RMWD to repay Caltrans $13.9 mil for sewer line

The Rainbow Municipal Water District approved an agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to relocate facilities impacted by the widening of State Route 76 between Mission Road and Interstate 15.

The agreement includes Rainbow’s reimbursement to Caltrans for the relocation and re-sizing of a sewer line between Sweetgrass Lane and Gird Road. Rainbow will reimburse Caltrans an estimated $13,920,000 over a three-year period.

“The district’s main sewer runs down the middle of the existing 76, and that will have to be relocated and at the same time it will be upsized,” said Rainbow general manager Brian Brady.

Rainbow’s board approved the agreement by a 4-1 vote Nov. 19, with Jack Griffiths voting against the agreement due to his disagreement that the district is required to pay the full amount to Caltrans.

Caltrans will cover the entire cost of relocating Rainbow’s water lines. “The reason we don’t have to pay that on the relocation of the water lines is we have prior rights on the water lines, but we don’t have prior rights on the sewer lines,” Brady said.

The sewer line will be increased in diameter from 12 to 18 inches. “The capacity will be increased significantly,” Brady said. “Caltrans is going to do that over three years while they rebuild the road.”

The reimbursement agreement allows all work to be performed by a single contractor. Although the Caltrans contractor will perform the construction work, Rainbow will still provide inspection oversight. Rainbow will make annual payments to Caltrans.

The agreement is for the first of two Caltrans phases and does not cover a sewer line adjacent to Live Oak Creek Bridge. Once construction costs for the second phase are known the issues will be brought to the water district board for action.