Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wastewater Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears update on emergency wastewater work; city preparing $20 million industrial-treatment bid
Summary
City staff reported emergency repairs and creation of a temporary disposal pond at the Gonzales wastewater treatment plant, presented costs to date, and said the city will advertise a roughly $20 million industrial wastewater treatment facility contract for bid.
City public works and engineering staff told the Gonzales City Council on Jan. 14 that emergency work at the wastewater treatment plant completed in December addressed unusually high groundwater and increased industrial discharges, and that staff expect to return Jan. 21 with a recommendation to accept the emergency work as complete.
Staff said high groundwater from recent storms, releases from the Nacimiento dam and two local processors exceeding their industrial wastewater allocations combined to overwhelm existing disposal beds. The city engaged a contractor (Swift Tectonics) on short notice to construct a five-acre disposal pond adjacent to existing disposal beds; the new pond was completed on or about Dec. 24 and is located on the planned footprint for phase 2 of the industrial wastewater treatment facility.
Staff presented estimated project financials in their report: the project estimate had been $950,000; costs to date reported in the presentation were about $390,000, and staff said they had not used the $150,000 contingency. A small fee from the City of Soledad for accepting trucked treated wastewater was estimated to be below $10,000; staff also said they are renting a pump because procurement from the manufacturer would have taken about 52 weeks. Staff told the council the new disposal bed is percolating well and currently exceeds the required freeboard of two feet (earlier in December the freeboard had fallen to about 1.5 feet).
Council members praised the contractors and staff for rapid work. Staff said they used M&S Engineers as construction manager and inspector and that the site will be used with modifications when phase 2 proceeds.
Public works staff also told the council they plan to issue a bid for the larger industrial wastewater treatment facility later in the week; staff characterized that contract as being on the order of $20,000,000. Staff said bids are expected to be opened in late February and that award could come to council at the second meeting in March, pending bid results and review.
There was no formal vote on the update; staff said they were providing the report and will seek council direction next week to accept the emergency work and record a notice of completion.
