The Groundwater Authority approved change orders to the imported water pipeline contracts and took time-limited actions on related contract extensions after staff and consultants described schedule delays tied to Bureau of Land Management permitting timing and later-than-anticipated design work from Southern California Edison.

Provost & Pritchard (represented at the meeting by Jeff Helsley) described two change orders: a $109,965 increase for additional design project-management/coordination and a $20,066 increase for environmental/permit documentation services. Helsley said the change orders were caused by delays in completing work by March and additional program-management tasks requested by Authority staff; some of the extra work also related to ensuring grant funds (SIGMA IP) were fully used and to preparing projections for the Authority’s 2026 budget.

Consultant Omar Dhanashie (Blue Mountain) and Provost & Pritchard staff said the team is developing an action plan and expects to return with a detailed project schedule. Don Marple (Provost & Pritchard principal planner) said environmental studies and technical inputs are being incorporated and the environmental document schedule currently targets completion by May.

The board approved the change orders by voice vote (motion carried with Director Saint Amond abstaining). For the subsequent design-services time-extension (item 15), some directors requested more time to evaluate past performance and options; the board voted to continue action on that extension to the January meeting to allow additional review. For the environmental-services extension (item 16), the board adopted a shorter modified extension — extending the contract to March 31, 2026 — to keep work underway while giving the board a near-term review point.

Directors asked staff to provide updated operational-cost estimates for the pipeline (energy/ongoing operational costs) and any new cost information that could affect future budget decisions. Staff agreed to look for updated operational estimates and deliver them to the water district engineering staff for assessment.