HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.e. Authorize Agreement for Toxicity TestingCentral Contra Costa Sanitary District 3-e.
' BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: May 19, 2011
Subject: AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT
WITH MICHAEL L. JOHNSON LLC FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR 2011
SUISUN BAY MONITORING TOXICITY IDENTIFICATION EVALUATION STUDY
Submitted By Initiating Dept. /Div.;
Margaret P. Orr, P.E., Director of Plant Plant Operations Department
Operations
REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED FOR BOARD ACTION.
%0•/..9'1
M. Orr
m M. Kelly,
eneral Manager
ISSUE: Board authorization is required for the General Manager to execute a
professional services agreement in an amount greater than $50,000.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the General Manager to execute a professional
services agreement with Michael L. Johnson LLC, with a cost ceiling of $120,000 for
2011 Suisun Bay Monitoring Toxicity Identification Evaluation.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS: Outcomes from Suisun Bay monitoring will influence the San
Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFRWQCB) management decisions
on level of treatment required from publicly owned treatment works. Financial impact
for the District is anticipated to be $70 million if nitrification is determined as necessary
to protect the food web in the Bay -Delta system.
ALTERNATIVES /CONSIDERATIONS: The District could elect not to influence the
science surrounding the Suisun Bay study. This is not recommended because
important parameters, such as metals, pesticides and herbicides, as well as extensive
nutrient monitoring, were left out of the study.
BACKGROUND: Suisun Bay is an area identified as a critical habitat for the
threatened Delta Smelt (Hobbs, et. al., 2006). During spring 2010, the SFRWQCB and
the Romberg Tiburon Center conducted limited monitoring of Suisun Bay
phytoplankton. As a follow up to the 2010 study, a Spring 2011 study was initialized
that focused on ammonia as the cause for phytoplankton decline, with State Water
Contractors adding funding to the project. The District and BACWA convinced the
SFRWQCB to include other parameters that might influence the decline of the
phytoplankton. The District asked BACWA to fund $50,000 of the pesticide /herbicide
monitoring. The Board concurred with the District's participation at the December 1,
2010 and April 21, 2011 meetings. This project will fund the balance of those analyses.
Initially, staff thought the lab would bill the District directly, but the SFRWQCB set up
the study to have Michael L. Johnson LLC contract with the labs and manage the data.
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POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: May 19, 2011
subject: AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT
WITH MICHAEL L. JOHNSON LLC FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR 2011
SUISUN BAY MONITORING TOXICITY IDENTIFICATION EVALUATION STUDY
The District is also providing laboratory analyses for low -level ammonia in the Bay -
Delta, metals (total and dissolved), total nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, total and dissolved
phosphorus, and surfactants. The State Water Contractors are paying for enhanced
phytoplankton analysis through species composition via biovolume measurements and
counts. The State Water Contractors are also paying for sample collection and the
Toxicity Identification Evaluation. In future years, the District and BACWA may provide
funding for toxicity work, as influence in study design comes with funding.
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION: Authorize the General Manager to execute a
professional services agreement with Michael L. Johnson LLC, with a cost ceiling of
$120,000 for 2011 Suisun Bay Monitoring Toxicity Identification Evaluation.
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