To: The Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Contract Amendment with Balance Hydrologics, INC, for Professional Engineering and Fluvial Geomorphology Services.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing body of the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (Flood Control District), APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chief Engineer, or designee, to execute a contract amendment with Balance Hydrologics, INC, effective October 21, 2025, to increase the payment limit by $500,000 to a new payment limit of $700,000 and extend the term through November 29, 2028, for on-call consulting services for professional engineering and fluvial geomorphology related to flood control facility restoration, maintenance, and design in Zones 7 and 3B.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This contract amendment is funded 100% by Flood Control District Funds. Approximately 75% of the required funds are anticipated to be reimbursable through an existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Grant, which was executed upon Board of Supervisor approval on February 25, 2025. Project No.: Various
BACKGROUND:
The Flood Control District has engaged Balance Hydrologics, INC, to design and prepare construction documents for the Lower Wildcat Creek Restoration Project. The purpose of this project is to restore flood capacity, improve habitat, and enhance fish passage within the communities of Richmond and North Richmond. The project area extends for approximately one mile, from just downstream of the Wildcat Sediment Basin and Fish Ladder Project near Verde Elementary School to Richmond Parkway.
Local partners-including Urban Tilth, The Watershed Project, and the West County Wastewater District-are collaborating with the Flood Control District on this and related projects supported by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality Improvement Fund grant, administered by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. The grant expires in February 2028, and completing the full scope of work-including design, regulatory permitting, contractor procurement, and construction-will require the entirety of the grant term, with close coordination among all agencies and organizations involved. Given the scale and complexity of the project, the Flood Control District seeks to amend its agreement with Balance Hydrologics, INC, by increasing the payment limit for on-call professional engineering and geomorphic services in order to ensure timely delivery within the federal grant deadline.
The Flood Control District conducted a solicitation for on-call fluvial geomorphology technical services in 2023. Following a competitive selection process, contracts became effective November 30, 2023. Wildcat Creek and Walnut Creek (Flood Protection Zone 3B) are both heavily impacted by sedimentation, affecting habitat and flood conveyance. Work on Walnut Creek is concurrent to the Lower Wildcat Creek Restoration Project, and also includes collaborative partnerships with local Friends of Creeks groups and the Walnut Creek Watershed Council. This on-call contract may be used to support geomorphic studies on both watersheds. While existing Zone 3B funding is sufficient to cover additional work on Walnut Creek, work on Wildcat Creek would be grant-reimbursable, pending compliance with the federal grant timeline. Approval of the requested contract amendment will authorize services for both projects, ensuring timely completion within the federal grant deadline for the Wildcat Creek project.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without Board of Supervisors approval, the Flood Control District would be unable to continue the complex, collaborative hydrologic and geomorphic design and study work for both the Lower Wildcat Creek Restoration and the separate Walnut Creek studies. This could delay critical project milestones, hinder coordination among partner agencies, and jeopardize timely completion of creek restoration and flood protection within the mandatory federal grant deadline.