REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
June 13, 2019
FROM: MICHAEL CARBAJAL, Director
Department of Public Utilities
THROUGH: BRIAN SPINDOR, PE(WA), Assistant Director - Wastewater
Department of Public Utilities - Wastewater Management Division
DEJAN PAVIC, PE, Public Utilities Manager
Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering
BY: ARTURO ALVAREZ, Wastewater Manager
Department of Public Utilities - Wastewater Management Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to North Avenue sewer trunk main emergency repair (Council District 5):
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Class 1, Section 15301(b) (Existing Facilities) and Section 15301(d) (Restoration or Rehabilitation) of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines
2. ***RESOLUTION - Declaring an urgent necessity for the preservation of life, health, property, and authorizing the Purchasing Manager of the Finance Department, or designee, to contract with Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc., without advertised competitive bidding for the emergency repair of the North Avenue sewer trunk main (Requires 5 votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
3. Award a construction contract to Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc., in the amount of $450,000
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that City Council adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Class 1, Section 15301(b) (Existing Facilities) and Section 15301(d) (Restoration or Rehabilitation) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; adopt a Resolution declaring an urgent necessity for the preservation of life, health, property, and authorizing the Purchasing Manager of the Finance Department of the City of Fresno (City), or designee, to contract with Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc., without advertised competitive bidding for the emergency repair of the North Avenue sewer trunk main (Project); and award a construction contract to Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc., in the amount of $450,000.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU), Wastewater Management Division, is seeking to award a construction contract for the Project in the amount of $450,000 to Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc. The existing sewer trunk main in North Avenue transports an average of 11.5 million gallons of wastewater per day to the Fresno/Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility. This sewer trunk main experienced a localized structural collapse in North Avenue north of the Fresno Colony No. 24 Canal and east of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. Without the emergency repair and the additional work, a full collapse may cause a sanitary sewer overflow impacting public health and safety.
BACKGROUND
During a routine inspection of the Fresno Colony No. 24 Canal, the Fresno Irrigation District (FID) discovered a large sinkhole on their property adjacent to the canal. They reported the ground to be unstable with a large amount of water flowing through the opening of the sinkhole. Upon further inspection, the DPU Wastewater Collection System Division found that the 57-inch diameter North Avenue sewer trunk main, located just to the west of sewer access structure No. 3260-24, to have had a structural failure due to the complete erosion of the crown of the sewer trunk main. The location of the failure is bound by a major railroad crossing that services both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad to the west, FID irrigation canal to the south, commercial property to the north, and Maple Avenue to the east. The location of this structural collapse limits City’s options and confines response activities within this geographical area.
An emergency purchase order was issued to Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc., to secure stability of the area surrounding this sewer trunk main and to construct a suction vault necessary for a bypass in the event of a full collapse. These actions were also necessary in order to conduct a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) inspection of the sewer trunk main between access structure No. 3260-24 and No. 3260-02 to fully assess the extent of the failure. The CCTV inspection found the condition of the entire 207 feet of sewer trunk main to be structurally deficient and unable to support a point repair.
DPU staff recommends a full bypass to allow construction of a structural concrete cap to cover the opening, using the surrounding ground for support while placing no stress on the compromised sewer trunk main. This measure will only be a temporary solution that will stabilize the area and prevent further soil erosion from entering the sewer trunk main.
The Statewide General Waste Discharge Regulations Order No. 2006-0003-DWQ (c), requires rehabilitation and replacement of sewer pipes that are at risk of collapse or prone to more frequent blockages due to pipe defects. The severity of the condition of the North Avenue sewer trunk main calls for its immediate replacement. DPU will be moving forward with a Capital Improvement Project for the installation of a parallel main in Fiscal Year 2020. Staff will return to City Council within 180 days with a recommendation to award a contract for the design and a contract for the construction of a permanent replacement (parallel main) of this section of the North Avenue sewer trunk main.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Staff has performed a preliminary environmental assessment of this Project in accordance with the requirements of CEQA and has determined that this Project is exempt under Class 1, Section 15301(b) (Existing facilities of both investor and publicly-owned utilities) and Section 15301(d) (Restoration or rehabilitation of deteriorated or damaged structures, facilities, or mechanical equipment to meet current standards of public health and safety), because this Project involves the rehabilitation of an existing structure which has deteriorated to a point where it requires repairs, in order to uphold public health and safety standards.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this award is an emergency purchase. However, Floyd Johnston Construction Co., Inc., qualifies as a local business pursuant to the Fresno Municipal Code Section 4-108(d).
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the General Fund. The Project is located in Council District 5. Funds for the Project are included in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget within the Wastewater Operations Fund 40501 for rehabilitation of the sewer collection system.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Resolution
Attachment 2 - Sample Contract
Attachment 3 - Vicinity Map