REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
November 4, 2021
FROM: MICHAEL CARBAJAL, Director
Department of Public Utilities
BY: RICK STAGGS, Assistant Director
Department of Public Utilities - Wastewater Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the City of Fresno’s Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility air compressor blower units (Council District 3):
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the California Environmental Quality Act
2. Affirm the City Manager’s determination that the contractor is uniquely qualified
3. Approve the award of a construction contract with Howden Roots LLC, in the amount of $218,800 for programmable logic controller upgrades and software integration
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Sections 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); affirm the City Manager’s determination that the contractor is uniquely qualified; approve the award of a construction contract to Howden Roots LLC, in the amount of $218,800 to upgrade obsolete equipment components for the City of Fresno’s Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility air compressor blowers; and authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign and execute all documents on behalf of the City of Fresno (City).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (RWRF) needs upgrades to the programable logic controllers (PLC) for air compressor blowers that maintain efficient performance of the treatment processes. Integrating these upgrades with existing equipment requires the original manufacturer to access proprietary software. Staff recommends that City Council award a construction contract in the amount of $218,800 to furnish and install the upgrades.
BACKGROUND
The RWRF is a secondary treatment plant with an annual rated capacity of 91.5 million gallons per day (MGD). A key part of the treatment process involves the addition of air to the treated sewage to assist the aerobic digestion process. The addition of air helps naturally occurring bacteria treat ammonia and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) resulting in essential, economical, and effective wastewater treatment.
The RWRF is equipped with 1500 horsepower air compressor blower units which are needed for the treatment process and are amongst the larger electrical power consuming pieces of equipment at the facility. The economical operations of these units is managed by process controls. The facility has several Howden/Turblex brand Air Compressor Blowers in use which require specific instrumentation and PLC upgrades to operate efficiently with the main facility controls systems. The current PLC units are obsolete and no longer supported, creating increased maintenance costs. The air blower units, having proprietary programming control functions, require the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components for proper function. The use of other components would not allow for access of the OEM PLC proprietary programming which is needed for proper integration, configuration, and operation.
RWRF staff contacted Howden Roots LLC to obtain a quote to update the PLCs and integrate the software with existing RWRF facilities. A price quote was provided on August 4, 2021 with a validity of 60 days. Subsequent to this, Howden Roots LLC provided an extension to the price quote thereby setting its expiration date as November 15, 2021 to allow for Council Action.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This Project falls within Categorical Exemption pursuant to Class 1, Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the CEQA Guidelines, because this contract involves normal operation and maintenance of existing electrical facilities. Furthermore, none of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2 apply to this Project.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because Howden Roots LLC is a uniquely qualified service provider.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the General Fund. The project is located in Council District 3. Funding for this project is included in the Wastewater Division’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget within the Enterprise Fund 40501.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Uniquely Qualified Memo
Attachment 2 - Howden Roots LLC Quote
Attachment 3 - Sample Contract