Victorville Water District awards $2.01 million contract to raise pressure in District 7

The Victorville City Council, sitting as the Victorville Water District board of directors, voted unanimously Feb. 4 to award a $2,011,621 construction contract to Hemet Manufacturing Company Inc., doing business as Genesis Construction, to reconfigure pressure zone 3290 and address low water pressure in District 7.

City Manager Mr. Metzler introduced the item and City Engineer Freddie Bonilla said the project targets an area in the north-northeast corner of Bear Valley Road and Balsam Road where customers are receiving about 35 to 40 pounds per square inch (PSI) of static pressure. "The current operating pressure for those residences and businesses is approximately between 35 to 40 PSI, which is very low," Bonilla said. He added that by connecting the area to a higher-pressure zone the district expects operating pressure to rise to roughly 80 to 90 PSI.

The contract covers installation of about 3,000 linear feet of new 8-inch ductile-iron pipe, 414 new 1-inch service lines for residences and 22 new 2-inch service lines for commercial connections. The project will also provide customer-side pressure-reducing valves at each connection; Bonilla said those valves will be installed on the customer side of the meter, will be covered by a one-year warranty and then become the customer's responsibility for ownership and maintenance.

Bonilla told the board the district advertised the project Nov. 13 and received five bids on Dec. 19. Genesis was the lowest responsive, responsible bidder at $2,011,621. He said the engineer's estimate ranged between about $1.8 million and $2.0 million. "We are comfortable," Bonilla said when asked about the low bid relative to others.

Council Member Jones moved the staff recommendation to approve the CEQA notice of exemption and award the construction contract; Mayor Pro Tem Herriman seconded. The roll call vote was: Council Member Godin — Yes; Council Member Irving — Yes; Council Member Jones — Aye; Mayor Pro Tem Herriman — Yes; Mayor Becerra — Yes. The motion passed unanimously.

Officials said the contractor's schedule calls for 50 working days to complete the work once the contract is executed. Bonilla said individual water outages for tie-ins will be coordinated with property owners and limited to a planned four-hour window. Staff also plans to mail a notification letter to affected residents explaining the shutdown window and that, because pressure will increase, individual household water use could change.

Council members asked technical and resident-notification questions during the hearing. Mayor Pro Tem Herriman asked whether pressure regulators would be installed behind or in front of customer meters; Bonilla said regulators will be placed behind the meter (the customer side). Council Member Jones asked about typical target pressures; Bonilla said the district aims for 50 to 70 PSI systemwide.

The item included a finding that the project is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, citing CEQA Guidelines section 15301(b). City staff said the award covers Project CC25-027, Pressure Zone Change Project Area 7, and that construction will be coordinated to minimize disruption.

The board did not discuss amendments or alternative motions. Staff and the water director were available to answer follow-up questions and will handle resident notifications and coordination with property owners during construction.