HomeMy WebLinkAbout18. 21-407AUGUST 10, 2021 21-407 RESOLUTION
(CARRIED___7-0_____LOST________LAID OVER________WITHDRAWN________)
PURPOSE: APPROVE PILOT STUDY AND WAIVER OF PURCHASING
REQUIREMENTS FOR PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION/
WASTEWATER DIVISION
INITIATED BY: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
WHEREAS, the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant is being required to evaluate
options to reduce the amount of phosphorus being discharged to the environment; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works proposes a pilot program to test
multiple filtration options to meet new phosphorus requirements; and
WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh Municipal Code generally requires that all
purchases of services, supplies, materials and equipment in excess of $25,000 be
competitively bid unless such purchases meets one of the specific exceptions listed within
the Code; and
WHEREAS, while equipment and materials in support of the pilot program may
be subject to competitive bidding or other purchasing requirements under the ordinance
that are not suited to a pilot program of this type; and
WHEREAS, the City may also be required to purchase and install certain
equipment to facilitate the installation of test equipment in the pilot program.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of
Oshkosh that the Department of Public Works is hereby authorized and directed to
conduct a pilot study for the reduction of phosphorus at the City’s Wastewater Treatment
Plant and the appropriate city officials are hereby authorized to enter into appropriate
agreements with providers of phosphorus reduction systems for purposes of the same.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the request for waiver of the purchasing
requirements of Chapter 12 of the Oshkosh Municipal Code is hereby approved and the
Department of Public Works is hereby authorized to review and select providers of
phosphorus reduction systems to participate in the pilot program that are best suited to
AUGUST 10, 2021 21-407 RESOLUTION
CONT’D
the needs and budgetary requirements of the City of Oshkosh.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the request for waiver of the purchasing
requirements of Chapter 12 of the Oshkosh Municipal Code is hereby approved for, and
the Department of Public Works is hereby authorized to, purchase and install equipment
and services, including but not limited to electrical service, conduit, cables, hoses,
chemical storage tanks and conductors, that are required in their professional opinion for
proper operation of the pilot test systems.
Money for this purpose is hereby appropriated from:
Acct. No. 0551-1940-6401-00000 -- Contractual Services
Acct. No. 0551-1940-6517-00000 – Supplies/Repair Parts
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TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council
FROM: James Rabe, Director of Public Works
DATE: August 5, 2021
RE: Approve Pilot Study and Waiver of Purchasing Requirements for Phosphorus
Reduction/Wastewater Division
BACKGROUND
The City of Oshkosh’s (City) Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is subject to discharge
regulations through the Wisconsin Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit program,
managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). The City submitted a
legal challenge to the most recent WPDES permit, which would have become effective on
January 1, 2019. That legal challenge stayed the effectiveness of the objectionable terms within
the permit. The City is currently negotiating settlement terms with the WDNR, which is
necessary to resolve those terms and for the permit to become fully effective. The start of the
negotiation process was delayed until the United States Environmental Protection Agency
approved the final Total Maximum Daily Load study for the Upper Fox and Wolf Rivers
Watershed.
During the previous permit term, the City completed a Preliminary Phosphorus Compliance
Alternatives Plan (PCAP). The PCAP included evaluation of optimization of the WWTP’s
secondary treatment process; modifications to the WWTP, including the addition of tertiary
treatment; and watershed-based compliance approaches to meet potential final permit effluent
total phosphorus and total suspended solids requirements.
Since completion of the PCAP, the City has been further investigating watershed-based
compliance approaches, including water quality trading, the Multi-Discharger Variance, and
adaptive management. The City has also continued to evaluate and refine details regarding
tertiary treatment options that would be necessary in order to achieve compliance with the
discharge limitations.
While the WPDES permit and compliance schedule have not been finalized, the City continues
to progress on compliance items that will be required once the permit is settled and issued. The
next step in the City’s compliance schedule is to complete the Final Phosphorus Compliance
Alternatives Plan (FCAP). The FCAP will help the City make decisions on how best to, and
most cost effectively, comply with the eventual permit discharge limitations for phosphorus
and total suspended solids.
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The Department of Public Works requested a proposal from Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
(Jacobs) to assist in the preparation of the FCAP. Jacobs was chosen due to their extensive
experience with these types of services and the City’s WWTP, and their assistance with the
preparation of the PCAP. Their scope of services included evaluating various compliance
alternatives, including pilot testing of tertiary treatment technologies.
ANALYSIS
The Department of Public Works is proposing to pilot test multiple filtration options at the
WWTP. There are several proprietary systems in the market that may be more cost effective
than traditional sand filtration. The pilot study will determine if permit limits can be reliably
met; and determine filter sizing criteria, chemical requirements, backwash rates, operational
requirements, and reliability of system performance. With this data, Jacobs will be able to assist
the City in determining if filtration is a cost effective option for phosphorus removal.
The pilot study will also require the purchase of various equipment and materials to assist in
the temporary installation of the various technologies.
FISCAL IMPACT
The costs for the filtration systems’ owner’s services, materials, and equipment required for the
pilot testing of the various technologies will exceed $25,000. Funding for these purchases was
included in the 2021 Water Utility Operating Budget (Account #05511940-6401/Disposal Plant-
Contractual Services and Account #05511940-6517/Disposal Plant-Supplies/Repair Parts).
RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to ensure acquisition of the filtration systems’ services, materials, and equipment and
to ensure installation of the pilot test processes in a timely manner, it is requested the Council
approves the pilot study and waives the purchasing requirements of Section 12-10 of the
Municipal Code of the City of Oshkosh.
Please advise me if you have any questions concerning this study and these purchases.
Approved:
Mark A. Rohloff
City Manager
JER/tlt