Item 07 - Lime Sustainability Study — original pdf

Backup

Item 7 Water & Wastewater Commission: November 12, 2025 Council: December 11, 2025 Posting Language ..Title Recommend approval to authorize a contract for engineering services for Lime Sustainability and Water Treatment Process Evaluation for Austin Water with Hazen and Sawyer, D.P.C., in an amount not to exceed $1,100,000. Funding: $1,100,000 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Water. ..Body Lead Department Austin Financial Services. Managing Department Austin Capital Delivery Services. Amount and Source of Funding Funding of $1,100,000 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Water. Procurement Language: Austin Financial Services issued a Request for Qualifications solicitation RFQS CLMP387 for these services. The solicitation was issued on June 28, 2025, and closed on August 6, 2025. Of the Six offers received, the recommended contractor submitted the best evaluated responsive offer. A complete solicitation package, including a log of offers received, is available for viewing on the City’s website. This information can currently be found at: https://financeonline.austintexas.gov/afo/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=142729. MBE / WBE: This contract will be awarded in compliance with City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women- Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program). No goals were established for this solicitation. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: November 12, 2025 – To be reviewed by the Water and Wastewater Commission. Additional Backup Information: As part of Austin Water’s (AW) ongoing efforts to enhance operational resilience, this study will evaluate AW’s existing water treatment processes and explore alternatives for long-term sustainability. AW’s three water treatment plants – Davis, Ullrich, and Handcox – utilize lime softening in the treatment process to remove naturally-occurring calcium and magnesium in order to reduce hardness in the finished water. For decades, AW’s treatment process has produced high-quality drinking water that remains consistent throughout our distribution system, serving more than a million customers. The lime softening process requires frequent deliveries of large quantities of lime and produces significant lime residuals that must be dewatered and disposed off-site. AW maintains contracts with two vendors to supply lime and owns and operates a disposal site for residuals. Risks to AW’s operational resilience include increasing supply chain volatility, rising material costs, and storage and disposal space limitations. This project includes a desktop evaluation and feasibility study of the existing treatment process and several alternatives, including reusing spent lime and treatment options that do not use lime. This study will build on previous evaluations and explore innovative processes that may now be viable. The study is anticipated to take approximately 12 months. No changes to the treatment process are proposed at this time, and the study will not impact service to the public.  Item 7 Water & Wastewater Commission: November 12, 2025 Council: December 11, 2025 If the study identifies a preferred alternative to the current treatment process, AW will initiate a separate procurement and associated Request for Council Action for professional engineering services to develop a plan to implement the recommended changes in full compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements, including obtaining approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This request allows for the development of an agreement with the selected firm. If the City is unsuccessful in negotiating a satisfactory agreement with the selected firm, negotiations will cease with that firm. Staff will return to Council so another qualified firm may be selected, authorizing new contract negotiations.  Item 7 Water & Wastewater Commission: November 12, 2025 Council: December 11, 2025 M/WBE Summary The City’s Small and Minority Business Resources Department has determined that No Goals are appropriate for this solicitation. Although No Goals have been established for this solicitation, the firms were required to comply with the City’s MBE/WBE Procurement Program if areas of subcontracting were identified. The following recommended firm has complied with the City's MBE/WBE Procurement Program in subcontracting areas identified and were approved by the Small and Minority Business Resources Department. Although No Goals were established for this contract, Hazen and Sawyer, D.P.C. has identified the following subcontractor opportunities: TOP RANKED FIRM: Hazen and Sawyer, D.P.C. – Total Participation: NON M/WBE TOTAL – PRIME Hazen and Sawyer, D.P.C., Austin, TX MBE TOTAL – SUBCONSULTANTS Native/Asian Subtotal (MA) CAS Consulting & Services, Inc., Austin, TX WBE TOTAL – SUBCONSULTANTS (FA) Baer Engineering and Environmental Consulting, Inc., Austin, TX NON M/WBE TOTAL - SUBCONSULTANTS Sergej Seepma Desmond Fredrick Lawler, PhD, PD Bill Gilliam Anthony (TI) Rice Craig Bartels, PhD (Permitting Services Environmental) (Environmental Consulting Assessment / Studies) (Engineering Consulting) (Engineering Consulting) (Engineering Consulting) (Engineering Consulting) (Engineering Consulting) SECOND RANKED FIRM: Carollo Engineers, Inc. – Total Participation: NON M/WBE TOTAL – PRIME Carollo Engineers, Inc., Austin, TX Unknown 2.50% 2.50% 2.50% 4.00% 4.00% Unknown 100.00% 100.00%