Project Information

Bid Title

Professional environmental and engineering consulting services to conduct the Millerton Lake Outflow Temperature Management and San Joaquin River Flow Connectivity Special Study, December 19, 2025:

Issuing Agency

Friant Water Authority

Location

California

Published Date

Dec 19, 2025

Closing Date

Jan 12, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Project Description

RFP - Professional environmental and engineering consulting services to conduct the Millerton Lake Outflow Temperature Management and San Joaquin River Flow Connectivity Special Study, December 19, 2025:

• Due Date - To allow sufficient time for Proposals, the Due Date is January 12, 2026 (though you are welcome to submit in advance of that date).

  Please contact Ian Buck-Macleod, Water Resources Manager (ibuckmacleod@friantwater.org) if you have any questions.

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

MILLERTON LAKE OUTFLOW TEMPERATURE

MANAGEMENT AND SAN JOAQUIN RIVER FLOW

CONNECTIVITY SPECIAL STUDY

ISSUE DATE: December 19, 2025

PROPOSAL DUE DATE: January 12, 2026

CONTACT:

Ian Buck-Macleod, Water Resources Manager, ibuckmacleod@friantwater.org

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Friant Water Authority

854 N. Harvard Avenue

Lindsay, CA 93247

Request for Proposal (RFP) for Millerton Lake Outflow Temperature Management and

San Joaquin River Flow Connectivity Special Study

Date of Issuance: December 19, 2025

Proposal Due Date: January 12, 2026

Award Deadline: January 22, 2026

Point of Contact: Ian Buck-Macleod, Water Resources Manager,

ibuckmacleod@friantwater.org

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Project Overview

3. Responding to the RFP

4. Selection of Consultant

5. Administrative Process and Requirements

6. Appendix:

A. Scope of Work

1. INTRODUCTION

Friant Water Authority (FWA) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms for professional

environmental and engineering consulting services to conduct the Millerton Lake Outflow

Temperature Management and San Joaquin River Flow Connectivity Special Study. This

request for proposals (RFP) outlines the project scope, requirements, proposal process,

and criteria for evaluating submitted proposals.

A. Friant Water Authority

FWA is a Joint Powers Authority whose members include various irrigation and water

districts and the Cities of Fresno and Lindsay. FWA operates and maintains the Friant-

Kern Canal (FKC) under a long-term operations and maintenance (OM&R) transfer

contract with the United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The FKC

stretches approximately 151 miles from Lake Millerton behind the Friant Dam to the

Kern River in the City of Bakersfield. Lake Millerton, Friant Dam, and the FKC are all

components of the Friant Division of the Central Valley Project (CVP). See

www.friantwater.org for further information about Friant and the FKC.

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B. Upper San Joaquin River

The San Joaquin River originates above 13,000 feet in the highest peaks of the Sierra

Nevada Mountains and flows down to sea level at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,

draining the southern portion of California’s Central Valley. Completed in 1942, Friant

Dam, which impounds Lake Millerton, is the primary main stem dam controlling flows

in the San Joaquin River upstream of the Merced River. Historic operation of Friant

Dam resulted in no flows in portions of the San Joaquin River for all or substantial

periods during most years and corresponding impacts to fisheries, including

extirpation of spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon.

C. Settlement, Act, and Settling Parties

In 1988, a coalition of 14 environmental and recreational groups, led by the Natural

Resources Defense Council (NRDC), filed a lawsuit challenging the renewal of long-

term water service contracts between the United States (U.S.) and the Central Valley

Project Friant Division contractors (Friant Districts), NRDC et al. v. Kirk Rodgers et al.

On September 13, 2006, after more than 18 years of litigation, Plaintiffs, Friant

Districts, and the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce (collectively,

Settling Parties) agreed on terms and conditions for a Stipulation of Settlement

(Settlement).

A key goal of the Settlement is the restoration of naturally reproducing and self-

sustaining Chinook salmon populations in the San Joaquin River downstream of Friant

Dam (Restoration Goal). Chinook salmon are a cold-water, anadromous species, with

different freshwater life stages (e.g., spawning, incubation, juveniles and adults) all

requiring sufficiently cool water. Water temperature tolerances vary by life stage

throughout the year.

D. Project to Undertake Special Study

The Project, a Special Study as defined in Reclamation Manual Directives and

Standards CMP 09-01 Water and Related Resources Appraisal and Special Studies is

being undertaken to better understand and investigate potential operations and

infrastructure that could improve both temperature conditions for salmon while also

improving river flow connectivity.

Due to its design, size and capacity relative to the volume of summer and early fall

river releases, Millerton Lake has a limited ability to maintain cold water at the bottom

of the reservoir between the end of cold-water accumulation period (typically April or

early May) through the peak of the salmon incubation and emergence period (typically

late November into December). The study will examine how different operational and

infrastructure strategies may meet a range of temperatures and flow metrics

downstream of Friant Dam. The study is not a decisional document but will inform

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consideration of potential future actions as to benefits and trade-offs.

FWA will lead the study, in close collaboration with Reclamation, and Friends of the

River, with support from the selected consultant team. The study will also be

conducted in collaboration with the Restoration Administrator (RA) for the San

Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) and the SJRRP Technical Advisory

Committee (TAC). This study will utilize data obtained from various flow release

patterns and from salmon life cycle data from the San Joaquin River, and ongoing

flow, loss and temperature monitoring by Reclamation. Existing CE-QUAL-W2

reservoir temperature and HEC-RAS river temperature models are available, along

with various operations spreadsheets and models.

2. PROJECT OVERVIEW

Purpose: The purpose of the Project is to identify and evaluate potential operational

and infrastructure strategies which could be taken over the next 1-5 years to achieve

measurable progress towards improved temperature management and improved river

connectivity in the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam.

Project Manager:

Friant Water Authority

Ian Buck-Macleod

916-496-5686

ibuckmacleod@friantwater.org

Project Tasks: The Project tasks are listed below; see Appendix A for more detailed task

descriptions and expected deliverables.

• Task 1—Project Kickoff, Objectives, and Initial Screening

• Task 2—Review of Historical Conditions and Data, and Baseline Development

• Task 3—Technical Evaluation of Potential Strategies

• Task 4—Stakeholder Engagement and Consensus Building (Optional)

• Task 5—Conceptual Costs and Funding Pathways

• Task 6—Final Report and Recommendations

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3. RESPONDING TO THE RFP

3.1. Proposal Requirements

Respondents to this RFP should submit proposals by email as a readable, editable, and

bookmarked PDF and include the following information in the order listed:

A. Transmittal Letter (not to exceed two (2) pages) that is signed by a representative of

the Respondent who is authorized to negotiate on behalf of, and to contractually

bind, the Respondent during the selection process. The letter should summarize the

key points contained in the proposal, as well as provide the name, title, address,

email address, and telephone number of the key contact person.

B. Qualifications (not to exceed five (5) pages):

1. Team members and project team organization.

2. Consultant’s capabilities and experience completing similar studies efficiently

and cost-effectively.

3. Demonstration of successful cooperation with local, State, and Federal

agencies and other stakeholders in completing similar studies.

4. Reference names, affiliations, emails, and contact information for three (3)

professionals familiar with the Firm’s qualifications for similar studies.

C. Proposed Project Approach (not to exceed fifteen (15) pages):

1. Respondent’s preliminary approach to each task.

2. Approach to complete the study by April 2027.

3. Approach to risk management for avoiding delays and cost overruns.

D. Disclosure of Legal Actions, Conflicts of Interest, or other Potential Conflicts.

1. Description of any pending investigations of the Respondent, and any

enforcement, settlements, or disciplinary actions taken within the past five (5)

years by any regulatory body and any litigation challenging the manner in which

the Respondent has provided services in the past ten (10) years.

2. Description of any actual or potential conflicts of interest between the FWA, its

Board members, and any other person or entity represented by Respondent

regarding this RFP.

E. Appendix:

1. Resumes of key personnel.

2. Project summaries for three (3) similar projects completed in the last five (5)

years.

Respondents to this RFP must also submit a cost proposal, under separate cover,

delivered concurrently with the qualifications-based response.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541330Engineering Services
• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541620Environmental Consulting Services
• NAICS 541690Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services

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