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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-03-2015 B1 Water Recovery Facility ProjectCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Agenda Report, Meeting Date, Item Number FROM: Carrie Mattingly, Utilities Director Prepared By: David Hix, Deputy Director Utilities – Wastewater Lianne Westberg, Assistant Program Manager - WSC SUBJECT: WATER RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY PROJECT RECOMMENDATION 1. Receive and file an update on the Water Resource Recovery Facility Project. 2. Authorize staff to submit a recycled water grant application to study maximizing recycled water production and distribution. 3. Authorize the City Manager to approve matching funding in an amount not to exceed $75,000. DISCUSSION Background The City of San Luis Obispo’s Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) currently treats over three million gallons of wastewater per day. A portion of the treated water is recycled for irrigation use within the City and the remaining flow is discharged to San Luis Obispo Creek. San Luis Obispo Creek has been identified as having many beneficial uses that require protection by the Central Coast Water Board (CCWB). The City’s WRRF effluent meets the criteria for all of these uses except Municipal and Domestic Water Supply (MUN). The MUN designation is the main driver for treatment upgrades at the WRRF. These new requirements have been placed in the WRRF’s recently revised National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to meet nutrient and disinfection by-products limits. Compliance with the new limits is detailed through a Time Schedule Order (TSO) which requires the City to submit a time schedule outlining the planned actions for achieving compliance. A TSO was adopted with the WRRF’s permit and requires compliance by November 30, 2019. The new permit limits are the primary reason for the WRRF Project. However, there are other drivers for the project including: 1. Future increases in flow in alignment with the City’s General Plan. 2. Ability to provide treatment to peak wet weather flows. 3. Addressing aging and out-of-date equipment and processes. 4. Incorporating features that embrace the value of the WRRF as a community asset. 5. Process redundancy to allow operational efficiency. 6. Odor control. 7. Maximizing recycled water production. Due to project complexity, City Council awarded program management services to Water Systems Consulting, Inc. (WSC) for the WRRF project in early 2014. 2-3-15 B1-1 Water Resource Recovery Facility Project Page 2 Why is a Program Charter Important? One of the key factors of project success is effective communication. A Charter helps ensure that all project stakeholders are on the same page and minimizes the emergence of miscommunication and conflicting stakeholder interests Program Charter To guide the project through completion, the Project Team (made up of Program Management team and City staff) developed a Program Charter (Attachment 1). The Charter establishes a unified project vision and mission, economic, social and environmental (triple bottom line) objectives and guiding principles for the WRRF Project. Careful attention was given to ensure the Charter aligns with the City’s Organizational Values and the Utilities Department’s Strategic Plan. The triple bottom line approach provides a holistic viewpoint and a balanced emphasis on each of the three “bottom line” elements: Economic, Social and Environmental. The Charter is designed to serve as a guiding document for everyone and for all related work throughout the project. As a representation of each individual’s vested interest and commitment to the project the Program Charter was signed by numerous project stakeholders including members of the City Council and the City Manager. A summary of the triple bottom line objectives are outlined below. A copy of the Program Charter is attached for reference. Summary of Triple Bottom Line Objectives Project Scope and Phases The WRRF Project is comprised of five phases; the figure below illustrates the progression of the project and outlines the major scope items of each project phase. B1-2 Water Resource Recovery Facility Project Page 3 Work Performed To-Date The WRRF Project Planning phase will be wrapping up with the completion and approval of the Facilities Plan. To reach this milestone, the Project Team has performed several administrative, management and engineering tasks. Program Management Plan. Following project kickoff and program chartering, the Project Team developed a Program Management Plan which includes standards, management protocol, procedures for workflow and a set of defined standards to guide the structure of the program and organization of deliverables through completion. Facility Tours. The Project Team has visited several facilities that have undergone recent upgrades and/or included interpretive centers or elements in its design or shared process commonalities with the WRRF. The outcome of these visits has been a high level of experiential learning and knowledge gathering by City staff and Program Managers from the other agencies, including interviews with that agency’s management, engineering and operations staff. Stakeholder and Community Outreach. One-on-one stakeholder interviews were conducted to better understand the public perception of the WRRF, how stakeholders perceive the project and to identify particular concerns or opportunities related to the project. An interactive community workshop was held at the Ludwick Community Center to introduce the community to the project and allow participation in evaluating conceptual ideas for the project. Preliminary Engineering. A series of special studies and alternative evaluations have been performed to determine the required capacity and treatment upgrades, preferred treatment technologies, develop strategies for permitting and compliance, and to guide the Project Team in its decision making process. Facilities Plan. The Project Team worked together in numerous workshops and routine meetings to discuss and identify the pertinent aspects of the project to create a basis for preliminary design. Through this collaborative effort, the Project Team prepared an administrative draft of the Facilities Plan (essentially the project) which contains a set of proposed upgrades, cost estimates and project Project Planning •Program planning and set-up •Site planning •Funding and permitting applications •Engineering investigations •Develop Program Management Plan •Value engineering evaluation •Submit Facilities Plan Preliminary Design •Permitting preparation •CEQA documentation •Procure and manage design engineer •Prepare Preliminary Design Report •Confirm design at 30% completion Final Design •60% design submittal •Constructability Review •Value Engineering evaluation •90% design submittal •100% design submittal •Pre-procurement of contractors •Bid advertisement Construction •Hire contractor •Procure construction manager •Construct and install facility upgrades •O&M training •As-built document review •Commissioning and start-up Close-out •Final punchlist •Final walkthrough •SRF & CCWB compliance certification •Issuance of new NPDES permit •Final completion and acceptance of Program B1-3 Water Resource Recovery Facility Project Page 4 implementation recommendations. A public draft of the Facilities Plan will be presented to the City Council for review in a Study Session scheduled for March 3, 2015. Value Engineering. An independent Value Engineering (VE) team evaluated the project and the Administrative Draft Facilities Plan, and provided recommendations which could increase the value of the project from a triple bottom line perspective. Key recommendations from the VE review ranged from elimination or modification of upgrades presented in the administrative draft Facilities Plan, to alternative water resource management strategies. Each member of the VE team brought extensive experience in the water and wastewater industry, and each offered critical, practical and out-of-the-box ideas for consideration. The Project Team is currently evaluating these recommendations and will incorporate the preferred recommendations into the public draft of the Facilities Plan. Recycled Water Grant The Project Team has identified potential opportunities to expand beneficial use and recycling of treated effluent from the WRRF that could provide multiple benefits to the City including enhanced management of regional water resources and reduced life cycle costs for the WRRF project. Therefore, it is recommended the City apply for grant funding to further evaluate the feasibility of these opportunities. The State Water Resources Control Board’s Water Recycling Funding Program provides grants to assist public agencies with facilities planning studies to determine the feasibility of using recycled water to offset the use of fresh/ potable water from the state and/or local supplies. The grant covers 50 percent of the eligible costs up to a maximum of $75,000. Next Steps The public draft of the Facilities Plan is being finalized along with refinements to the implementation and construction schedule. The draft Facilities Plan will be presented to Council on March 3, 2015. At the March 3 meeting, the City Council will participate in a triple bottom line evaluation of the draft plan and its recommendations and provide input and direction that will assist in finalizing the Facilities Plan. In parallel to finalizing the Facilities Plan, bench scale testing is being conducted at the WRRF to evaluate an emerging treatment technology that may provide significant life cycle cost savings. On May 5 , 2015 City Council will consider the approval of the final Facilities Plan. If approved, Council authorization to release Requests for Proposals (RFP) for preliminary design services and environmental services for CEQA compliance will be requested. Schedule The current schedule shows project completion in early 2021. Preliminary and final design is anticipated to begin in August 2015 and April 2016 respectively. Construction is scheduled to start in October 2017. The Stage 1 improvements include disinfection system upgrades to comply with the NPDES permit and TSO timeline and are planned to be completed in mid-2019. Based on the current schedule, the City will likely need to request an extension from the CCWB for compliance with the new nitrogen limits. The final Facilities Plan will include an updated schedule and compliance recommendations along with a detailed description of the proposed improvements. California’s Proposition 1, approved by voters in 2014, proposes $725 million be spent on recycled water projects B1-4 Water Resource Recovery Facility Project Page 5 Staff will continue to pursue alternatives and partnerships that reflect the City’s goals of environmental, economic and social stewardship with the goals of maximizing the WRRF’s resources and benefit to San Luis Obispo. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with receiving and filing this report. $63.7 million was identified in the 2013-15 Financial Plan for this project. Estimated project costs will be updated within the draft and final Facilities Plan. Matching grant funding would be paid for with capital reserves for this project. Opportunities for partnerships in funding this grant would be pursued. ATTACHMENTS 1. Program Charter AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN COUNCIL OFFICE Water Recycling Funding Program summary information T:\Council Agenda Reports\2015\2015-02-03\WRRF Study Session B1-5 B1-6 Water Resource Recovery Facility Project Energy (Electricity, Gas, Fuels) Chemicals Raw Sewage Biogas Biosolids Recycled Water Creek Discharge Resource Recovery Your Water Resource Recovery Facility The Charter Engage, Transform, Sustain Why we’re here. Meet requirements the protect SLO creeks' beneficial uses Recently adopted NPDES Permit Time Schedule Order to meet the permit What do we have to do? Two things first Disinfection by-products Lowering Nitrates What do we have to do? The Program The Program The Program Schedule Time Schedule Order Future Outlook Facilities Planning