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Grassy Branch WRF Facility Expansion - Preferred Brand Alternate Approval Request
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
John Shutak, Union County Water - Engineering Division, Director, 704-283-3651
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Approve preferred brand alternate procurement of Kruger Hydrotech disk filtration equipment manufactured by Veolia Water Technologies as part of the construction bid for the Grassy Branch WRF Facility Expansion project based on the cost savings and improved functioning of the treatment process established by the attached performance standards as allowed by N.C.G.S. § 133-3, as well as based on it being impractical and uneconomical to name technical requirements for this equipment in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.319 and 2) approve preferred brand alternate procurement of UV disinfection equipment manufactured by Trojan Technologies as part of the construction bid for the Grassy Branch WRF Facility Expansion project based on the cost savings and improved functioning of the treatment process established by the attached performance standards as allowed by N.C.G.S. § 133-3, as well as based on it being impractical and uneconomical to name technical requirements for this equipment in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.319.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
1) April 4, 2022, Regular Meeting, Agenda Item # 22-195 - Approved Special Order of Consent (SOC) with the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission.
2) July 17, 2023, Regular Meeting, Agenda Item # 23-423 - Approved the scope of services for engineering design, permitting, and bid phase services for the Grassy Branch WRF Facility Expansion project as shown in the attached Hazen and Sawyer Task Order 7882-2 in the amount of $741,495.00 and authorized the County Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement.
3) October 16, 2023, Regular Meeting, Agenda Item # 23-719 - Re-adopted resolution accepting ARPA funds in the amount of $8,000,000.00 from NCDEQ and authorized the County Manager to execute all necessary documentation to add the Grassy Branch WRF Expansion project to the acceptable uses of the funds.
BACKGROUND:
The Capital Improvement Program, as adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, includes an allocation for the design and construction of the Grassy Branch WRF Expansion to 120,000 gallons per day (gpd). The facility is currently under consent order due to permit violations related to daily discharge flow exceeding the current permitted flow of 50,000 gpd. This expansion to 120,000 gpd should prevent future violations for exceeding the permitted discharge flow.
On April 2, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners authorized the County Manager to execute a Special Order of Consent with the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission to address regulatory compliance violations issued by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). The consent order requires the Grassy Branch WRF to be expanded to a permitted capacity of 120,000 gpd by March 31, 2027.
The Board previously approved Hazen and Sawyer Task Order 7882-2 on July 17, 2023, for engineering design and bid phase services for this expansion project in the amount of $741,495.00. The NCDEQ has approved the Authorization to Construction wastewater permit for the project so the project documents are being prepared for the bid phase.
The Kruger Hydrotech system from Veolia Water Technologies is being requested for approval as the preferred brand alternate for the disk filtration equipment based on the estimated cost savings and improved functioning of the system as allowed by N.C.G.S § 133-3. Kruger disk filtration systems are historically competitive in price with industry competitors, and its internal backwash system results in long-term cost savings because it does not require backwash pumps and piping. The Kruger disk filtration system offers improved functioning because: (1) the backwash process does not require additional equipment such as pumps and (2) the cloth media filters are easily replaced. An additional benefit is the nearby Twelve Mile Creek WRF and Tallwood WRF include disk filtration facilities with the Kruger Hydrotech system so staff is familiar with its operation, and spare parts can be shared between the three WRFs, which improves system function through operational efficiencies and results in cost savings.
Trojan Technologies UV equipment is being requested for approval as the preferred brand alternate for the UV disinfection equipment based on the estimated cost savings and improved functioning as allowed by N.C.G.S § 133-3. Trojan UV disinfection systems are historically competitive in price, and its electrical requirements are less complex, resulting in cost savings. The Trojan UV system provides improved functioning because it will utilize the same 480V electrical supply as the rest of the facility, whereas other manufacturers would require an additional 277V electrical supply. An additional benefit is that all of the other county WRFs utilize Trojan UV disinfection equipment so staff is familiar with its operation and spare parts can be shared between all WRFs, which improves system function through operational efficiencies and results in cost savings.
The justification for approving the Kruger Hydrotech system as the preferred brand alternate for disk filtration and Trojan as the preferred brand alternate for the UV disinfection system has been reviewed by UCW engineering and UC procurement staff and is appropriate for the project. Pursuant to state statute and federal uniform guidance requirements, the substitution of items of equal or equivalent design may also be submitted during the bidding process to the engineer for approval or disapproval prior to the opening of bids.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.