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Water board approves engineering amendment for on-site hypochlorite system; construction estimated at $2.23 million
Summary
The Water Resources Board approved a $270,587 engineering amendment to SSR for design and construction support to replace the aging on-site hypochlorite generation system. Staff estimated construction costs at $2,229,000 and said the new system will improve redundancy and reliability.
The Water Resources Board voted to approve Amendment 2 to the SSR contract for design and construction support to replace the utility’s on-site hypochlorite (bleach) generation system.
Alan, the utility’s engineer, told the board the existing system went online in December 2008 and is now beyond its typical 15-year lifespan. "This is how we disinfect the drinking water," he said, adding that parts for the current system are becoming obsolete.
Staff said Amendment 1 had been a study for $78,942 and Amendment 2 adds $270,587 in engineering fees, bringing SSR’s total contract to $349,529 for the work. Construction was preliminarily estimated at $2,229,000. Alan said staff and SSR evaluated three commercially available systems and selected a microcore-style on-site hypochlorite generation system because it provides operational redundancy: with five cells, the microcore system can continue operating at roughly 80% capacity if one cell is out of service, whereas the older two-cell design would require whole-system downtime.
"With the new system ... you can take one out. Now you're producing 80% of what you would. It will stay in service," Alan said. He said two identical machines would be installed, increasing daily production capacity from the current combined 1,800 pounds to roughly 2,000 pounds and improving per-pound costs when compared over system life.
Board members asked about lifecycle timing and costs. Staff said design will take six to seven months after contract approval, with construction lead times likely to put the new system in place about a year after design completes. Staff also told the board the replacement project had been in the five‑year CIP and that construction cost estimates had risen since it was first planned.
The board approved the amendment by voice vote. The work approved is limited to engineering services (preliminary and final design, bidding, construction support and post-construction services); construction would be brought to the board for authorization once bids and final estimates are available.
Next steps: SSR and staff will complete design (estimated six to seven months), return to the board with construction bids and a recommended contract award, and the board will consider construction funding and schedule in a subsequent meeting.
