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County seeks 10‑month extension for drought resilience grant; Mark Thomas firm tapped for plan work
Summary
Mariposa County has requested a 10‑month extension from the California Department of Water Resources for its Drought Resilience Planning Assistance Program grant, and staff said the Mark Thomas consulting firm will be used to develop the county plan.
Mariposa County staff told the Water Agency Advisory Board they have submitted an extension request to the California Department of Water Resources for the county’s Drought Resilience Planning Assistance Program grant, asking to extend the contract deadline to April 30, 2026.
Sam Servini and other staff said the extension request reflects delays caused by the gap between grant award letter and contract execution; the county requested a 10‑month extension to recover that elapsed time.
“Mark Thomas will be doing it,” Servini said when asked which consultant would conduct the plan development. Staff explained the county’s engineering group is currently short‑staffed and much of the plan work will be handled by outside consultants with Public Works coordinating internal data collection.
The grant scope includes outreach requirements and well/inventory work. Staff said the plan will incorporate private wells and small public water systems where feasible, and that the county will perform multiple public hearings as part of the process. The record also shows ongoing work updating a rates study by Bartle Wells, which will inform financial elements of water services.
Board members stressed outreach and the need to involve local partners such as the National Park Service for locations like Wawona and Yosemite West. Kelly (Yosemite/NPS) said the park can provide subject‑matter experts on unique local water systems and coordinate when a surge supply is needed for firefighting.
Staff said the county will attempt to meet the grant’s outreach and project‑delivery requirements and will use consultants on tasks that exceed current staff capacity. An extension decision from the Department of Water Resources is pending; staff told the board similar extension requests have been approved in other jurisdictions but that approvals are not automatic.
No formal action to accept or reject the extension request was recorded during the meeting; staff said they filed the extension request and will continue work and public outreach if the extension is approved.
