HomeMy WebLinkAbout20. Declare and ratify an emergency and authorize a contract increase to perform repairs on the Aeration Turbine Blower No. 2 Page 1 of 3
Item 20.
CENTRAL SAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POSITION PAPER
MEETING DATE: AUGUST4, 2022
SUBJECT: DECLARE AN EMERGENCYAND RATIFY THE GENERAL MANAGER'S
ACTIONS UNDER PUBLIC CODE 22050 TO DIRECT CONHAGEN
ROTATING EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS TO PERFORM EMERGENCY
REPAIRS ON THE STEAM DRIVEN AERATION BLOWER NO. 2; AND
AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO I NCREASE AN EXISTING
CONTRACT I N AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $412,600 WITH CONHAGEN
ROTATING EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS, INCREASING THE COSTCEILING
TO $550,000, TO PERFORM THE REQUIRED REPAIRS
SUBMITTED BY: INITIATING DEPARTMENT:
STEVE MCDONALD, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS-MAINTENANCE
OPERATIONS
Roger S. Bailey Kenton L. Alm
General Manager District Counsel
ISSUE
Authorization from the Board of Directors (Board) is required to declare an emergency and for the General
Manager to amend an agreement for an amount greater than $200,000.
BACKGROUND
Central San has five aeration blowers, both new and existing. The three existing blowers include two steam
turbine-driven blowers, and one electric blower. In addition, there are three new Neuros blowers that are
currently being installed with a schedule for completion in February to March 2023. Of the three existing
blowers, the electric blower is unreliable and cannot meet the summer peak air demands for the plant.
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The plant is currently running on one of the two existing steam turbine blowers, with the second steam
turbine blower serving as an emergency backup. Plant Maintenance staff are currently working with
Conhagen Rotating Equipment Specialists (Conhagen)to complete routine repairs and improvements to
the steam driven Aeration Blower No. 2. They have now discovered a serious situation that affects safety
and reliability of operation of the steam turbine. Extreme corrosion as well as loose metal shavings have
occurred in the steam nozzle housing in the annulus between the fixed rim and the rotating turbine. This is
contributing to instability of operation, and more importantly is a potentially a dangerous condition and must
be repaired immediately as the plant is now running without a backup to the existing Steam Turbine Blower
No. 1. In addition, the plant National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requires that
adequate reliability be in place for major unit operations, including blower capacity.
ALTERNATIVES/CONSIDERATIONS
Alternative 1 - Prepare a competitive bid package to procure a new contractor. This is not recommended
as it would add a minimum of six to ten weeks to the schedule and would also potentially be problematic as
that would mean possibly two different contractors working on the same blower at the same time.
Alternative 2 - Procure a temporary backup blower. This is not recommended as this option has been
investigated recently as part of the new blower installation, and there is no good tie-in location for a rental
blower, and at the least would require expensive new stainless ductwork to be fabricated to feed the
existing air pressure header on the north side of the aeration basins.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
Conhagen has estimated the additional cost of the expedited repairs to Blower No. 2 to be $348,445. The
time estimated to make this repair is six to eight weeks. The General Manager has declared an emergency
to amend their existing contract of$137,400 to increase the total contract amount not to exceed $550,000,
to cover the cost for the expedited repairs and additional work including a new throttle valve, case face, and
machine/weld work. The funds are available in the Operations and Maintenance Fiscal Year 2022-2023
Budget.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
This matter was not reviewed by a Board Committee.
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION
Staff recommends the following:
1. Declare an emergency and ratify the General Manager's actions under Public Contract Code 22050
to perform emergency repairs to the Steam Driven Aeration Blower No. 2; and
2. Authorize an increase to an existing contract in an amount not to exceed $412,600 with Conhagen
Rotating Equipment Specialists, increasing the contract cost ceiling up to $550,000, to perform the
required repairs.
Stratedc Plan Tie-In
GOAL TWO:Environmental Stewardship
Strategy 1 -Achieve compliance in all regulations
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GOAL FIVE: Safety and Security
Strategy 2- Protect personnel and assets from threats and emergencies
GOAL SIX: Infrastructure Reliability
Strategy 1 - Manage assets optimally
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