The Corte Madera Town Council on Sept. 2 authorized the interim public works director to execute a contract with Schaff & Wheeler consulting civil engineers for engineering, environmental, right‑of‑way and utility coordination services for the Shorebird Marsh pump station replacement project (Project No. 25‑304) at a not‑to‑exceed amount of $934,599.

Interim Public Works Director Chris Good said Shorebird Marsh pump station is the oldest of the town’s 11 flood control pump stations, roughly 42 years old, and is showing extensive corrosion from its location near a brackish lagoon. The town’s October 2024 storm drain master plan identified Shorebird Marsh as a high priority for replacement and estimated the total project cost (design, construction, contingency) at about $8.1 million.

Good said the design contract will evaluate which existing components can be reused, confirm required pumping capacity and flood modeling, plan for a conversion from the existing diesel pumps to electric pumps and coordinate permits and utility work. The scope includes early coordination with SMART (rail), PG&E, Larkspur (which has a small neighboring pump station) and regulatory agencies, including the regional water board, Bay Conservation and Development Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Fish and Wildlife and CEQA review.

Good told the council the town will assess whether Larkspur’s pump station could be abandoned and its flow routed to the new Shorebird station and said a backup generator site and emergency‑power approach would be included in the design. He said permitting can take months (on the order of 8–12 months for a project of this scope) and that construction funding will need to be identified later in the town’s multi‑year capital program.

Council members asked about emergency backup power, schedule and whether Larkspur would contribute if its system could be consolidated; Good said a dedicated generator is planned near the utility tie‑in and that the town would pursue any cost‑sharing if Larkspur could be integrated. Council member discussion emphasized the multi‑year nature of the effort and the need to identify construction funding in future budgets.

The motion to authorize the design contract carried unanimously. Staff will proceed with the consultant contract and return to council as design work and funding planning progress.