Adopt a Resolution authorizing the Executive Director of the Public Works Agency to <br />submit a grant application to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, <br />Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow Drought Response Program <br />Grant for the Well 38 Water Treatment Project, in an amount of up to $2,000,000. <br />DISCUSSION <br />The majority of the City of Santa Ana’s potable water comes from the Orange County <br />Groundwater Basin (OC Basin) and is pumped through 20 existing City wells. Due to the <br />presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in routine well monitoring, <br />several wells in the OC Basin have been taken offline, including the City’s Well 38. Given <br />the limited water supplies in the region and recent recurring drought conditions, removing <br />wells from the City’s potable water distribution system will reduce its reliability. This action <br />will also increase the burden on other City water production facilities and the reliance on <br />imported water sources. <br />The City is currently in the preliminary design phase of a PFAS treatment facility for Well <br />38 that will effectively remove PFAS contamination from the water before it is introduced <br />into the distribution system. The United States Department of the Interior offers financial <br />assistance in the form of grant funding through its Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART <br />(Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Drought Response Program <br />for this type of project. The program provides two levels of funding and up to a maximum <br />of $2,000,000 in grant funding, but not to exceed 50 percent of the total project cost. If <br />the grant application (Exhibit 1) is successful, the grant funding would offset up to <br />$2,000,000 of the estimated $5,300,000 total project cost. The resolution (Exhibit 2) <br />authorizes staff to submit the application.