City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 22-0258
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AND
CORONA UTILITY AUTHORITY ACTION
DATE: 04/06/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Honorable President and Board Members
FROM: Utilities Department
SUBJECT:
First Amendment to the Agreement for Removal, Transportation and Disposal of Biosolids with Synagro-WWT, Inc. for Biosolids End Use.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Utilities Department utilizes the services of Synagro-WWT, Inc. for the collection, transportation, and processing of biosolids. Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Synagro-WWT, Inc. has had difficulty obtaining truck drivers for hauling biosolids from Water Reclamation Facility #1 to the Synagro-WWT’s composting facilities. As a result, the Utilities Department contracted the services of Hoyt Transportation, Inc. for the supplemental hauling of biosolids to Synagro-WWT. The original agreement between the Utilities Department and Synagro-WWT does not have a “processing only charge” option. An amendment is necessary to detail the scope and cost of a “processing only charge.”
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the:
a. City Council approve the First Amendment to the Agreement for the Removal, Transportation, and Disposal of Biosolids with Synagro-WWT, Inc. to add a “processing only charge” option to the scope of services.
b. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the First Amendment to the Agreement for the Removal, Transportation, and Disposal of Biosolids with Synagro-WWT, Inc. of Baltimore, MD, for Biosolids End Use and approve necessary change orders up to the amount provided by Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.060(J).
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File #: 22-0258
c. City Council authorize the City Manager and City Attorney, or their designees, to negotiate and execute any amendments to this Agreement, which are either non-substantive or are otherwise in compliance with the City Council’s actions hereunder. d. Corona Utility Authority review, ratify, and to the extent necessary direct that the City Council take the above actions.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City’s Water Reclamation Facility No. 1 (WRF1) generates biosolids as a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. During wastewater treatment, the liquids are separated from the solids. Those solids are then treated physically and chemically to produce a semisolid, nutrient-rich product known as biosolids. WRF1 currently generates approximately 43 wet tons of biosolids per day and approximately 16,000 wet tons of biosolids per year. WRF1 has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). One of the permit requirements is the lawful management of biosolids per Title 40 of the Federal Code of Regulations (CFR), Part 503.
The end-use management of biosolids includes, but is not limited to: collecting, transporting, composting, recycling, and/or its disposal. All actions and activities must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The City’s current contractor collects biosolids from WRF1 and transports each load to a Synagro-WWT, Inc. (Synagro) composting facility either in Vicksburg, Arizona or in Helendale, California.
Transport vehicles that are licensed to transport special waste are adequately equipped and fitted with seals to prohibit spillage or drainage. The contractor must transport biosolids per Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 503. The contractor ensures that all drivers and vehicles hauling biosolids from WRF1 comply with current and future applicable California Air Resource Board (CARB) regulations and South Coast Air Quality Management District regulations. The cost of compliance with these regulations are the sole responsibility of the contractor.
ANALYSIS:
The current Synagro Agreement for Removal, Transportation, and Disposal of biosolids requires Synagro to provide a minimum of 15 trailers per week to haul biosolids. Due to a national shortage of commercial drivers, Synagro is only able to provide an average of 4 trailers per week. As a result, the City has contracted with Hoyt Transportation, Inc. (Hoyt) to provide supplemental biosolids transportation services on an as-needed basis. Hoyt picks-up up biosolids from WRF1 and transports them to a Synagro facility that further processes the biosolids for compost. Using both Synagro and Hoyt to transport biosolids, the average hauls per week has increased to an average of 14 hauls a week (10 by Hoyt, 4 by Synagro).
The current Synagro Agreement for Removal, Transportation and Disposal of biosolids specifies one fixed rate that includes the transportation and processing (combined) of biosolids. Synagro is charging the City the same rate for loads transported by either Synagro or Hoyt. Currently, Synagro’s Agreement for Removal, Transportation, and Disposal of biosolids does not include a processing only charge/fee. A processing only fee would be charged for any biosolids delivered to City of Corona Page 2 of 3 Printed on 3/31/2022
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File #: 22-0258
processing only charge/fee. A processing only fee would be charged for any biosolids delivered to Synagro by a contractor other than Synagro. As a result, a processing only fee is proposed to be added to the Synagro contract to account for this change in services as outlined in the below table.
Synagro Facility Transport & Processing
Charge
Processing Only
Charge
Arizona Soils (AZ) $63 / Wet Ton $25 / Wet Ton
Nursery Products (CA) $59.85 / Wet Ton $25.10 / Wet Ton The processing only fee will provide a benefit by reducing the costs the City is currently paying for transportation and processing fees. Synagro has agreed to apply the processing only fee retroactive to September 2021.
Staff is requesting the City Council’s approval of the First Amendment to the Agreement for Removal, Transportation and Disposal of Biosolids with Syangro-WWT, Inc. to add the “processing only” fee.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The First Amendment to the Agreement for Removal, Transportation and Disposal of Biosolids with Synagro-WWT, Inc. to add a “processing only charge option” will reduce the overall costs with Synagro-WWT, Inc.; in addition, this reduction will offset the increased compensation to Hoyt Transportation, Inc. to supplement biosolid removal transportation services at WRF1. These supplemental services are identified in a Second Amendment to the Maintenance/General Services Agreement with Hoyt Transportation, Inc., which is also being considered by the City Council at the April 6, 2022, meeting.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the CEQA determination, and is therefore exempt from CEQA. This action merely approves a first amendment to an agreement to provide for the transportation and processing of Class B Biosolids. Therefore, an environmental review is not required.
PREPARED BY: KRISTIAN ALFELOR, UTILITIES OPERATIONS MANAGER REVIEWED BY: TOM MOODY, DIRECTOR OF UTILITIES
Attachment:
1. Exhibit 1 - First Amendment to the Agreement for Removal, Transportation and Disposal of Class B Biosolids with Synagro-WWT, Inc.
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