City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2263 – PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR THE RIVERSIDE REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLANT TOXICITY TESTING OF WASTEWATER AND OTHER AMBIENT WATERS WITH ENTHALPY ANALYTICAL LLC, A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN CALIFORNIA WITH A LOCAL SAN DIEGO LOCATION, FOR A TERM OF JULY 1, 2023, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2026, IN THE AMOUNT OF $47,600 PER FISCAL YEAR FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $142,800 ISSUE:
Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement for the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant Toxicity Testing of Wastewater and Other Ambient Waters with Enthalpy Analytical LLC, a Delaware limited liability company authorized to do business in California with a local San Diego location, for a term of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, in the amount of $47,600 per fiscal year for a total amount of $142,800.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
1. Award a Professional Consultant Services Agreement for the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant Toxicity Testing of Wastewater and Other Ambient Waters with Enthalpy Analytical LLC, a Delaware limited liability company authorized to do business in California with a local San Diego location, for the term of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, in the amount of $47,600 per fiscal year for a total amount of $142,800; and
2. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Professional Consultant Services Agreement, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
The Public Works Department, Wastewater Division, is responsible for the collection, conveyance, and treatment of wastewater generated within the City of Riverside (City), the communities of Rubidoux, Edgemont, Jurupa, and the unincorporated community of Highgrove. Wastewater is conveyed to the Riverside Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) through more than 800 miles of sewer lines throughout the city. Wastewater is treated and disinfected at the WQCP so that it can be reused for irrigation or discharged to the Santa Ana River in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations. This entails the operation of primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment processes to produce high quality treated effluent which complies with all State and Federal requirements. RWQCP has a rated treatment capacity of 46 million gallons per day.
Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing is used to determine if an effluent discharged into receiving waters poses as a potential risk of toxicity to aquatic organisms. It is a necessary component of the RWQCP compliance program and required to be performed monthly by way of the RWQCP’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. WET testing is a labor-intensive procedure. The sampling and analysis must occur over the course of one week which requires the collection and same day shipping of three samples, to be analyzed by the contract laboratory.
DISCUSSION:
On December 22, 2022, the City of Riverside released Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2263 for toxicity testing of wastewater and other ambient waters at the RWQCP and on January 31, 2023, the City received two responses. On May 8, 2023, the City received a withdraw letter from MBC Aquatic Sciences. After a review of the respondents’ qualifications and experience, Enthalpy Analytical LLC, a Delaware limited liability company authorized to do business in California with a local San Diego location, was selected by the proposal review team to be the most responsive and qualified firm to perform the scope of work described in the RFP.
The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended action to approve the Professional Consultant Services Agreement is in compliance with Purchasing Resolution No. 23914.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item supports Strategic Priority 4 – Environmental Stewardship and Goal 4.2 – Sustainably manage local water resources to maximize reliability and advanced water reuse to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable water to our community.
Community Trust – Conducting monthly toxicity testing of wastewater and other ambient waters ensures wastewater discharges do not negatively impact the environment. Monthly toxicity testing of wastewater and other ambient waters ensures compliance with federal, state, regional and local regulatory requirements.
Equity – WET testing supports efforts to protect the environment by ensuring wastewater treatment is performed efficiently and in compliance with regulatory requirements.
Fiscal Responsibility – WET testing supports RWQCP perpetual efforts to remain in compliance with NPDES permit requirements and avoid any penalties associated with non-compliance.
Innovation – WET testing exemplifies a situation where third-party resources are best leveraged to support City forces. Sampling and analysis timing are challengingly tight for WET testing. Performing these once-a-month efforts in house would not be cost-effective and would negatively impact other equally important laboratory work and deadlines.
Sustainability & Resiliency – WET testing supports efforts to manage local water resources to maximize reliability ensure safe water to our community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total impact of this action is $142,800 over the three-year term of the contract or $47,600 per fiscal year. Sufficient funds in the amount of $47,600 are budgeted and available in the Sewer Fund, Sewer Laboratory Services, Professional Services account number 4125500-421000. Appropriations for future fiscal years will be included in the Public Works Department’s budget submissions to be presented to the City Council for approval.
Prepared by: Gilbert Hernandez, Public Works Director
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/ Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Professional Consultant Services Agreement
Award Recommendation
RFP 2263 - Toxicity Testing of Wastewater, Enthalpy Analytical LLC ● Page 2