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Public Works Agency <br />www.santa-ana.org/pw <br />Item # 26 <br />o`7, City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Staff Report <br />December 7, 2021 <br />TOPIC: Grant Application for Solar Power Project <br />AGENDA TITLE: <br />Adopt a Resolution Authorizing a Grant Application Submission for the Bureau of <br />Reclamation WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant for the Generation of Solar <br />Power at Garthe and West Pump Station Facilities Project (Non -General Fund) <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's <br />Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow Water and Energy Efficiency <br />Grant Program for the Generation of Solar Power at Garthe and West Pump Station <br />Facilities Project, in an amount up to $2,000,000. <br />DISCUSSION <br />The Public Works Agency's Water Resources Division purchases approximately <br />18,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electrical power each year to operate well pumps and <br />booster pumps to deliver potable water to the City of Santa Ana water customers. In <br />February 2019, the City approved a Water Systems Alternative Energy Feasibility Study, <br />which included an evaluation of installing on -site renewable energy systems to offset <br />some of the City's electrical load, lower electric bills, and reduce the associated <br />greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The renewable energy resources that were evaluated <br />included installing solar photovoltaic modules at six locations, including the Garthe and <br />West pump station/reservoir facilities. Preliminary designs were undertaken to determine <br />the anticipated rate tariff, total system size, annual performance projections, and relative <br />load offset for each. The results concluded that installation of solar photovoltaic modules <br />at Garthe and West stations would result in annual savings of approximately $77,945 in <br />energy costs. <br />The United States Department of the Interior offers financial assistance in the form of <br />grant funding through its Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage <br />America's Resources for Tomorrow) Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Program for this <br />type of project. The program provides two levels of funding and up to a maximum of <br />