Hi-Desert shifts Phase II sewer work in-house after bid comes in high
Hi-desert Water District, California · Meeting date: October 21, 2026 · Published: October 22, 2026
Hi-Desert Water District has authorised a $178,348 Phase II wastewater change order to compensate Sukut Construction for design work completed with West Coast Civil. The district will take on construction in the affected area after the contractor's price proved too high.
Key points
- The board approved Change Order No. 005, authorising the General Manager to approve $178,348 for Phase II wastewater collection-system work.
- The change order covers plans prepared by Sukut Construction and its engineering partner West Coast Civil for an area near the high school.
- Staff said Sukut's resulting bid was too high and the district will perform the work itself.
- Phase II expenses totalled $53.4 million through June 30, including $48 million in construction and $1.4 million in Joshua tree government fees.
Full report
Hi-Desert Water District is moving a portion of its Phase II wastewater collection-system programme to in-house delivery after a contractor bid for the work came in at a level the utility considered too high.
The board approved Change Order No. 005, worth $178,348, authorising the General Manager to compensate Sukut Construction for plans prepared for an area near the high school. Sukut had worked with West Coast Civil, its engineering partner, to develop the designs as part of preparing a bid for the work.
Staff said the contractor's price subsequently came back “really high,” prompting the district to decide to carry out the construction itself. The approved change order pays Sukut for the design work already completed.
The decision comes as the district continues to carry a substantial Phase II construction programme on its wastewater balance sheet. Through June 30, Phase II expenses stood at $53.4 million, including $48 million in construction costs, nearly $1.1 million in design costs and $2.7 million for owner representation. The programme had also incurred $1.4 million in government fees associated with Joshua trees.
Restricted wastewater revenues totalled $59 million at year-end. These included $53 million in state revolving-fund grant revenue for Phase II, more than $3 million from Assessment District 2014-1 and $2.6 million in Measure Z sales-tax revenue.
The wastewater fund reported $62 million in construction in progress at June 30, all associated with Phases II and III. Its cash and cash equivalents were $18.3 million, while the fund's amount due to the water fund had declined to $6.9 million. Wastewater paid $2 million to the water fund during the fiscal year for current wages and benefits and costs from prior years.
Separately, district construction and maintenance staff reported that their capital-replacement crew had installed 14,000 linear feet of pipe since the previous update, reconnected 40 laterals and installed 16 fire hydrants. Rocky ground has delayed completion of the current work area from an earlier target of the end of 2026 to around July 2027.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors Meeting, Hi-desert Water District