New Cal City Council approves inventory of water system
CALIFORNIA CITY — The newly sworn-in California City City Council approved a Request for Proposal during its Dec. 8 meeting, to locate and inventory the city’s entire water system.
It is looking for proposals that will include a commercial computer-aided design and drafting software application (AutoCAD) and a web-based geographic information system (GIS) mapping system.
Public Works Director Jose
Barragan said the city’s current water system maps are not very accurate and are outdated, with the most recent file being from 2008. He said when repairs are made, they don’t get updated on the CAD files and they have to rely on employees’ memories to identify where those fixes were made.
“We got new technology we need to start using it for our benefit and to reduce costs on overtime on the weekends when we get blowouts and things like that,” he said.
He believes the new mapping system will help with water system modeling and maintenance operations and be designed as a living dataset that can be maintained and updated as the water system continues to expand.
“This is what the GIS mapping service will do, you will have the ability to very easily go in there and make modifications when we add a new section of pipe, when we place a pipe along the road and have actual real-life knowledge of where things are underground,” Barragan said.
He said the 2008 CAD file was never verified and looked as though old maps were put together. With the new GIS mapping service, the department would verify and pothole to make sure that a steel pipe is not a concrete one.
Mayor Pro Tempore Nicholas Lessenevich said the city had worked with the Kern Council of Governments, using low-resolution scans of satellite photos of California City to create the 2008 CAD files.
“I don’t think they were ever designed to be engineering maps per se,” he said.
Lessenevich said that if the purpose of this GIS mapping service is to create a diagram of the water system, then it can also be used for street improvements, planning issues and zoning.
“This particular project has never been done to what I think is a working plan, a working image,” he said. “If it is the desire to have a plan to develop the water system or improve the water system, then this is probably the logical best step.”
The goal of the GIS mapping system is to continue investing in the city’s resources by planning for the short- and long-term needs of providing its residents and businesses with safe water.
The council unanimously voted to approve the Request for Approval.
Proposals should be submitted to the city clerk’s office by Feb. 8. Mailed copies should be sealed by postmarked by the submission deadline. The proposals are scheduled to be reviewed by the council on Feb. 22.