Agenda Item B4.1 - Ullrich WTP Lime Feed Loop — original pdf

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Recommendation for Water & Wastewater Commission Commission Meeting Date: January 8, 2020 Council Meeting Date: January 23, 2020 Department: Public Works Client: Charles Celauro, Bill Stauber, Nicholas Sybille SUBJECT Authorize award and execution of a construction contract with Matous Construction, Ltd., for Ullrich Water Treatment Plant Lime Feed Loop in the amount of $11,474,000 plus a $1,147,400 contingency, for a total contract amount not to exceed $12,621,400. AMOUNT AND SOURCE OF FUNDING Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Capital Budget of Austin Water. Purchasing Language: Lowest responsive bid of one bid received through a competitive Invitation for Bid solicitation. Prior Council Action: N/A Boards and Commission Action: To be reviewed by the Water and Wastewater Commission on January 8, 2020. MBE/WBE: This contract will be awarded in compliance with City Code Chapter 2-9A (Minority Owned and Women Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program) through the achievements of Good Faith Efforts with 24.16% MBE and 5.68% WBE participation.  The Ullrich Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Lime Feed Loop system softens and helps coagulate the source water taken from Lake Austin. The treatment process cannot occur without it. The lime system at the Ullrich WTP consists of five lime feed systems which include powdered lime storage silos, lime slurry slakers, grit removal systems, slurry aging tanks, and lime slurry feed pumps. The Ullrich Lime Feed System processes lime powder that contains 10% to 15% volume of abrasive minerals called “grit”, which wear on lime system components and equipment. Grit classifiers, placed directly after the slakers, remove significant quantities of the grit from the slurry suspension, which helps protect the downstream equipment. The current grit classifier system is outdated and needs to be upgraded to allow for more efficient grit removal to protect equipment and piping. The new Lime Feed Loop system will limit scaling in plant piping, remove more grit, and further automate the lime feed process. The improvements being proposed include changing the lime slurry distribution system from pumping one way into a single up-flow clarifier (UFC) to using a constantly circulating lime slurry feed loop, which feeds all four UFCs at once. By keeping the lime slurry in constant motion, it doesn’t settle out of suspension, scale, and require frequent cleaning. In addition, the loop system will carry lime slurry repeatedly through the grit classifier units, so that additional grit is removed on every pass. The Handcox Water Treatment Plant has been using a similar lime grit removal system to the one that is proposed for the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant with excellent results and minimal downtime. This improvement will allow for a safer, better controlled water treatment process, and will also increase the life expectancy of the equipment used to treat the raw water. This item includes one allowance. The allowance of $1,792,000 will be used to procure a proprietary lime grit removal system similar to the one used at the Handcox WTP. An allowance is an amount that is specified and included in the construction contract or specifications for a certain item(s) of work whose details are not yet determined at the time of bidding. This project will occur in a continuously operating water plant. While there may be intermittent production interruptions during construction, the contract is written to minimize any impact to customer service. We currently do not expect any significant plant shutdowns that would impact customer service. This project is critical for the reliability of the water treatment process for City of Austin residents. If this project is not approved, Ullrich operations personnel will be forced to continue to operate a water softening system that is outdated, inefficient, more labor intensive, and poses a significant health hazard due to the requirement to utilize chlorine solution to clean the lime slurry feed system. Due to the potential for unknown conditions when working in an operating water treatment facility, a 10% contingency in funding has been included to allow for the expeditious processing of any change orders. A contingency is an additional amount of money added to the construction budget to cover any unforeseen construction costs associated with the project. The contract allows 400 working days for completion of this project. This project is located within zip code 78746 (District 8). The project will be managed by the Public Works Department.  Matous Construction, Ltd. is located in Belton, TX. Information on this solicitation is available through the City’s Austin Finance Online website. Link: Solicitation Documents.