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M-Rae Engineering given Rainbow MWD contract for new pressure reducing stations

The Rainbow Municipal Water District awarded M-Rae Engineering, Inc., the district's construction contract for work on pressure reducing stations at four locations.

LMThe district board voted 4-0. Jan. 28, with Helene Brazier absent, to award the Descanso company a contract for $265,826. The work will include the installation of three pre-manufactured pressure reducing stations provided by the district, connecting those stations into existing pipelines, and abandoning three existing pressure reducing station vaults.

"We identified high-pressure areas as being more prone to pipeline failure," said Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy. "The pressure reducing stations will bring the pressure down."

In some parts of the district the pressure exceeds 400 pounds per square inch.

"The system pressures in Rainbow are higher by a larger margin than in many places," Kennedy said. "It's hard to manage pressure on hilly topography."

Rainbow staff has been reviewing options to replace older pressure reducing stations and install new ones in critical areas of the system. One of the most cost-effective methods is to install pre-manufactured stations which are housed in fiberglass "doghouse" structures.

Rainbow purchased 10 pre-manufactured pressure reducing stations from Engineered Fluid, Inc., for subsequent installation in various locations throughout the district.

The four locations in the M-Rae Engineering contract are all in the Pala Mesa area. One of those is at Pala Mesa Drive and Almendra Court; one new pre-manufactured station will be added. Rainbow will need to acquire an easement for that location, and the district is in negotiations with the Pala Mesa Fairway Villas homeowners' association and the homeowners' association's legal counsel.

The other three locations are on Tecalote Drive. The work at the Pala Mesa Condos location will add one pre-manufactured station to replace an existing underground station.

That site near the golf course will require a chain link fence 3 feet high around three sides of the station with the front access point side not needing that fence. The pressure reducing station will be installed partially below grade. Rainbow has already acquired the necessary easement for that station.

The district in conjunction with M-Rae Engineering will abandon one underground pressure reducing station and add new pipe connections for the Tecalote Drive location at Pala Lake South.

Plans for that site initially included the installation of a pre-manufactured station with some reconfiguration of pipes, but it was determined that the new station would not be needed. No easement acquisition was needed for that location.

The other Tecalote Drive location is at Pala Lake North. A new pre-manufactured station will replace an existing underground station. The necessary easement for that work has already been acquired.

Rainbow staff prepared a bid package and advertised the contract for bid in November. Eight firms responded by the Dec. 16 deadline.

M-Rae Engineering had the low bid of $265,826, and a Rainbow staff evaluation determined that the bid was complete with no irregularities and that M-Rae has the proper bonding and licenses. H7 Contracting & Engineering, Inc., of Murrieta had the second-lowest bid at $278,250.

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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