HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.a. Authorize agreement with University of California, Davis, re studyCentral Contra Costa Sanitary District
q.a.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: June 6, 2013
Subject: AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE A
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, DAVIS, TO REPEAT COPEPOD STUDY
Submitted By.
Mary Lou Esparza, Laboratory
Superintendent
Initiating Dept. /Div.:
Plant Operations /Laboratory
REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED FOR BOARD ACTION: 51k? M. LaBella — Assistant Engineer
A. Weer — Plant Operations Division Manager C. Swanson
Provisional General Manager
ISSUE: Board approval is required for professional service agreements that exceed
$100,000.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the General Manager to execute a professional
services agreement for $105,000 with the University of California, Davis, for
Dr. Swee Teh to repeat the Full Life -Cycle Bioassay Approach to Assess Chronic
Exposure of Pseudodiaptomus forbesi to Ammonia study.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS: The cost of this study, including staff time to administer the
contract and manage the work, will be approximately $115,000.
ALTERNATIVES /CONSIDERATIONS: The Board could elect not to move forward on
this study at this time, but that is not recommended as the results from this study will be
used to inform the Copepod Study required by the District's 2012 National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System ( NPDES) Discharge Permit.
BACKGROUND: Under the NPDES Permit issued by the Regional Water Quality
Control Board on February 16, 2012, the District is required to evaluate the effects of
the ammonia, ammonium, and other nutrients in its wastewater effluent discharge on
Suisun Bay. Toward meeting this requirement, the District submitted a Nutrient Work
Plan to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board in July 2012 and
has been diligently working to complete the elements of the work plan by
September 1, 2014. One of the elements of the work plan is for the District to
participate in a collaborative study managed by the State and Federal Water
Contractors Agency (SFWCA) of the District's contribution to ammonium concentrations
in Suisun Bay and related toxicity to copepods. Copepods are tiny shrimp -like
crustaceans (approximately 1 mm long) and are an important food source for fish like
Delta smelt.
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POSITION PAPER
Board Meeting Date: June 6, 2013
subject: AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE A
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, DAVIS, TO REPEAT COPEPOD STUDY
Suisun Bay is an area identified as a critical habitat for the threatened Delta Smelt
(Hobbs, et al 2006). Food shortages in Suisun Bay have been speculatively linked to
ammonia concentrations. Ammonia concentrations within the Delta Smelt's habitat are
hypothesized to contribute to the decline of phytoplankton and the calanoid copepod,
Pseudodiaptomus forbesi (P. forbesi), which feeds on the phytoplankton. There is
additional concern that ammonia concentrations may directly affect this copepod over
the course of its 31 -day life- cycle.
In efforts to address these concerns, the District will work with SFWCA on a two -
component Copepod Study that will assess the impact of both ammonia exposure and
food (algae) limitation on the lifecycle of P. forbesi. This Copepod Study will be
conducted during Spring 2014.
The ammonia concentrations proposed for the Copepod Study are based on a
University of California, Davis, study completed in 2010. This the first and only time
that ammonia toxicity has been tested for the P. forbesi copepod.
In the 2010 study, environmentally - relevant concentrations of ammonia found in the
San Francisco Estuary were used to determine their contribution to declining P. forbesi
abundance. However, there was considerable variability among the replicates used at
each ammonia concentration, making the study's resulting effects concentrations
questionable. Therefore, staff strongly recommends repeating the 2010 study to control
replicate variability at each ammonia concentration, thereby generating more accurate
results. Once the ammonia effects concentrations are determined, staff will share that
data with SFCWA, and move forward with the two- component Copepod Study.
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION: Authorize the General Manager to execute a
professional services agreement for $105,000 with the University of California, Davis,
for Dr. Swee Teh to repeat the Full Life -Cycle Bioassay Approach to Assess Chronic
Exposure of Pseudodiaptomus forbesi to Ammonia study.
C:\ Users\ dandersonWppData \Local\Microsoft \Windows \Temporary Internet Files \Content.0utlook \DVCG8C5G \UC Davis Study 06-
06- 13.doc