TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Public Works Director
Bruce Moe, Finance Director
Raul Saenz, Utilities Manager
Gwen Eng, Purchasing Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Award Contract to Hazen and Sawyer for Engineering Services to Evaluate and Optimize City's Water Disinfectant Process in the Amount of $55,725 (Public Works Director Olmos).
APPROVE
Line
________________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council award RFP #993-15 to Hazen and Sawyer for an engineering services contract to evaluate and optimize the City's water disinfectant process in the amount of $55,725.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Sufficient funds are available in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-2015 Public Works Department budget for this project.
BACKGROUND:
The City operates its two wells, Wells 11A and 15, by blending groundwater with imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) at Block 35 and Peck Reservoirs. MWD water contains chloramines (chlorine / ammonia mix) for disinfection and is mixed at the reservoirs with groundwater containing naturally occurring ammonia. Chlorine is added to the combined flow at the reservoirs in an effort to disinfect the groundwater. Variations in the proportion of MWD water and groundwater, as well as variations in groundwater quality, adversely impact the interactions of ammonia, chlorine and chloramines, thereby creating challenges in maintaining consistent disinfection levels in the blended water.
DISCUSSION:
This effort is aimed to create predictable and consistent disinfection levels that will minimize the risk of reduced water quality. In order to resolve this issue, requests for proposals were issued to four Engineering firms that specialize in this type of work, as well as posting on the City's website. A single response from Hazen and Sawyer was received. When queried, the other firms stated that they do not have the capacity to handle this project at this time. In addition, resoliciting proposals will delay the project which needs to be completed in a timely manner.
Hazen & Sawyer brings a level expertise in water chemistry, water system operations and water system design that will assist the City in taking corrective action. They will: 1) assess the City's historical water quality and operations data to develop a baseline; 2) evaluate the current state of the water system disinfection stability, level of disinfection byproducts and nitrification through a comprehensive water monitoring plan; 3) develop a sampling and analysis plan for the reservoirs and water distribution system to create an action plan to provide protocols for maintaining strong disinfection throughout the water system; 4) recommend chemical feed and monitoring system related capital improvements; and 5) communicate and coordinate with the California Department of Health for acceptability of capital improvements and in preparation of an amendment of the City's drinking water permit.
Upon completion of this study, staff will evaluate the recommended capital improvement options. Subsequently, a Request For Proposal will be developed to solicit a design/build agreement to construct the most viable capital improvement option.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council award RFP #993-15 to Hazen and Sawyer for engineering services to evaluate and optimize the City's water disinfectant process in the amount of $55,725.
Attachment:
1. Engineering Services Agreement with Hazen and Sawyer