City Council Agenda Report
September 16, 2025
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Jesus M. Gomez, City Manager
BY: Glen W.C. Kau, P.E., Director Public Services/City Engineer Jacqueline Koontz, P.E., Senior Civil Engineer
Michael Jea, P.E., Associate Engineer
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 25-42 – BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2025/26 BUDGET AND AGREEMENT AMENDMENT NO. 1 FOR PROJECT NO. 7451 – WELL NO. 10 GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON TREATMENT AND
SYSTEM UPGRADES
Background:
In October 2021, the City’s Well No. 10 exceeded the maximum contaminant levels (MCL) established by the State for benzene. Benzene, which has been on the Primary Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) contaminant list since 1989, occurs both naturally and through human activities. Common man-made uses include its role as a constituent in motor fuels and in the manufacture of detergents, pharmaceuticals, and dyes. To comply with State drinking water standards, the City must implement a treatment system to remove benzene from groundwater produced by Well No. 10.
Subsequently, in October 2022, staff issued a request for qualifications (RFQ No. 23-705), through which City Council approved 19 consulting firms to establish an on-call services prequalified list. Consultants were deemed qualified if their proposals met the minimum requirements and were ranked based on their expertise, previous experience, resource availability, project work type, and services offered. From this prequalified list, City Council awarded a professional engineering services agreement to Civiltec Engineering, Inc. (Civiltec) for Project No. 7451 – Well No. 10 Granular Activated Carbon Treatment and System Upgrades for $295,347 on May 16, 2023.
In June 2024, during the design process, Well No. 10 experienced a pump motor failure. Staff contacted General Pump Company Inc. to perform emergency repairs after the well failed to operate and could not be used for water quality compliance testing. Although repairs restored
City Council September 16, 2025
Resolution No. 25-42 – Budget Amendment Page No. 2
1 5
1 4
operation, it was discovered that critical electrical components, including the variable frequency drive (VFD), were inoperable. To ensure seamless integration with the planned treatment system, staff determined that the VFD replacement should be incorporated into the treatment facility design.
As a result of this discovery and the recommendations provided in the preliminary design report, the project scope was expanded to include:
Analysis of pumping system alternatives
Replacement of existing chemical storage facilities (pumps, piping, analyzer, controller, tank, and building)
Design of a backwash tank and sewer connection
High-pressure and low-pressure piping modifications downstream of the well Electrical upgrades, including the new VFD, VFD bypass, and future Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) inputs
Redesign of treatment facilities to accommodate potential future contaminants such as Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
Design of a 12-foot block wall around the project site to provide screening for community acceptance of the project
Development of project renderings to support community outreach and acceptance A budget amendment of $148,965 was requested by Civiltec to expand the scope of work.
Following negotiations, staff successfully reduced the amendment fee to $124,940.
To proceed, a budget amendment will be required to allocate necessary funds to complete the treatment and systems upgrade. These improvements will allow the City to meet State MCL requirements and improve overall water quality for the community.
Fiscal Impact:
Water Enterprise Funding will be utilized for Well No. 10 treatment and system upgrades. No General Fund monies will be used.
Citizens Advised:
N/A
Strategic Plan 2023 Implementation:
The recommended action will further the City’s Strategic Plan Goal 2: Work in Partnership with Our Community to Achieve Safe and Livable Neighborhoods; Objective 1- Re-invest in existing and aging infrastructure.
City Council September 16, 2025
Resolution No. 25-42 – Budget Amendment Page No. 3
1 5
1 4
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends City Council:
a. adopt Resolution No. 25-42, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWALK AUTHORIZING AN AMENDMENT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2025/2026
ADOPTED BUDGET TO APPROPRIATE AVAILABLE WATER ENTERPRISE FUNDING FOR PROJECT NO. 7451 – WELL NO. 10 GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON TREATMENT AND SYSTEM UPGRADES, in the amount of $124,940; and b. approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with Civiltec Engineering, Inc. for Well No. 10, in an amount not-to-exceed $124,940, for a total agreement amount of $420,287; and authorize the City Manager to execute the amendment on behalf of the City, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Attachments:
Resolution No. 25-42