Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: STEPHEN BISE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
PREPARED BY: YVETTE HANNA, PRINCIPAL CIVIL ENGINEER-WATER SUBJECT: PURCHASE ORDER WITH TETRA TECH FOR WELL 10 UPGRADES, WELLS 2 AND 10 REHABILITATION AND PIPELINE DESIGN SERVICES
SUMMARY
Award $422,516 design contract to Tetra Tech to provide design services for upgrading Well 10, rehabilitating Wells 2 and 10 and constructing a pipeline from Well 10 to the Well 2 PFAS treatment site.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize City Manager, Public Works Director or designee, to execute a $422,516 purchase order with Tetra Tech for design services for the Well 10 upgrades, Wells 2 and 10 Rehabilitation and Pipeline Design Project.
Authorize Public Works Director, or designee, to approve any future change orders for professional design and construction support services within the approved project budget.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
The City Manager recommends approval.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Fiscal Year 2023-24 Adopted CIP Budget has funding for the Well 10 and Pipeline Design Project. CIP Project 53023, PFAS Management in the Water Fund (Fund 44) would support design costs with no additional budget appropriation or transfers required.
DISCUSSION
The State of California Division of Drinking Water has established Notification Levels (NLs) and Response Levels (RLs) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). NLs are nonregulatory, health-based advisory levels established for contaminants in drinking water with no enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) yet established. NLs represent concentration levels that do not pose a significant health risk but do warrant notification. RLs are set higher than NLs and represent recommended chemical concentration levels at which water systems consider taking a water source out of service or provide treatment, if available.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has proposed a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation to establish legally enforceable MCLs for six PFAS in drinking water. The proposed MCL for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is 4.0 ng/L each while the other four PFAS constituents have a combined hazard index of 1.0 (refer to following table). The USEPA plans to set a final MCL ruling by the end of this year. A three-year compliance period would follow final rule adoption.
Compound
Proposed MCL (enforceable levels)
PFOA
4.0 ng/L
PFOS
4.0 ng/L
PFNA
1.0 (unitless)
Hazard Index
PFHxS
PFBS
HFPO-DA (commonly referred to as GenX Chemicals)
City Council authorized the City Manager to execute the “PFAS Treatment Facilities and Program Agreement” (Attachment 1) with Orange County Water District (OCWD) on April 20, 2020 in response to the presence of PFAS in the groundwater basin. The agreement authorized OCWD to design and construct PFAS treatment systems for City of Fullerton (City) wells that have levels at or above 80% of an applicable RL or Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).
The average levels of PFOA and PFOS at Well 10 over the last four quarters are 6.5 and 13.5, respectively. The RL for PFOA and PFOS is 10 and 40 ng/L, respectively. OCWD will not initiate design or construction for a PFAS treatment system at Well 10 at their expense because Well 10 levels remain below the 80% applicable RL and the final MCL has not been set yet.
Well 10 is located within a densely developed industrial site and has no available real estate for a treatment plant within its immediate vicinity. The “PFAS Treatment Systems Planning Study” (Attachment 2) prepared for the City in 2020 recommends flowing Well 10 discharge through a new pipeline to the Kimberly Well 2 site which has space available due to an easement agreement between the City and Goodman Logistics Center. OCWD has initiated design with Tetra Tech to prepare plans, specifications and estimates for a new PFAS water treatment plant at the Well 2 site because Well 2 PFOA levels have exceeded the 80% applicable RL.
Staff recommends including design of Well 10 upgrades and pipeline to the Kimberly Well 2 site as part of the Kimberly Well 2 PFAS water treatment plant project. Consolidating the projects should result in lower construction costs and expedite the treatment of Well 10 discharges. Staff recommends rehabilitating both Wells 2 and 10 at City expense to improve pumping performance since the project would remove and upsize existing pumps to overcome head loss through the new treatment system.
City Council approved an agreement between the City and Tetra Tech for on-call water engineering design on September 19, 2023. Tetra Tech presented a proposal to complete Well 10 upgrades design, Wells 2 and 10 rehabilitation and a new pipeline from Well 10 to Well 2 for $422,516 on October 23, 2023 (Attachment 3). Tetra Tech would assess, and potentially design, a permanent generator in addition to designing a new pump, motor and pipeline. The proposal would include optional easement services should the City need an easement for the new pipeline alignment.
OCWD would reimburse the City for costs paid to Tetra Tech for the Well 10 upgrades design and pipeline to the Kimberly Well 2 site (besides the easement and rehabilitation design) should Well 10 exceed 80% of an applicable RL or MCL. The City would reimburse OCWD for any construction costs related to the Well 10 upgrades and pipeline to Well 2 if Well 10 does not exceed 80% of an applicable RL or MCL. Staff will present the construction costs to City Council at a future meeting.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – PFAS Treatment Facilities and Program Agreement Attachment 2 – PFAS Treatment Systems Planning Study
Attachment 3 – Design Services Proposal for Well #10 and Well Kim 2 Pipeline cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Well 10 Upgrades, Wells 2 and 10 Rehabilitation and Pipeline Design November 7, 2023 - Page 2