HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.a. Amend agreement with Resource Management Associates re DP 7301Central Contra Costa Sanitary Districts
' BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: JANUARY 10, 2013
subject. AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO AMEND AN EXISTING
AGREEMENT WITH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES FOR
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE TREATMENT PLANT
PLANNING PROJECT, DISTRICT PROJECT 7301
Submitted By: Initiating Dept. /Div.:
Melody LaBella, Assistant Engineer Engineering /Environmental Services
REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED FOR BOARD ACTION:
M. LaBella M. Penny D. Gemmell
Ann E. Farrell
General Manager
ISSUE: Board of Directors' authorization is required for the General Manager to amend
an existing professional services agreement in an amount greater than $100,000.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the General Manager to amend an existing
Professional Consulting Services Agreement with Resource Management Associates,
in the amount of $150,143 from $99,857 to $250,000 for the Treatment Plant Planning
Project, DP 7301.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS: The additive cost of this amendment, including staff time, will
be approximately $175,000.
ALTERNATIVES /CONSIDERATIONS: An alternative would be to conduct this project
using in -house engineering staff. This project requires specialized expertise, which is
not available at the District at this time.
BACKGROUND: The District's 2012 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Permit contains a number of required, ammonia - related studies both in
Suisun Bay and in the District's Treatment Plant. Should the scientific findings in
Suisun Bay point to the District's ammonia discharges as a stressor to phytoplankton
and or zooplankton in Suisun Bay, the District may have to install costly ammonia -
removal facilities in the future.
In order to comply with the Suisun Bay study requirements, the District retained
Resource Management Associates (RMA) in June 2012 under a $75,000 contract to
begin an iterative process using two - dimensional modeling to: (1) evaluate the
incremental impacts of the District's treated wastewater discharge on Suisun Bay's
water column ammonium concentration and (2) determine whether existing sampling
locations in /near Suisun Bay, used by the Regional Monitoring Program, the United
States Geologic Survey and the Department of Water Resources, adequately
characterize the potential impact of the District's discharge.
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POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: January 10, 2013
subject. AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO AMEND AN EXISTING
AGREEMENT WITH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES FOR
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE TREATMENT PLANT
PLANNING PROJECT, DISTRICT PROJECT 7301
Upon receiving and reviewing preliminary results of this two- dimensional modeling
work, RMA proposed additional scope and budget to accomplish the goals of this study.
Due to the urgency of this work, staff processed a contract revision in December 2012,
under staff authority, to continue the essential elements of this study, bringing RMA's
new contract total to $99,857.
Staff is now seeking the Board's approval to amend the District's contract with RMA up
to $250,000 to continue this iterative modeling process, which includes the potential for
optional future three - dimensional modeling of the District's discharge, should the
saltwater /freshwater stratification in Suisun Bay be found to play a significant role in the
transport of ammonia in the Bay - Delta. While some of the optional tasks may not move
forward, staff is seeking the whole authorization at this time to avoid the need to return
to the Board in light of the tight regulatory timelines that govern this work.
Staff has concluded that the proposed agreement is exempt from the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under District CEQA Guidelines Section 15262,
since it involves planning tasks for possible future actions, which the District has not
approved, adopted or funded, and the outcomes of these tasks will not have a legally -
binding effect on later activities. Approval of this agreement will establish the Board of
Directors' independent finding that this project is exempt from CEQA. The District will
conduct an environmental evaluation of any capital project that is proposed in the future
as a result of these studies to determine the appropriate CEQA compliance
documentation.
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION: Authorize the General Manager to amend an
existing Professional Consulting Services Agreement with Resource Management
Associates, in the amount of $150,143 from $99,857 to $250,000 for the Treatment
Plant Planning Project, DP 7301.
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