District seeks FEMA sign-off as multiple pump stations, canals need repairs and backup power

The General Manager reported that key flood‑control projects remain dependent on federal approvals and repair work after recent storms, while two main pump stations at the west end of the city still lack backup power.

In a briefing to trustees the General Manager said the district had updated the benefit‑cost analysis for the Blacker Canal project and “we got it well above a 1, a 1.43, which makes it a good project.” He said the analysis has been returned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for approval and that the district cannot start work until FEMA signs off because costs would not be reimbursed otherwise.

The General Manager said two pump stations that tie into Lake Washington at the causeway and the Interstate 80/Enterprise area do not have backup power. He said he has asked the district’s consultant for rough designs and cost estimates to add a permanent generator at one pump station and a trailer‑mounted generator port at the other. “Back in ’23, everybody recalls the power on West Capitol went out for 2 or 3 days,” he said, noting the stations are on separate circuits and that losing power at both could cause internal flooding because storage in the pump stations is limited.

The board heard that a pump station identified in the briefing as “537,” which the district took over from Reclamation District 537, has corroded interior pipes. The General Manager said the Army Corps required a camera inspection and the pipes showed corrosion though “no holes in the pipe at this point.” He said the district met that morning with the Department of Water Resources to review rehabilitation techniques and that slip‑lining the pipes is one option.

When asked for a ballpark cost, the General Manager said the estimate for slip‑lining is “somewhere between 500,000 and a million dollars to slip line them. Yeah, if we had to replace the pipe, it’s gonna be more because of the excavation and so on.”

Trustees were told the Army Corps is scheduled to perform a levee inspection in July 2025; the General Manager said the agency’s five‑year inspections have been delayed and that the corps’ reviews are thorough. He also updated the board on coordination with the city and with PG&E related to two slipouts that require repair; he said PG&E relocated poles after Army Corps work but did so months late, which delayed repairs.

The General Manager described progress on disaster reimbursement. He said the district received a first check from Cal OES in January representing about $58,000 of obligated FEMA funds and that approximately $2.4 million in additional costs for canal repairs remains under FEMA review. “The 2.4 million…that estimate did come from FEMA. They’re the one that put the cost estimate together for the repair,” he said.

Trustees discussed Reclamation District 537 matters during trustee comments. A trustee said RD 537 representatives, including a Mr. Ramos, have expressed interest in a process that could lead to a vote by the board about replacement of an RD 537 representative; that item may return to the board in March.

The General Manager said the district is tracking ongoing coordination meetings with state and federal agencies and will return with updates at future meetings.

Less urgent operational items noted in the report included routine monitoring of river levels and ongoing planning for levee and canal repairs; no formal board action on the projects was recorded during the meeting.