REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve Budget Modification No. 28 in the amount of $1,868,408 for Emergency Pipeline Repair Work
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
Approval is requested for Budget Modification No. 28 in the amount of $1,868,408 for the design ($252,946) and construction ($1,615,462) of the emergency repair of the Pond Effluent Pipeline.
EXISTING POLICY
Pursuant to Sunnyvale Charter Section 1305, at any meeting after the adoption of the budget, the City Council may amend or supplement the budget by motion adopted by affirmative votes of at least four members to authorize the transfer of unused balances appropriated for one purpose to another, or to appropriate available revenue not included in the budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The initial emergency repairs were exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15269, which exempts emergency repairs to publicly or privately owned service facilities necessary to maintain service essential to the public health, safety or welfare.
This action is exempt from review under CEQA in that it involves fiscal activities that will not result in direct or indirect changes to the environment, and which do not commit the City to any specific project that may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4).)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
On July 29, 2020, Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) operators discovered a leak in the secondary effluent pipe that runs between the oxidation treatment ponds and the WPCP. The pipe carries sewage water (effluent) that has undergone two out of three stages of treatment and is substantially treated.
Effluent from the primary treatment process at the WPCP undergoes secondary treatment using two oxidation ponds that have a combined surface area of 440 acres. Following treatment in the oxidation ponds, secondary effluent is then pumped through a 36-inch welded steel Secondary Effluent (SE) pipeline that runs approximately 8 feet below the water surface of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Channel.
Staff responded to the SE pipeline failure by utilizing procurement authority for emergencies granted under Sunnyvale Municipal Code Chapters 2.08 (Goods and Services), and 2.09 (Public Works Contracts). An emergency work-around was employed which included bypass pumping around the broken pipeline (RTC No. 20-0765). Recognizing that the work-around was not sustainable for an extended period of time, an intermediate pipeline repair solution was designed and constructed in order to return the SE Pipeline back to normal operation as soon as possible. The intermediate SE pipeline repair design was procured through a change order to Carollo Engineers’ existing contract for professional design services associated with the Sunnyvale Cleanwater Project 2.1: Existing Plant Rehabilitation-Split Flow (Plant Rehab) (RTC No. 19-0706). Because this work was time critical, Plant Rehab design contract contingency funds were utilized to expedite the design and engineering services needed during construction for the intermediate fix.
The intermediate SE pipeline repair begins at the existing SE Pump Station and includes approximately 1,200 ft. of two floating 24-inch HDPE pipelines that cross the FWS Channel and then cross Moffett Channel with a newly constructed utility bridge that spans the channel. The dual pipelines are then routed to the fixed growth reactor distribution structure inside the WPCP. Construction in the channels was permitted under an emergency permit from the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a Notification of Emergency Work to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regional General Permit (RGP) No. 5 for Repair and Protection Activities in Emergency Situations. The RGP requires the City to replace the intermediate repair with a permanent SE pipeline. The regulators have indicated that to use the intermediate pipeline and bridge as the permanent solution, a separate permit and evaluation would be needed.
Preliminary evaluation of conceptual permanent solutions conducted by staff and Carollo Engineers identified a preferred alternative that incorporates the newly constructed 24-inch piping and utility bridge into the permanent SE pipeline solution, reusing as much of the constructed work as possible from the intermediate fix. City staff will return to Council for an amendment to Carollo’s contract to include professional services to complete a detailed alternatives analysis, permit, and design the permanent SE solution.
During the evaluation of the SE intermediate pipeline repair, staff realized that a nearby pipeline may also need repair or replacement. The 48-inch Pond Return Pipeline parallels the SE pipeline and conveys backwash and other tertiary Plant flow from the Fixed Growth Reactor distribution structure back to the oxidation ponds. The Pond Return Pipeline is of similar material and vintage as the SE pipeline. The design and engineering services during construction for this work is an addition to the anticipated Plant Rehab project scope. Carollo and staff have negotiated a cost of $1,041,240.20 for this effort. It is anticipated that this work will be included in the forementioned contract amendment to Carollo’s Existing Plant Rehabilitation contract utilizing existing budgeted funds.
The construction costs to date for the emergency repair total $1,615,462. These costs were charged partially to project 835280 - Secondary Treatment Emergency Repairs and to existing projects in order to keep the project moving forward.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff Recommends Budget Modification No. 28 to provide funding for the design and construction of the emergency pipeline repair. Funding is provided from the Wastewater Enterprise Fund Capital Projects Reserve and Project 833100 - Sunnyvale Cleanwater Capital Replacement. The reserve is to help fund future capital projects and can be replenished over multiple years on an as needed basis. The project is used to fund urgent and unplanned rehabilitation work usually triggered by a critical failure. Future ongoing funding is available so the existing budget can be released.
Budget Modification No. 28
FY 2020/21
|
|
Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
|
Wastewater Management Enterprise Fund |
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Project 835280 - Secondary Treatment Emergency Repairs |
$ 150,000 |
$ 1,868,408 |
$ 2,018,408 |
|
Project 833100 - Sunnyvale Cleanwater Program Capital Replacement |
$1,070,462 |
($1,070,462) |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reserves |
|
|
|
|
Capital and Infrastructure Reserve |
$ 4,364,490 |
($ 797,946) |
$ 3,566,544 |
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at Office of the City Clerk, and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve Budget Modification No. 28 in the amount of $1,868,408 for Emergency Pipeline Repair Work.
Staff
Prepared by: Tim Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Ramana Chinnakotla, Director of Environmental Services
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Jaqui Guzmán, Deputy City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
None