REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
December 7, 2017
FROM: THOMAS C. ESQUEDA, Director
Department of Public Utilities
THROUGH: MICHAEL CARBAJAL, Planning Manager
Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering
BY: MATTHEW BULLIS, Professional Engineer
Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Agreement with Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, Inc. (Citywide):
1. Approve the First Amendment to Agreement with Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $99,000 for Engineering Design for Removal of 1,2,3 Trichloropropane (TCP) from Groundwater at Well Pump Station 70.
2. Authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign all documents on behalf of the City of Fresno.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council approve a First Amendment to Agreement with Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group Inc. for an amount not to exceed $99,000 for engineering design for removal of TCP from groundwater at well Pump Station 70 (PS 70); extend the original Agreement expiration date to September 15, 2018; and authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign all documents on behalf of the City of Fresno.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2018, the State of California will establish new groundwater regulations for concentrations of TCP allowed in drinking water. Due to the upcoming changing State Water Regulations the City entered into agreement with Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, Inc. to conduct a Feasibility Assessment on the existing forty five City owned water wells impacted with TCP and to determine the treatment necessary to clean groundwater from the impacted wells. While the Feasibility Study is under development, the preliminary report indicates that the City needs to expedite remedial design for PS 70, which is a water well that must remain in service. Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group was selected as the most qualified firm to provide the design services that will meet the City’s needs for this project. The original Agreement expiration date was for January 17, 2018. Due to delays of data collection during the Feasibility Analysis the City is requesting to extend the expiration date to September 15, 2018.
BACKGROUND
In 2018, the State of California will establish new groundwater regulations for TCP, a chemical present in drinking water due to farming practices. TCP was widely used in the 1950’s and 1960’s as a chemical byproduct of soil fumigation and due to its low adsorption capabilities, did not adhere to soil after ground spraying which resulted in the product migrating to groundwater. The State is proposing a new drinking water standard Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) limit of 5 ppt (parts per trillion) for TCP, which will require advanced levels of treatment for all impacted wells. TCP has been detected in 45 of the City’s 270 drinking water wells.
On January 31, 2017, the City hired Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group to provide a Feasibility Study for prioritizing well treatment options for compliance with pending new State regulation. The scope of work included a review of best available technologies for groundwater treatment, cost estimates, prioritizing of wells to be upgraded with new treatment systems and field studies on the selected treatment options to evaluate product cleanup effectiveness. The consultant’s preliminary report indicates that PS 70, located at the southeast corner of Peach and McKinley Avenues, must be the first site selected for remediation. PS 70 has been under State of California Waste Discharge Requirement (WDR) since 2004 for cleanup of Trichloroethylene (TCE) from groundwater and requires continuous operation of the treatment facility until the TCE has been removed from the groundwater. Staff is proposing the design of additional remedial facilities on the well site to accommodate remediation of both TCE and TCP contaminants of concern.
The original contract was for an amount not to exceed $244,000 with a $24,000 contingency. Approval of the First Amendment will increase the value of the contract by $99,000 to an amount not to exceed $343,000 with a $24,000 contingency. Due to delays of data collection during the Feasibility Analysis, the City is requesting to extend the original contract to September 15, 2018. The First Amendment has been reviewed by the City Attorney’s Office and approved as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
The approval of the Agreement is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA guidelines Section 15378.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this item is amending an existing contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of the First Amendment to Agreement will not impact the General Fund. Funding for this project is included in the Water Division’s Fiscal Year 2018 capital improvement budget within the Water Enterprise Fund (40101). The project was also included in the water rate model used to create the five-year utility rate plan that was adopted by the City Council on February 26, 2015.
Attachments:
First Amendment to Agreement
Original Consultant Agreement