South Coast Water District advances grant strategy for Doheny Ocean Desalination Project

South Coast Water District advances grant strategy for Doheny Ocean Desalination ProjectAn engineering committee has recommended a $100,000 contract amendment to retain specialized grant management services through October 2026, supporting a desalination project with a $7.5 million budget for the current fiscal year.

The Engineering and Operations Committee recommended a $100,000 amendment to an existing contract with Soto Resources.

The consultant will manage ongoing reporting and secure new grants primarily for the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project.

Staff confirmed the district has budgeted $7.5 million in fiscal year 2026 for the desalination effort, covering Phase 1 contracts and consultants including GHD and Kimley-Horn.

The committee also advanced a Notice of Completion for a $537,706 cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) sewer lining project.

The South Coast Water District (SCWD) in California is reinforcing its strategy to secure external funding for the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project. During an April 6, 2026, Engineering and Operations Committee meeting, members recommended a $100,000 contract amendment with Soto Resources for continued grant management and administrative services through October 2026. According to district staff, the consultant has been working with SCWD since 2017 to identify and secure grant opportunities, with a primary focus on the Doheny desalination initiative. The additional funding will cover extensive ongoing compliance and reporting requirements—including tracking expenditures spent to date on the project—as well as identifying new funding opportunities across Orange County and beyond. The contract discussion provided a window into the near-term financial scale of the desalination effort. A staff member clarified to the committee that the district has allocated a $7.5 million capital improvement budget for the desalination project in fiscal year 2026. This budget covers the entire Phase 1 contract, staff time, and external consultants, specifically naming engineering firms GHD and Kimley-Horn. In separate infrastructure business, the committee also recommended a Notice of Completion for its 2025-2026 Annual Gravity Sewer Lining Project. The $537,706 project successfully rehabilitated 22 segments, totaling 6,145 linear feet of primarily 6-inch and 8-inch vitrified clay pipe using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining. The final cost came in under the original construction budget following a $51,000 change order deduction for unused field allowances. Additionally, the committee authorized a $248,523 reimbursement to Caltrans for utility relocation work completed during a Pacific Coast Highway improvement project in Laguna Beach, which required lowering and raising over 100 water valves and sewer manholes.