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Los Banos awards $1.0M+ contract to repair Pond 2 levee at wastewater treatment plant; city to amend budget
Summary
The Los Banos City Council on Oct. 1 awarded a construction contract to Archer Civil Construction LLC and approved a budget amendment to repair the levee around Pond 2 at the city wastewater treatment plant, with total project estimates about $1.34 million.
The Los Banos City Council on Oct. 1 awarded the construction contract for levee repairs around Pond 2 at the city wastewater treatment plant to Archer Civil Construction LLC and approved associated budget adjustments to fully fund the project.
City engineering staff told the council Pond 2 has been offline for more than a year and that its levee had been largely neglected for over 25 years. Pond 2 holds more than 207 million gallons; staff said a levee failure would risk catastrophic flooding into the plant recirculation channel, potentially disrupting flows and exposing the city to regulatory violations.
Stantec prepared the design and bid documents; five bids were received after the Aug. 28 solicitation. Archer Civil Construction submitted the lowest responsive bid; staff said the base bid was just over $1 million. After estimating engineering, inspection and a 15% contingency, the city's project estimate is about $1,340,000.
Funding and budget action: staff said the project will be paid from the wastewater fund (account series 502). The fund has a reported reserve balance of $17.1 million; staff explained a budget amendment that decreases an incorrect services and supplies line and increases the capital line to properly reflect the work. The council approved the resolution awarding the contract and the associated budget adjustments and amendments.
Why it matters: keeping Pond 2 online and the levee sound are critical to the wastewater plant's ability to manage daily flows and comply with environmental regulations. Staff emphasized the plant has managed without Pond 2 thanks to temporary reductions in hydraulic loading but cannot assume those conditions will continue.
Council action: a councilmember moved and seconded the staff recommendation to award the contract to Archer Civil Construction LLC and authorize the city manager to execute the agreement and the budget amendment (Resolution No. 6996). The motion passed by voice vote.
Ending: work is scheduled to begin after contract execution and final permitting/inspections; staff and council said the project is time‑sensitive given the condition of the levee and the system's limited redundancy.
