sr-111009-1dCity Council Meeting: November 10, 2009
Agenda Item: ~~,~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Lee E. Swain, Director of Public Works
Subject: Contract for Sewer Diversion Maintenance
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute athree-year contract with General Environmental Management (GEM) Inc. in
the amount of $300,000 for servicing and cleaning all urban runoff sewer diversions and
treatment systems operated by the City of Santa Monica.
Executive Summary
The City of Santa Monica presently has sewer diversions for separating, treating and
discharging urban runoff from the Montana, Wilshire, Pier and Pico Kenter drains as
well as a treatment system at Mar Vista Park in Los Angeles. These units must be
serviced and cleaned periodically to continue efficient operation. The ability of city staff
to maintain these facilities is hampered by equipment limitations and the time required
to complete the tasks. The estimated expenditure for the first year is $100,000. The
total estimated expenditure for the three-year term is $300,000. Funding for the current
year is .available in an existing operating budget account. Budget authority for
subsequent years will be included in each annual proposed City budget.
Discussion
The sewer diversions are end-of-line Best Management Practices (BMPs) for capturing
urban runoff prior to it reaching Santa Monica Bay. Flow is diverted to the sanitary
sewer system preventing its discharge into Santa Monica Bay. The BMPs operate year-
round and each contains asub-surFace vault which traps debris.
Routine maintenance at the diversion structures is currently performed by City staff,
excluding pumping out accumulated debris at the bottom of the diversions. Recent dry
years have made it unnecessary to remove accumulated debris. The depths of the
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vaults exceed 40 feet at the Wilshire and Montana diversions. This depth exceeds the
reach of existing City equipment. At Mar Vista Park the diversion and treatment system
comprises an extremely large 90-filter array facility adjacent to Ballona Creek. Given
the complexity of this facility, it presently requires a full crew of City staff an entire week
to clean and maintain the filter array. Relieving City staff of this task will allow more
attention to sewer and storm drain cleaning and maintenance.
The scope of the work includes pumping, cleaning, and disposing of both liquid and
solid wastes from the sewer diversion vaults and Mar Vista treatment system on an
annual basis. Fees for cleanout of various facilities take into consideration equipment
and crew -size, confined space entry requirements, job mobilization, traffic control
implementation and plans (if required), noise mitigation controls (if .necessary), and
working hour requirements. The estimated cost for FY 2009/10 is $100,000.
Contractor Selection
A competitive bidding process was conducted in December 2008. General
Environmental Management, Inc. (GEM) was the lowest among four bids received. Due
to the extended time lapse since the December 2008 bids were received, the services
were re-advertised for bids in September 2009. GEM was the only bidder, submitting
the same bid and pricing structure as the prior year. Water Resources Division staff
evaluated the proposal and checked references. The firm was evaluated on the basis of
technical competence/past performance, equipment and staffing capability to meet
contract timeliness, quality control, and cost of services/cost control/reporting. GEM
has been utilized by City staff for maintenance support in recent years and has
demonstrated its ability to perform these tasks in a rapid and professional manner.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
For FY 2009/10, funds of $100,000 are available in Account 31661.566630 Storm Drain
Maintenance. The City has the option to renew the contract for the next two years with
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an annual amount estimated at $100,000 and the funds will be included in the
respective proposed budget for Council's approval.
Prepared by: Gil Borboa, P.E., Water Resources Manager
Approved: Forw~cdec~ to Council:
Lee E. Swain, Director ont Ewell
Department of Public Works C Manager
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Reference Contract No.
9148 (CCS).