Memorandum
Date: April 21, 2026
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Luke Bingham, Director of Emergency Services (Lake County Sheriff)
Susan Parker, County Administrative Officer
Stephen L. Carter, Jr., Assistant County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of a Resolution Increasing Reserve Cancellation Making Additional Funding Available for Robin Lane Sewage Release Event Response by Amending Resolution 2026-09 and Resolution 2026-08 Amending Resolution 2025-118 Adopting Final Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 to Cancel $250,000 in Reserve Designations in Disaster Response and Recovery (Fund 110)
Executive Summary:
On Sunday, January 11, 2026, Lake County Special Districts was made aware of a sewer spill coming from a compromised force main pipeline near Robin Lane and Pond Road in the City of Clearlake. Once the affected area was repaired and cleaned up, water tests from 151 sites were collected to understand the status of the water in the wells of affected properties and gain greater understanding of the water table (approximately 517 total water samples completed as of February 5). As data was gathered, the footprint of the emergency was adjusted to promote public health and safety.
The Incident Command team has been active in seeking mid-and-long term solutions to ensure community members have access to safe water. The Incident Command team has engaged in a number of strategies including installing water tanks, providing water, purchasing filtration systems, installing filtration systems, and testing water samples.
In February, in an effort to streamline process and effectively track costs, your Board approved alteration of the payment structure which authorized the Disaster Response and Recovery fund (Fund 110) to make payments. Your Board also approved an increase in the amount allotted to the Robin Lane Sewer Spill response from $750,000 to $1,750,000.
Initial emergency response has been concluded, and the Incident Command has been focused on long-term solutions. Now that emergency response invoices have been processed and existing costs are more able to be forecasted, our initial estimate of final costs has been revised to $2,000,000.
Therefore, we are requesting your Board authorize Cancelling an additional $250,000 in reserves from Fund 110 (Budget Unit 1920 Disaster Response and Recovery), and increase appropriations into account 719.28-30 (special departmental expense / supplies and services) by $250,000.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: $2,000,000 Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: $250,000 Future Annual Cost: ________
Purchasing Considerations (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Fully Article X. <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI>- and/or Consultant Selection Policy <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Policy/Policies+$!26+Procedures+Manual/Ch4_2021v2.pdf>-Compliant (describe process undertaken in “Executive Summary”)
☐ Section 2-38 <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI> Exemption from Competitive Bidding (rationale in “Executive Summary,” attach documentation, as needed)
☐ For Technology Purchases: Vetted and Supported by the Technology Governance Committee <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Intranet+Forms/Information+Technology/AdvPlan.pdf> (“Yes,” if checked)
☐ Other (Please describe in Executive Summary)
Consistency with Vision 2028 <http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/Administration/Visioning/Vision2028.htm> (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☐ Public Safety ☒ Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Recovery
☐ Economic Development ☐ Infrastructure ☐ County Workforce
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake
Recommended Action: Offer the resolution.