Memorandum
Date: June 9, 2020
To: The Honorable Moke Simon, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Jan Coppinger, Special Districts Administrator
Subject: (Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District, Board of Directors) - Approve Proposed Project and Purchase of Septage Receiving Station for SE Regional Treatment Plant
Executive Summary: (include fiscal and staffing impact narrative):
Lake County Sanitation District has allowed septic haulers to dump at the headworks of SE Regional and NW Regional Treatment Plants. Reporting has been on an “honor system” and the septic haulers are to leave a dumping ticket in a box to report dropping a load. For the last couple of years, we have noticed under reporting of loads and gallons per loads. Trucks have been seen dumping but no tickets are left in the box. Loads with garbage, cleaning rags and paper towels are also being dumped and requiring additional measures for the staff to remain compliant.
During the last few months, we have experienced illegal loads, (toxic contaminates) that destroy the biological treatment process and are not allowed at any Lake County treatment plants. Due to the failure to report all loads, we are not always able to determine which hauler dumped the loads that destroyed the treatment process. On one occasion an illegal load was dumped and damaged the treatment process; we tested the sewage and found it to contain high amounts of Ethanol and Acetone. These chemicals shock the biological process and the ponds take several weeks to recover and regain compliance with State regulations.
It is possible that septic haulers are not aware when they are picking up loads that are highly contaminated but with accurate reporting, the site that is being picked up could be quickly identified and the hauler would know waste from that location must be taken out of county to a receiving site that accepts highly toxic waste.
In an effort to address the under reporting and the illegal loads, we are proposing to install a Septage Receiving Station that would be accessed by the septic haulers with a magnetic swipe card. This station would meter the amount dumped and the pH of each load. A ticket would be produced for billing at the time of dumping. This system will also produce a receipt that can be provided to Environmental Health for ease of reporting by the septic haulers.
This station is costly but we believe it will pay for itself within one year by proper reporting and billing, and avoid the recent violations we have had in our treatment process. We currently only have funds for one receiving station which would be located at SE Regional Plant. All septic haulers will have to dump at SE Regional until we can secure funding for an additional receiving station at NW Regional Plant.
We solicited quotes for a receiving station and received two quotes:
Franklin Miller $174,678
JWC Environmental $112,615.00
We are requesting authorization to order the system from JWC Environmental. They require a lead period of up to twelve weeks before the unit can be available.
In addition to the receiving station, we will have concrete and site work that will be required and is projected to cost approximately $80,000.
Our intent is to put this project in the 2020/2021 budget as a capital expenditure of $200,000.
SE Regional does have sufficient reserves for this project that will also be designated for this project in the upcoming budget.
With your approval to move forward, we can get the receiving station on order and begin preparing the site.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Consistency with Vision 2028 and/or Fiscal Crisis Management Plan (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☐ Public Safety ☐ Infrastructure ☐ Technology Upgrades
☐ Economic Development ☐ Disaster Recovery ☐ County Workforce ☐ Revenue Generation
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake ☐ Cost Savings
If request for exemption from competitive bid in accordance with County Code Chapter 2 Sec. 2-38, fill in blanks below:
Which exemption is being requested?
How long has Agreement been in place?
When was purchase last rebid?
Reason for request to waive bid?
Recommended Action:
Approve the proposed project and purchase of Septage Receiving Station from JWC Environmental in the amount of $112,615 for SE Regional Treatment Plant.