Agenda Item Wording:
title
Sanitary Sewer Master Plan Adoption - Approve and Adopt the Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan.
body
Prepared by:
Katherine Woodhull-Fuget, Associate Engineer, Katherine.Woodhull-Fuget@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4447. Eric Bons, Senior Civil Engineer, Eric.Bons@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4350. Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.Crawford@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4331.
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation: Staff recommends that Council approve and adopt the Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan.
Summary:
Staff presented on the Sewer Master Plan at Work Session on November 3, 2025 and posted the report on the City website for public comment. After providing 4 weeks for public review, staff have returned to Council for approval and adoption of the Sanitary Sewer Master Plan. Any significant comments received during the review period will be discussed with Council during the regular session presentation.
Background Discussion:
The City of Visalia entered into a contract with Carollo Engineers, Inc to update the City’s public facility master plan sanitary sewer collection and conduct a nexus study in September 2018.
The main purpose of updating this master plan is to adequately size sewer system facilities for the future growth in accordance with the 2014 General Plan update, also known as the 2030 General Plan. The 2014 General Plan update contains new policies and changes to land use types and land use densities that have a direct impact on the sizing of these facilities. The current master plan was updated in 1994. This master plan provides necessary guidance to City staff for capital projects planning and to private developers as to the City’s requirements for sewer system facilities. Additionally, the master plan will include a nexus study that will provide an equitable distribution of development costs through updated development impacts fees for sanitary sewer collection.
While staff intended to return to Council to present the proposed impact fees in spring 2023, the finalization of the master plan and development of fees has proved more complicated than anticipated. The previous timeline brought to Council in December 2022 incorporated insufficient time for internal review by Engineering and other impacted divisions and did not account for the CEQA process. After further discussion with legal counsel, it was determined that the CEQA process for the master plan must be complete before the impact fees can be considered for adoption.
In 2023, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional environmental services to complete the CEQA process. The professional environmental services contract to complete CEQA was awarded to Dudek in December 2023.
Dudek started working on the CEQA compliance for the sewer master plan in February 2024 but quickly reached the limits of what they could complete without a finalized master plan. The sewer master plan was still in draft form and undergoing revision.
In August of 2024, Public Works staff identified sewer trunkline deficiencies based on field observations that were missing from the draft sewer master plan, leading to additional model review and document revision. After months of work, the sewer master plan was finalized in June of 2025, allowing the CEQA process to resume.
After meeting with Dudek to resume the CEQA process for the sewer master plan, City staff concluded that a simplified CEQA process utilizing a finding of consistency with the current general plan was the appropriate method to complete the environmental process. Given that the primary function of the sewer master plan will be to provide direction to incoming development and provide a basis for the sewer development impact fee, the Planning Division recommended pursuing a CEQA Notice of Exemption based on consistency with the 2030 General Plan. Staff has elected to move forward with the Notice of Exemption approach with the understanding that individual sewer projects recommended by the master plan will need to undergo additional environmental review prior to construction. Given that the sewer projects recommended by the master plan are only preliminary alignments and pipe sizes, many of which will be installed by development, providing detailed environmental review for each project in advance could lead to significant wasted effort.
On November 3, 2025, staff presented the final sewer master plan to Council during Work Session. The final sewer master plan was included as an attachment to the November 3rd staff report and made available on the City website for public review and comment.
Staff have now returned to Council for the approval and adoption of the sewer master plan.
Once the sewer master plan is adopted, staff will work with Carollo to resume work on the Wastewater Trunkline (fund 231) portion of the Nexus Study. Nexus Study work will include financial analysis, development of draft impact fees, and meetings with development stakeholders. Staff anticipates returning to Council for impact fee adoption in summer 2026.
Fiscal Impact:
The Sewer Master Plan identifies near and long-term capital improvement projects to serve buildout of the 2030 General Plan Area. It includes proposed project phasing and the estimated cost of each project, as well as whether costs should be considered operational (funded by 431 Wastewater Operations) or development-related (funded by 231 Wastewater Trunkline). Projects were identified in five phases:
|
|
Timeframe |
Fund 431 Estimated Cost |
Fund 231 Estimated Cost |
|
Phase 1 |
2026-2030 |
$ 9,054,000 |
$ 17,749,000 |
|
Phase 2 |
2031-2035 |
$ 155,000 |
$ 16,147,000 |
|
Phase 3 |
2036-2040 |
$ 155,000 |
$ 26,001,000 |
|
Phase 4 |
2041-2045 |
$ 155,000 |
$ 23,582,000 |
|
Phase 5 |
2046-Beyond |
$ - |
$ 152,315,000 |
|
|
Total |
$ 9,519,000 |
$ 235,794,000 |
Staff intend to incorporate the Fund 231 Wastewater Trunkline estimated costs of projects in phases 1 through 4 (total cost approximately $83.5 million) into the Nexus Study and the update to the 231 Wastewater Trunkline Impact Fee. Fund 431 Wastewater Operations estimated costs of projects will be incorporated into the ongoing wastewater rate study.
Prior Council Action:
November 3, 2025 - Council received a presentation on the update to the Sanitary Sewer Master Plan.
June 16, 2025 - Council authorized Storm Amendment 3 with Carollo Engineers, Inc. in the amount of $115,700 for additional storm master plan services and authorize the appropriation of $103,000 from fund 222 (Storm Sewer Deficiency).
February 18, 2025 - Council authorized Carollo Engineers, Inc. Sewer Amendment 1 in the amount of $238,900 for additional nexus study services, authorized the transfer of $150,000 from CP0728 Wastewater Rate Study to CP0015 Sewer Master Plan and Nexus Study, and authorized the appropriation of $24,000 from Fund 231 Wastewater Trunkline, $4,000 from Fund 431 Wastewater Operations, and $91,000 from Fund 232 Treatment Plant Expansion to CP0015.
August 19, 2024 - Council approved and adopted the Master Plan for the Water Reclamation Facility.
June 17, 2024 - Council received a report and presentation on the Final Master Plan for the Water Reclamation Facility.
February 20, 2024 - Council received a report and presentation on the Condition Assessment, Facility Plan, and Master Plan Update for the Water Reclamation Facility.
December 18, 2023 - Council authorized contract award to Dudek for the preparation of the Storm and Sewer Master Plan Environmental Impact Reports in the amount of $654,085 and the appropriation of $365,000 from Fund 231, $247,000 from Fund 221, $166,000 from Fund 222, and $3,000 from Fund 481.
April 3, 2023 - Council authorized award of an emergency contract to Carollo Engineers, Inc. in the amount of $515,400 for the Condition Assessment, Facility Plan, and Master Plan Update for the Water Reclamation Facility and the appropriation of $550,000 from Fund 431.
December 19, 2022 - Council received a presentation on the Status of the Storm and Sewer Master Plan Updates and Introduction to the Nexus Study.
December 5, 2022 - Council authorized Carollo Engineers, Inc. Contract Amendment #2 for the Update to the Stormwater Master Plan in the amount of $97,070 and the appropriation of $100,000 from the Storm Sewer Construction Fund (221) to CP9067.
August 16, 2021 - Council authorized Carollo Engineers, Inc. Contract Amendment #1 for the Update to the Stormwater Master Plan in the amount of $132,543 and the appropriation of $140,000 from Storm Sewer Construction Fund (221) to CP9067.
September 4, 2018 - Council authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement for RFP 17-18-29 to Update the City’s Public Facility Master Plans for Storm Water and Sanitary Sewer Collection with Carollo Engineers, Inc. in the amounts of $326,700 (CP9067) and $279,200 (CP0015), authorized the appropriation of $155,285 from Fund 221 to CP9067, and authorized the appropriation of $12,000 from Fund 231 to CP0015.
June 6, 2016 - Work session to review key topics related to the City’s sewer system and storm water master plans and receive Council feedback for incorporation into the scope of work and authorize the advertising of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to update these master plans.
Alternatives: None
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve and adopt the Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan.
Environmental Assessment Status: NEPA Environmental Assessment does not apply to this project.
CEQA Review: City staff will complete a categorical exemption for consistency with the 2030 General Plan for the Sewer Master Plan. The Notice of Exemption will be recorded within five days of Council adoption of the Sewer Master Plan.
Deadline for Action: 12/2/2025
Attachments:
1. The Sanitary Sewer Master Plan Final Report is available here <https://www.visalia.city/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=58949>.
If you are unable to view the link, please note that the full report can also be viewed in the November 3, 2025 Council Packet.