REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 6, 2021
FROM
BRENDON BIGGS, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title v
Plans and Specifications for Capital Improvement Project - CSA 70 Glen Helen Screw Press Project
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of County Service Area 70 Glen Helen:
1. Find that the County Service Area 70 Glen Helen Screw Press Project in San Bernardino is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines, Section 15301 Class 1, Existing Facilities.
2. Approve plans and specifications for construction of the County Service Area 70 Glen Helen Screw Press Project in San Bernardino.
3. Authorize the Director or Deputy Director of the Department of Public Works - Special Districts to advertise the County Service Area 70 Glen Helen Screw Press Project in San Bernardino for bids.
4. Direct the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to re-file and post the Notice of Exemption for the County Service Area 70 Glen Helen Screw Press Project in San Bernardino as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
(Presenter: Trevor Leja, Deputy Director, 386-8811)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Appropriation for the County Service Area 70 Glen Helen Screw Press Project in San Bernardino (Project) is included in the 2020-21 Capital Improvement Program budget for County Service Area 70 (CSA 70) Glen Helen (WBSE 30.30.0028) and will be included in future recommended budgets as necessary.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CSA 70 Glen Helen owns the Lytle Creek North Wastewater Recycling Plant (Plant), which is operated by the Department of Public Works - Special Districts (Department). This facility serves the Rosena Ranch Development Tract, Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center, and other Sheriff's facilities located within the Glen Helen area near Devore.
The Plant was built in 2007 and has the capability of processing 1.75 million gallons of wastewater every day. The Plant was originally constructed without any sludge handling capability. On April 8, 2014 (Item No. 63), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved a contract in the amount of $1,074,099 for site improvements to retrofit the Plant, including the installation of four drying beds. The drying beds provide the capability of handling approximately 200,000 gallons of sludge.
Currently, 550,000 gallons of wastewater is processed daily that requires disposal of the associated waste product of20,000 gallons of sludge. Using the drying beds and storage tanks currently available onsite, the Plant can only remove 13,000 gallons of sludge into the drying beds and the remaining 7,000 gallons of sludge is recycled back into the Plant and/or stored in the Plant’s detention basin. The Plant operators struggle to keep up with the process of removing sludge. In addition to increased staff time assigned to the Plant, the sludge is discarded wetter than desirable due to the need to open drying beds for new sludge. The increased weight of hauling wet sludge results in increased disposal costs.
After evaluating multiple solutions to increase the sludge handling capacity, it was determined that installing a screw press sludge dewatering system presented the most efficient and cost-effective method. A screw press will be able to dewater and remove approximately 22,000 gallons of sludge in an eight-hour shift per day and return the Plant back to its originally designed operations.
Through an analysis of current and future planned growth, it was identified that the incoming volume of wastewater is expected to increase substantially by 2027. This expected growth is driven primarily by current and planned residential build out that is actively being pursued by developers in the Rosena Ranch area and the proposed land use plan for residential, commercial, and industrial development outlined in the Glen Helen Specific Plan.
With each completed nearby development, additional wastewater is introduced to the Plant adding to the sludge handling requirement. The proposed Project is designed to supply equipment able to handle current demand, as well as the projected future wastewater sludge. Pursuant to California Public Contract Code sections 22032 and 22039, the Board shall adopt plans, specifications, and working details for public projects.
The Department filed and posted a Notice of Exemption on March 19, 2020 as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. There was no public comment received and the posting was removed on May 1, 2020. The Notice of Exemption was based on CEQA Guidelines, Categorical Exemption, Section 15301, Class I - Existing Facilities.
At this time, in conjunction with the recommended Board action to approve the plans and specifications and authorize bidding of the Project, CSA 70 Glen Helen also recommends the Board find the Project to be exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301 Class 1, Existing Facilities, and direct the Clerk of the Board to re-file and post the Notice of Exemption for the Project as required under CEQA.
PROCUREMENT
Upon Board approval of this item, the bid process will begin with issuance of an advertisement for bids in the County’s Electronic Procurement (ePRO) Network in accordance with Section 22037 of the California Public Contract Code, as well as advertisement in required plan rooms. A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be scheduled to allow potential contractors the opportunity to see the jobsite and evaluate the Project. Bids can be submitted up to the Project’s bid opening on May 26, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
After the bids are received and opened, the Department will evaluate the responsiveness of the bids. Upon identifying a successful bidder, the Department will submit to the Board a recommendation for award of a construction contract.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Kathrine Hardy, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 4, 2021; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on March 16, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on March 21, 2021.