LAKEPORT >> The Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved an agreement for a hydrological study of the proposed S. Main Street and Soda Bay Road Water System project.
Healdsburg-based O’Connor Environmental, Inc., will prepare the study for a little more than $11,000, which will be paid from budgeted reserves for the project. The study will evaluate water supply, quality and potential issues that can affect the Clear Lake hitch.
“There is no well-drilling, this is an evaluation of existing data that is out there,” Lake County Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger said.
O’Conner Environmental has prepared multiple hydrological studies for the county, including for the prior two options for this project, as well as the study for the Finley-Kelseyville Water System. Because of a limited number of firms able to perform the service, the project being routine and lasting less than three months, the board is able to waive the competitive consultant process for the agreement.
“The consultant has been very careful to keeping this to an absolute minimum.” Dellinger said. “It’s easy to make things bigger, it not as easy to make them smaller and still meet the environmental requirements.”
Originally discussed by the Lake County Planning Commission, the preferred water supply option was an intertie pipeline to the S. Main Street and Soda Bay Road corridor from the Finley-Kelseyville Water System. However, the public resisted the idea.
Of primary concern were issues such as the availability of water within the aquifer and the potential risks to future growth the extra load might cause. As an alternative, a stand-alone well site south of Soda Bay Road was proposed.
“We have had very positive communications with the property owner who is very interested in negotiating an agreement with the county,” Dellinger said.
The initial study will be redrafted and redistributed, Dellinger added.
Lakeport special project coordinator explained that this would allow the city to become the lead agency for expansion review. Without the change, LAFCo remains the lead agency. LAFCo, or Local Agency Formation Commission, is charged in part with overseeing special districts and growth issues.
Pre-zoning is completed before the city formally annexes an area to facilitate its transition into the city. However, it doesn’t affect the area’s allowable uses and county zoning regulations stay in effect until the annexation is accomplished.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.
