HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 REPAIR WELL NO. 1 07-17-00 NO. 9
AG E N Inter Com o 7- ?-oo
DATE: JULY 17, 2000 -
TO:
FROM'
WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMEnT/WATER DIVISION
SUBJECT: EMERGENCY REPAIR OF WELL NUMBER ONE AT THE 17TH STREET
DESALTER
SUMMARY
Well Number One at the 17th Street Desalter has failed due to the deterioration of a well screen
that allowed sand and gravel to freeze the pump. Well Number One was the largest producer of
the three on-site wells and produced approximately 1,500 acre-feet per year. It is critical that this
well be returned to service in the shortest possible time to ensure that during this peak-demand
period of water usage all of the Tustin Water Works service area will continue to meet the
operation and emergency fire flow requirements, it is recommended that the City Council, by four-
fifths vote, pass Resolution No. 00-54 declaring that the public interest and necessity demand the
immediate expenditure of public money to repair Well Number One to safeguard life, health and
property. This Resolution will ratify the Public Works Department's decision to dispense with the
iPublic Works bidding requirements and begin emergency repairs immediately.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council: 1) Adopt Resolution No. 00-54 by a four-fifths vote of its
members declaring that the public interest and necessity demand the immediate expenditure of
public money to repair Well Number One to safeguard life, health and property. 2) Appropriate
$68,492 from the unappropriated fund balance of the Well Capital Improvement Fund Number 73
to be used for the repair of Well Number One.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is an adequate fund balance in Water Capital Improvement Fund Number 73 to fund this
expense. This repair cost will be reimbursed to the City through the annual operation and
maintenance component of the Metropolitan Water District's Groundwater Recovery Program that
the City entered into through agreements involving the construction of the Seventeenth Street
Desalter.
DISCUSSION
When Well Number One at the 17th Street Desalter suddenly stopped working, General Pump
Company was retained to remove..the motor and pump from the well to determine the cause of
failure. General Pump removed the equipment, disassembled it, and determined that sand and
gravel from a deteriorated well screen had caused the pump to freeze. Subsequently, General
Pump proposed to repair the well by replacing the deteriorated well screen along with repairing
the pump and motor for an estimated cost of $68,492.
Emergency Repair of Well Number One at the 17th Street Desalter
July 17, 2000
Page 2
Well Number One produces approximately 1,500 acre-feet of water per year and is a necessary
component of the water system. Without the capacity of this well, the water system may not be
able to adequately respond to any potential emergency that may occur during the high demand
period of the year. In an effort to eliminate the effects that any disaster such as an earthquake
could have on the City's water supply, the Public Works Department authorized the emergency
repair. The adoption of Resolution No. 00-54 by a four-fifths vote of the Council will ratify the
Public Works Department to dispense with the time consuming public bidding requirements and
enter into a contract with General Pump to complete the repair. Additionally, due to the nature of
the analysis necessary to find the cause of the problem, it was determined that the bidding
procedures in the City's Purchasing Policy and Procedures were impractical and incongruous. The
pump and motor had to be removed through the roof of the Desalter with a crane and
disassembled. In order to conduct a Public Bid, the equipment would have had to be delivered
back to the water yard for inspection by prospective bidders or arrangements would need to be
made to inspect the disassembled equipment at the General Pump facility.
Well Number One was constructed in 1926 and has been rehabilitated twice. Repairing this well
provides a short-term solution that will allow staff the time to evaluate the potential for constructing
a new well on-site. Water Division personnel are currently in preliminary discussions with the
Orange County Water District regarding an amendment to the "Agreement between Orange
County Water District and City of Tustin for the Construction, Operation and Acquisition of a
Groundwater Desalter Project". The amendment will provide for the financing, construction, and
operation of a new groundwater well for the Desalter. A conceptual amendment will be brought to
the Council in the near future for consideration.
Tim D. Serlet
Director of Public Works/City Engineer
TDS:ccg:Emerg Repair of Well #1
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RESOLUTION NO. 0{1-54
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUSTIN,
CALIFORNIA DECLARING THAT THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND
NECESSITY DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC
MONEY TO REPAIR WELL NUMBER ONE AT THE TUSTIN
DESALTER TO SAFEGUARD LIFE, HEALTH, AND PROPERTY
WHEREAS, Well Number One at the 17th Street Desalter has failed due to the
deterioration of a well screen that allowed sand and gravel to freeze the pump; and
WHEREAS, Well Number One is a critical component of the City's water system and
produces approximately 1500 acre-feet per year; and
WHEREAS, without the production of this well, the water system may not be able to
adequately respond to an emergency that may occur during the high water demand period
of the year; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that in accordance with Section 22050 of
the Public Contracts Code and based on the substantial evidence set forth in the staff report,
that this emergency repair will not permit a delay resulting from competitive solicitations
of bids and that this action is necessary to respond to the emergency;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Public Works Department's decision to
complete the repair of Well Number One without soliciting competitive bids is hereby
ratified.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a 'regular meeting of the City Council of the City of
Tustin held on the 17th day of July 2000.
Jeffery M. Thomas, Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk