4h - Project No. 101 - Westside Pump Station Costa Mesa Sanitary District
…an Independent Special District
Protecting our community’s health and the environment by providing solid waste and sewer collection services.
www.cmsdca.gov
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To: Board of Directors
Via: Scott Carroll, General Manager
From: Rob Hamers, District Engineer
Date: November 12, 2013
Subject: #101 West Side Pumping Station Abandonment – Update on Engineer’s
Estimate
Summary
The primary goals of the preliminary engineering stage are to confirm pipeline alignments
and to prepare a preliminary engineer’s estimate in order to properly budget for the
project. Attached hereto is the preliminary engineer’s estimate that will allow the District
the foresight to continue yearly funding contributions in order to abandon six Costa Mesa
Sanitary District pumping stations. The preliminary engineering plans are approximately
70% complete.
Staff Recommendation
The Board of Directors discuss District Engineer’s estimate for the project.
Analysis
Pumping stations are constructed because residential and commercial developments are
constructed in low-lying areas that are below the elevation of the nearest gravity sewer.
The pumping station itself is constructed in the lowest portion of the low-lying area.
Because the pumping station is in the lowest part of the low-lying area, when a gravity
sewer is used to abandon the pumping station, the new gravity sewer will be extra deep as
it leaves the low lying area. This is particularly the case of the proposed gravity sewer
leading from the Canyon Pumping Station to the abandonment network. Fortunately, the
other five new gravity sewers will not be as deep as the Canyon sewer. The depths are as
follows: Canyon 17’-36.5’; Westbluff 4.5’-11’; Aviemore 4’-7.5’; Seabluff 9’-11’; 19th Street
7’-17’, and President 5’-7’.
Board of Directors
November 12, 2013
Page 2 of 4
Although the sewer will be extremely deep, it will serve to abandon the pumping station.
Maintenance of the new, extra deep, gravity sewer is achievable with the current cleaning
equipment owned by the District. The new gravity sewer will likely be installed by
directional drilling.
Abandoning a pumping station involves removing all of the equipment from inside the
concrete structure, drilling multiple holes in the bottom of the structure, removing the top 5
feet of the structure, filling the structure with sand, then restoring the surface area to match
the surrounding area. Abandoning a force main involves cutting the ends of the pipe, then
filling the pipe with air-blown sand cement slurry. Along with abandoning the pumping
stations and force mains, the easements therefore must be vacated or quitclaimed.
The current schedule reflects OCSD’s projected construction completion date is the end of
March 2019 with a start date of the end of March 2017. The current projected balance in
the CMSD project account, including the 2013-2014 contribution of $400,000, is
approximately $2,069,253 (assumes 1% interest). Continued yearly contributions of
$400,000 will achieve an approximate balance of $4,235,611 at July 1, 2018, which
assumes 1% interest for the next five years. As of July 1, 2018, there should be sufficient
funds to fund final design, construction, contract administration and inspection. However,
a contingency budget is needed for this project in the amount of $377,135. Total project
costs including final design, construction, contingency, contract administration, and
inspection is $4,613,485. The current annual contribution of $400,000 is not enough to
cover the total project cost. An additional $65,000 a year is needed to successfully fund
this project. Contract administration and inspection costs are based on a total 20-month
construction timeframe for the new District gravity sewers and pumping station
abandonments.
Abandoning these six pumping stations will save approximately $50,465 annually in
maintenance and repair costs. No longer will the District have to budget for preventive
maintenance, pump, pipe and valve replacements and for a SCADA system. Furthermore,
the District will save approximately 852 staff hours annually for routine maintenance such
as transducer and wet well cleaning, exercising and cleaning check valves, testing
SCADA, replacing batteries, and routine inspections. The saved staff hours can be
transferred to other maintenance activities such as manhole cover inspections, pest
control, equipment maintenance, etc.
The District will achieve major savings by avoiding the yearly electrical costs to operate
the pumping stations coupled with avoiding the capital costs for upgrading the pumping
stations over time along with avoiding the capital costs of having to replace or line the
existing force mains. President Pumping Station was never converted to a submersible
pumping station in accordance with District standards because of the abandonment
project. This project alone would cost $1.2 million if accomplished today. Additionally,
abandoning the pumping stations saves approximately 27.5 metric tons of greenhouse
gases per year. Attached is a table showing savings of approximately $15.6 million over
the next 50 years assuming a relatively low interest rate of 1%.
Board of Directors
November 12, 2013
Page 3 of 4
Strategic Plan Element & Goal
This item complies with the objective and strategy of Strategic Plan Element 1.0, Sewer
Infrastructure, which states as follows:
”Objective: Our objective is to collect and transport wastewater to meet the needs of
existing and future customers.
Strategy: We will do this by the careful management of the collection infrastructure using
prudent planning and maintenance, with financial strategies to maintain sufficient capacity
and respond to changing regulatory demands.”
Legal Review
This report does not necessitate District counsel review.
Environmental Review
A portion of the project is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code Section 21000 et. seq.) under Section 15302
Replacement or Reconstruction, further clarified in the following subsection: “(c)
Replacement or reconstruction of existing utility systems and/or facilities involving
negligible or no expansion of capacity”. The project is exempt from the standpoint that the
existing pumping stations are not being enlarged but replaced by gravity lines in order to
avoid excessive costs associated with operating pumping stations, however, certain of
these gravity lines are located in Talbert Regional Park and Canyon Park and might create
an impact. Therefore, in accordance with CEQA law and the District’s CEQA Guidelines,
an EIR is being prepared. This is a joint EIR with the Orange County Sanitation District
(OCSD) in order to jointly address OCSD’s companion project to the District’s project.
Financial Review
The Engineer’s Estimate for this project is as follows:
Design: $ 160,000
Construction: $3,771,350
Contingency (10%): $ 377,135
Contract Administration: $ 125,000
Inspection: $ 180,000
TOTAL: $4,613,485
This project currently has a balance of $2,069,253. Continued yearly contributions of
$465,000 will achieve an approximate balance of $4,639,491 at July 1, 2018, which
assumes 1% interest for the next five years.
Board of Directors
November 12, 2013
Page 4 of 4
When completed this project will save approximately $50,465 annually in maintenance and
repair costs and $15.6 million in capital and electrical costs over the next 50 years along
with 27.5 metric tons per year of greenhouse gases.
Budget Transfer
Account Account Number Increase Decrease
Sewer – Project #101
Westside Pump Station 20-200601-4300 $65,000
Sewer – Asset Management Fund 20-200000-4720 $65,000
Public Notice Process
Copies of this report are on file and will be included with the entire agenda packet for the
September 9, 2013 Board of Directors study session at District Headquarters and on the
District website.
Alternative Actions
1. The Board reconsiders the relative high percentage of the total abandonment costs
for abandoning the Canyon Pumping Station. The Board may consider not
abandoning the station due to the high cost and the challenges in maintaining such
a deep gravity sewer. The new gravity sewer will vary in depth and if constructed
at a slope of 0.0040, the sewer will be less than 20 feet deep for 400 linear feet,
between 20-30 feet deep for 705 linear feet, and greater than 30 feet deep for 1,249
linear feet. The deepest point will be 36.5 feet deep. In order to lessen the depth to
less than 30 feet, a slope of 0.0012 is currently under analysis. At the present time,
the deepest manholes in the District are approximately 18 feet deep.
2. Direct staff to report back with more information.
Attachments A: Engineer’s Estimates of Construction Costs
B: Preliminary Engineering Scope of Work
C: CMSD Exhibit of Sewer Lines
D: Table of Estimated Capital & Energy Savings
E: OCSD Email Update