TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Public Works Director
Raul Saenz, Utilities Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Approve Professional Services Agreement with ValveTek Utility Services, Inc. in the Amount of $319,749 for Flushing and Disinfection of 101 Miles of the City’s Potable Water System (Public Works Director Olmos).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a sole-source Professional Services Agreement with ValveTek Utility Services, Inc. in the amount of $319,749 for flushing and disinfection of 101 miles of the City’s potable water system (Attachment 1).
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funds are available in the FY2015-2016 Public Works Department's Water Maintenance and Water Pumping Operating budgets for these services.
BACKGROUND:
In order to maintain residual chlorine disinfection in the water system, minimize discoloration and continue to meet Regional Water Quality Control Board standards, the City of Manhattan Beach’s water distribution system should be comprehensively flushed every year by a technique known as unidirectional flushing (UDF). UDF consists of isolating a particular pipe section or loop, typically through closing appropriate valves in a sequential manner, then systematically opening fire hydrants to force the water through the pipes at high velocity. This increased velocity scours and cleans the pipe walls, flushes sediment from the mainline pipes and removes aging water from the water distribution system. The flushing continues until the water within the isolated loop is clear, which can take from 30 minutes to over an hour. UDF is a preventative maintenance program that results in flushing water to waste, which ultimately ends up in the ocean by way of the City’s stormwater system. It is estimated that approximately 26 million gallons, costing $98,400, is flushed to the City’s storm drain system every time the entire water system is flushed. This volume of water represents approximately 1.5% of the entire City’s average water demand in a single year.
The State of California is in its 5th year of drought. In response to Governor Brown’s executive order calling for action to address the impacts of the drought, the Regional Water Board, in May of 2015, implemented emergency water conservation regulations. Under the emergency regulations, the City of Manhattan Beach is required to reduce water usage by 20% compare to the same period in 2013.
In response the sustained regulatory demand to conserve water and to avoid adverse public response to the apparent wasting of water during the flushing process, the City has suspended its comprehensive UDF program since April, 2012 and has only performed selective low-scale flushing to address immediate water quality needs since that time. Consequently, sediment that is normally flushed out of the water system on an annual basis has accumulated for the past 3 ½ years, which we found to be fairly consistent with other cities with comparable water systems.
This has resulted in an increase in residential and business complaints about cloudy water, with no apparent cause. Additionally, sudden increases in pipeline water velocities, as occurs when a fire hydrant is put into service as a result of a response to a fire, has resulted in not only the expected cloudy water complaints within the vicinity of the fire, but at considerable distances from the source of the fire.
DISCUSSION:
To address the simultaneous challenges of reducing water consumption by 20%, complying with water quality regulations and meeting customer service expectations, staff is proposing use of a proprietary patented water system flushing service provided by ValveTek Utility Services, Inc. through NO-DES, Inc. (Attachment 2). ValveTek Utility Services, Inc., is the only contract service provider authorized to perform NO-DES contract services in the United States. The procedure involves a truck mounted pump, filtration system and disinfection system. Water is pumped at high velocities from a closed loop within the water system through filtration vessels, a color analyzer and chlorine injection/analyzer. The water is then reinjected into the same closed loop. Once the water color and disinfection levels reach optimal levels, the process is halted and the truck relocates to the next closed loop. The process is repeated until the entire City is flushed, which is anticipated to take up to 80 days.
Benefits to utilizing the NO-DES System include:
• Elimination of cloudy water, pressure loss and surging complaints normally associated with conventional flushing,
• Scouring the insides of the water lines is more effective than conventional flushing techniques,
• Improved water quality attained through removal of particulates,
• Elimination of water waste and associated with conventional flushing,
• Consistent message is delivered to the public - water conservation and no misperceptions about water quality due to observance of dirty water through conventional flushing methods,
• Eliminates vehicular and pedestrian hazards associated with water flowing down the City’s streets, and
• Results in lower Unaccounted-For-Water, which will also not negatively affect water conservation goals.
In 2015, the following California water purveyors have used this water main flushing system:
• City of Woodland - 45 miles
• City of Pasadena - 30 miles
• California American Water - 17 miles
• San Jose Water Company - 10 miles
• Town of Yountville - 5 miles
• City of Huntington Beach - 8.5 miles
• City of Sonoma - 6 miles
• Channel Islands - 5 miles
• City of Pomona - 2.5 miles
• City of Poway - 2 miles
• City of Milpitas - 1.5 miles
• City of Vallejo - 1,200 feet
Water purveyors outside of California include who have used this water main flushing system:
• Fort Polk, Louisiana - 45 miles
• City of Providence, Rhode Island - 35 miles
• City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico - 30 miles
Staff contacted several of these water purveyors to assess the level of customer satisfaction. All expressed high levels of satisfaction and prefer this method over traditional water main flushing methods. They all underscored the fact that there were no disruptions in water service, no cloudy water complaints, and the hazards associated with flushing water onto the public right of way were eliminated. Each water purveyor responded in the affirmative when asked if they planned to use this flushing method again in the future.
POLICY ALTERNATIVE NO.1
Do not approve the proposed agreement.
Pro: City would not need to fund the additional cost to perform this service.
Con: City would need to increase in-house water main flushing to address growing need. Flushed water would go directly through the City’s drainage system eventually ending up at the ocean and would affect the City’s water conservation mandated goal.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Staff will post the water system flushing schedule on the City’s website; traffic control measures will be exercised in the vicinity of the flushing equipment; signage will be staged around the flushing equipment to inform the public of the nature of the work being done.
LEGAL REVIEW
City Attorney has approved the Professional Services Agreement as to form.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council pass a motion to award a Professional Services Agreement to ValveTek Utility Services, Inc. in the amount of $319, 749 for flushing and disinfection of 101 miles of the City’s potable water system.
Attachments:
1. Professional Services Agreement - ValveTek Utility Services, Inc.
2. NO-DES Sole Source Declaration