Ione council authorizes RFP for wastewater master plan after consultant outlines scope and cost
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Summary
Council voted to issue an RFP for a wastewater treatment master plan after consultant Catherine Geese outlined a roughly $200,000–$250,000 scope and a nine-month timeline for treatment-plant planning; council asked for integrated work with ARSA and CDCR and recommended phasing to manage cost.
The Ione City Council voted Feb. 3 to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a wastewater treatment master plan to define long-term disposal strategy, permitting needs and a capital-improvement program. The council’s vote directs staff to solicit proposals and return with recommendations for consultant selection.
Consultant Catherine Geese told the council the city needs a 20-year wastewater treatment master plan that integrates with regional partners (ARSA and CDCR) so the State Regional Water Board will accept any proposed permit amendments. Geese estimated the treatment-plant planning work would cost about $200,000–$250,000 and could be completed in about nine months if started promptly. She recommended a separate, parallel collection-system master plan (flow monitoring, capacity modelling and a condition assessment) that could cost $350,000–$400,000; that work could be phased to spread cost and preserve institutional knowledge from prior assessments.
"That planning work is also needed to not just amend the CalAqua permit and allow the interconnect project, but it is also needed to support growth within the community of Ione," Geese said.
Council members asked about schedule and phasing, whether to keep the engineering firm that has worked with the city in prior years, and how the city would pay for the work. Staff said the sewer capital fund and existing capital-improvement monies would be primary funding sources and that the council could either amend an existing master services agreement or issue a full RFP. The council voted to issue an RFP (recorded vote: 4–1 in favor).
What happens next: staff will publish an RFP for wastewater treatment master planning, receive proposals, and return to the council with a recommendation for selection and a proposed contract and timeline.
Provenance: the discussion and consultant presentation begin in the public record at SEG 3952 (consultant on Zoom) and the motion and vote are recorded in SEG 4416–4432.