Professional Services for the Design, Permitting, and Construction of the Palmdale Ditch Conversion

The District is accepting proposals from qualified, experienced professional engineering firms for the general contract administration, project management, design, environmental & cultural resources compliance, permitting, bidding, and construction engineering support services for the Palmdale Ditch Conversion Project. The 7.2-mile-long Palmdale Ditch conveys flow from the Littlerock Reservoir to Lake Palmdale for treatment prior to being distributed within the service area. The ditch was constructed in the 1880s and approximately 70 percent of its total length is currently an unlined earthen ditch. The remaining 30 percent is made up of the upstream and downstream ends of the ditch that have been previously improved with concrete lining and/or have been enclosed with pipelines in the past years. This project is funded by grants from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources. The funding requires the project to be completed three years after the execution of the funding grant agreements. The funding will require CEQA plus environmental process. The agreements are currently expected to be executed in four to six months. District staff hired a consultant to evaluate the feasibility of replacing the existing Palmdale Ditch with a pipeline and increasing design flow from 30 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 60 cfs. The feasibility study examined the hydraulic analysis, pipe sizing required to convey 60 cfs, and material selections. The feasibility study evaluated the water loss savings and cost estimates for construction. The report is included as Attachment B and can be accessed here. The result of the project for this phase is to provide general contract administration and project management, develop a preliminary design report, assist with environmental and cultural resources compliance requirements, assist with obtaining required permits, provide design services with final construction documents, bidding services, and engineering support services during construction. The detailed scope of work for the professional engineering services can be found here .