18 - Emergency Equipment at 23rd Street Pump Station Protecting our community's health and the environment by providing solid waste and sewer collection services. www.cmsdca.gov Costa Mesa Sanitary District ….an Independent Special District Memorandum T o: Operations Committee From: Scott Carroll , General Manager Date: December 11 , 2012 Subject: Emergency Equipment at 23 rd Street Pump St ation Summary Last year, the Board of Directors directed staff to install an emergency by -pass pump at the 23 rd pumping station. The purpose for the emergency equipment is to ensure the pump station is in continual operations in the event of a massive pow er outage. Designs are complete and they are now in plan check review by the City of Newport Beach. However, the City’s municipal code forbids placing such equipment above ground and staff is requiring CMSD to construct an underground vault for placing t he emergency equipment. Staff Recommendation That the Operations Co mmittee recommend the Board of Directors direct staff to install an emergency generator at the 23 rd Street Pump Station. Analysis The 23 rd Street pumping station is one of CMSD’s high vo lume pumping stations pumping 540 GPM (gallons per minute). It’s also one of CMSD’s critical pumping stations because of its close proximity to the Back Bay. Staff believes installing emergency equipment (by -pass pump or generator) adjacent to the statio n will ensure level of service is not disrupted in the event of a massive power outage and will avoid any potential SSOs a result of the power outage. A feasibility study was performed and determined that there is adequate room for installing a generator, but st aff recommended a by -pass pump because it can allow staff to perform maintenance on the station and it can ensure services if the electrical panels are malfunctioning.
Operations Committee December 11 , 201 2 Page 2 of 3 Plans are complete and are currently being reviewed by the City of Newport B each, but staff is requesting the emergency pump be placed underground at a cost of additional $200,000. There is a municipal code that requires new equipment to be placed underground if there is existing equipment already underground. After having discu ssions with Newport Beach’s executive management team it appears they concur wit h the planning department and they are requesting the emergency pump be placed underground. However, after further discussion with the City’s executive management team it appe ars the City may be more receptive to installing an above ground emergency generator instead of the by -pass pump. I believe there are three options for CMSD to consider. 1. Accept the City’s requirement to placing the emergency by -pass pump underground. CM SD consultants believe this will add approximately $200,000 to the construction costs. In addition, it will increase the timeline to complete and the construction will be quite disruptive to the neighborhood. 2. Take a position that the City does not have re gulatory authority to require CMSD to place the emergency pump underground. CMSD has a right to provide sewer services to our customers and the organization has a responsibility to preventing SSOs. It’s possible to argue that the City’s municipal code t o requiring additional equipment to existing underground utilities by placed underground does not apply to essential services such as sewers. 3. Work with the City on placing an emergency generator at this site. As mentioned earlier, the primary purpose for installing emergency equipment is to ensure the pumps are working during a massive power outage. An emergency generator will meet this objective and it will cost less than installing the emergency pump. Option #1 will cost an additional $200,000 to const ruction costs and will impact CMSD’s asset management fund. Furthermore, contract maintenance workers will be required to obtain confine space training and the construction for creating a vault will be quite disruptive to the neighborhood. It is very lik ely that the City will not agree with Option #2 in which case this issue may have to be litigated in court, which will cost both sides in substantial legal costs and completing this project will be delayed until it’s resolved through the court system. St aff is recommending Option #3 because it appears the City is willing to work with CMSD for installing an above ground generator and it can be installed before the end of the fiscal year. It will also cost less than a permanent by -pass pump. Staff estimat es that a generator could save close to $100,000.
Operations Committee December 11 , 201 2 Page 3 of 3 Strategic Plan Element & Goal This item complies wi t h the objective and strategy of Strategic Element 1 .0, Sewers , which states the following: Objective: Strategy: Legal Review Not applicable a t this time . However, if the Committee recommends Option #2, the costs for legal services will incur. Financial Review The cost to prepare the construction designs for the permanent by -pass pump at 23 rd Street was $5,283 . To revise the designs to includ e a generator instead of a by -pass pump will cost an additional $3,750 . The cost to install a permanent above ground by -pas s pump was estimated at $187,000 . The cost to install an above ground gen erator is estimated at $75,000 to $90,000 . The Board appr oved a budget of $1,000,000 for procuring and installing permanent emergency equipment at six critical pumping stations. There is adequate funding in this budget to pay for revised designs and for the procurement and installation of a permanent emergency generator. Public Notice Process Copies of this report are on file and will be included with the entire agenda packet for the December 11 , 2012 Operations Committee meeting at District Headquarters and on District’s website. Alternative Actions 1. Accept t he City’s requirement to placing the emergency by -pass pump underground and appropriate an additional $200,000 from the Asset Management Fund to pay for constructing an underground vault. 2. Take a position that the City does not have regulatory authority to require CMSD to place the emergency pump underground. Direct the general manager to authorize the District Counsel to prepare a letter to the City regarding CMSD’s position.