HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.a. Amend technical consulting services agreement with The Avogadro Group, LLCCentral Contra Costa Sanitary District
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 'a'
POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: March 15, 2012
subiect: AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO AMEND THE TECHNICAL
CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE AVOGADRO GROUP, LLC.
FOR ASSISTANCE WITH MULTIPLE HEARTH FURNACE SOURCE TESTING
Submitted By Initiating Dept. /Div.:
Randy Schmidt, P.E. Plant Operations Department
Senior Engineer
REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED FOR BOARD ACTION:
LitM
14. Sihn1idt B. Than M. Orr Ann E. F rell, James M. Kelly,
Deputy General General Manager
Manager
ISSUE: In accordance with purchasing procedures, Board authorization is required for
the General Manager to execute a technical consulting services agreement in an
amount greater than $100,000.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the General Manager to amend the existing $99,995
technical consulting services agreement with The Avogadro Group, LLC, increasing the
cost ceiling to an amount not to exceed $225,000, for assistance with multiple hearth
furnace source testing.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS: The total anticipated cost for assistance with source testing is
$225,000.
ALTERNATIVES /CONSIDERATIONS: The Board could reject the proposed
amendment to the current contract. This is not recommended because the information
is necessary to determine if the District can meet current and future multiple hearth
furnace standards using landfill gas.
BACKGROUND: Last June the District conducted a source test on multiple hearth
furnace (MHF) 1 air emissions and learned in September that three constituent's
(mercury, dioxins /furans, and hydrogen chloride) may be above the new sewage sludge
incinerator (SSI) Clean Air Act (CAA)129 limits while firing landfill gas (LG). Previous
SSI 129 testing (done for the EPA rule making in 2009) was done only on natural gas
(NG). All parameters from that test met the new SSI 129 standards estimated to be
implemented in California by 2015/2016.
LG is an important aspect of the Districts fuel inventory because it lowers the overall
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to below the California Cap- and -Trade compliance
threshold; therefore saving the District from buying offsets for GHG generation in the
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POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: March 1, 2012
subject. AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO AMEND THE TECHNICAL
CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE AVOGADRO GROUP, LLC.
FOR ASSISTANCE WITH MULTIPLE HEARTH FURNACE SOURCE TESTING
newly adopted California Cap- and -Trade Program. It is important that the District gain
a full understanding of the possible permit implications while firing LG. Also, with
regards to the SSI 129 regulations, recent indications from the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District (BAAQMD) are that the limits for mercury, nitrogen oxides and
carbon monoxide may be regulated more stringently than in the federal SSI 129
regulation. More emissions data when firing LG is necessary to determine the potential
impact of the SSI 129 regulations and the potentially more stringent BAAQMD
interpretation of those regulations.
Staff conducted a request for proposal (rfp) process and selected Avogadro Group, LLC
to do additional monitoring of furnace air emissions when firing LG. The initial scope
targeted the SSI 129 parameters. More recently staff learned of the potential additional
requirements from BAAQMD and it was necessary to expand the monitoring scope.
The overall scope will now include measurements of the following parameters: oxygen,
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, total hydrocarbons,
non - methane organic carbon, particulate matter (2.5 and 10 microns), hydrogen
chloride, dioxins /furans, and trace metals under three conditions. The three conditions
are NG and sludge; LG and sludge; and blended LG /NG and sludge. An analysis will
also be done on the LG itself looking at metals, total hydrocarbons, dioxins /furans, and
hydrogen chloride content.
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION: Authorize the General Manager to amend the
existing technical consulting services agreement with The Avogadro Group, LLC in an
amount not to exceed $125,005, for a new contract ceiling of up to $225,000, for
assistance with multiple hearth furnace source testing.
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