City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 8, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.I
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Christopher Dishlip, Director of Public Works, Water Resources Division Subject: Authorization to Issue Purchase Order to Hach Company for Water Treatment Chemical Analyzer Equipment & Reagents
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with Hach Company for water treatment chemical analyzer equipment and reagents for the Public Works Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant the City’s Procurement Policy and is for a total amount not to exceed $750,000, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica (City), Department of Public Works – Water Resources Division operates various water production and treatment facilities (e.g., Arcadia Water Treatment Plant, Charnock Treatment Plant, and potable water storage reservoirs) to provide safe, high-quality drinking water to the community. Water quality is monitored 24/7 through online analyzers that provide real-time measurements of various water quality parameters, including chlorine and turbidity, to ensure the performance of the multi-barrier treatment system as well as drinking water quality in the distribution system. These instruments require regulatory approval, and the City currently employs more than 40 proprietary analyzers manufactured by Hach Company (HACH) to measure and monitor water quality. HACH is the sole manufacturer and distributor of these products. Due to the proprietary nature of products required to maintain these 2 of 4
water quality analyzers, an exception to the competitive bidding process was approved by the Acting Procurement Manager via ECB #490 in an amount not to exceed $750,000 over a five-year period.
Discussion
Online water quality analyzers are essential to the City's drinking water treatment and distribution system and are required by federal and state regulations to verify treatment performance and protect public health. These analyzers continuously monitor critical water quality parameters and provide operators with real-time data needed to ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state drinking water standards.
State regulatory agencies require that these analyzers utilize approved analytical methods and certified instrumentation. For many regulated water quality parameters, only one or two manufacturers produce equipment that is certified by state regulators.
As a result, the City's ability to competitively procure replacement analyzers and associated reagents is limited, as each instrument is often proprietary.
The City's multi-barrier water treatment system (e.g., the Charnock Treatment Plant, Arcadia Water Treatment Plant, and Olympic Advanced Water Treatment Facility) relies on a network of online analyzers to continuously measure pH, ammonia, chlorine, conductivity, fluoride, sulfides, turbidity, and other critical water quality characteristics.
Water Resources staff, operators, and laboratory chemists utilize more than 40 Hach instruments and their associated proprietary reagents to perform continuous water quality monitoring, calibrate analytical equipment, and verify treatment performance.
The data generated by these instruments enable staff to make real-time operational adjustments throughout the treatment process to consistently produce drinking water that meets or exceeds all federal, state, and local water quality requirements.
HACH is the sole authorized manufacturer and direct distributor of Hach-branded analyzers, replacement parts, software, and proprietary reagents. The use of manufacturer-specific reagents and components is necessary to ensure instrument 3 of 4
accuracy, maintain regulatory compliance, preserve manufacturer warranties, and avoid costly replacement of existing equipment. Transitioning to an alternative manufacturer's platform would require significant capital investment to replace existing analyzers, modify facility infrastructure, update control system programming, retrain staff, and establish new maintenance and quality assurance procedures.
Accordingly, Water Resources seeks authorization to award a purchase order to HACH for the purchase of water quality analyzers, replacement parts, and laboratory reagents as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant the City’s Procurement Policy in an amount not to exceed $750,000 over a five-year period, with future funding contingent upon City Council budget approval. An exception to the competitive bidding process with HACH was previously approved by the City Council in 2021, and continued use of HACH equipment ensures operational consistency, regulatory compliance, and uninterrupted monitoring of the City's drinking water system.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends HACH to provide water treatment chemical analyzer equipment and reagents as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to the City’s Procurement Policy and the approved ECB #490.
b. When a good or service is copyrighted, patented or only available from one license holder, including, proprietary goods, original equipment manufacturers and/or exclusive distributors.
Environmental Review
The purchase order for repair parts and supplies to perform preventive maintenance and urgent repairs, as well as for routine operational activities is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Section 15301 exempts “the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, 4 of 4
facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.” The purchase order would allow for the continuance of day-to-day water operations at water treatment facilities and would not expand or materially change existing facilities or operations. Therefore, the project is categorically exempt as set forth in Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
06/22/2021
(Attachment A)
Sole Source Purchase of Water Treatment Chemical
Analyzer Equipment, Instruments, and Reagents
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Water Fund to award a purchase order to HACH to furnish and deliver analyzer equipment and reagents.
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Purchase Order Request
FY 2026-27
Request Amount Future Years Department Account # Total PurchaseOrder Amount $150,000 $600,000 50500001.525080 $750,000
Prepared By: Thomas Poon, Engineering Support Services Administrator Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. June 22, 2021 Staff Report (web link)
B. FY 26-27 Oaks Initative (Hach)
C. FY 26-27 Levine Act (Hach)