By Joe Naiman
The Alpine Sun

     In an effort to control potential flood and erosion hazards caused by the October 2007 fires, the County of San Diego will issue a contract to GeoSyntec Consultants to identify hazards and provide protective measures.
     A 4-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote Nov. 7, with Supervisor Pam Slater-Price absent, authorized the appropriations of $2,000,000 into the general fund of the county's Department of Public Works for erosion control and related services and authorized the director of the county's Department of Purchasing and Contracting to execute a sole-source contract with GeoSyntec Consultants for up to $900,000 to provide flood and erosion control.
     Since four votes are necessary for a mid-year budget change, Supervisor Dianne Jacob could not have abstained on the vote itself in Slater-Price's absence. In an effort to avoid a conflict of interest, Jacob stipulated that work would not take place on her own property in Jamul which was damaged by the Harris Fire.
     Although Jacob will not participate in the program, she noted that the flood and erosion control work will be on a countywide basis.
     "The erosion control program is designed to help all fire-damaged properties," she said.
     On Oct. 22, shortly after the Harris, Witch, and Rice fires began, the Department of Public Works entered into a $100,000 contract with GeoSyntec Corporation to identify flood and erosion hazards caused by the fires, engineer appropriate emergency measures, and provide engineering expertise to guide installation of protective measures before any Winter storms threaten public health and safety.
     By the time the fires were extinguished, the quantity of properties and roads requiring examination for flood and erosion risks exceeded that of the initial estimate. County staff considers the completion of all work prior to any Winter storms to be critical.
     GeoSyntec will identify residential areas where homes are at risk from flooding or debris flows and will assess locations where county-maintained roadways are at risk of debris flows and/or washouts. GeoSyntec will assist with developing plans and will determine an estimated cost for emergency flood protection and erosion control measures such as the placement of sandbags, fiber rolls, gravel bags, hydraulic stabilization mulch, bonded fiber matrix, k-rails, rock fencing, and other materials.
     The installation of protective material will be performed by county staff, contractors, California Conservation Corps crews, and volunteers.
     The placement work will begin this month and is expected to be complete by January. The contract itself has an expiration date of June 30, 2009, although it will terminate when funds are exhausted or services no longer needed.
     The remainder of the $2,000,000 appropriation will provide $1,100,000 to begin the installation of protective measures. After GeoSyntec completes the plan and cost estimation work and the extent of needed mitigation measures is better known, county staff will return to the BOS to request additional appropriations if necessary.
     The $2,000,000 for the contract and installation work was obtained from an available fund balance for the county's Land Use and Environment Group, which includes the Department of Public Works.
     The supervisors' approval included findings that the services could be provided more economically and efficiently by an independent contractor than by county staff. GeoSyntec Consultants has a history of providing post-fire erosion hazard evaluation and remediation plans for major wildfire incidents in both urban and rural areas.
     GeoSyntec provided similar services for the county after the October 2003 fires, and the Department of Public Works determined that GeoSyntec is the only firm immediately available which is qualified for a task of the required magnitude, justifying the sole-source contract.
     Because the project is an emergency response to provide for restoration and protection of properties and roadways from an immediate threat, the supervisors also found the project categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act guidelines.

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