Calgon Carbon given FPUD contract for granulated activated carbon system

Calgon Carbon Corporation was awarded the Fallbrook Public Utility District contract to provide granular activated carbon treatment system equipment.

FPUD’s board voted 5-0, Dec. 7, to award Calgon Carbon a contract for $1,260,493. A separate 5-0 vote that day approved a change order to the construction contract with Filanc Alberici JV to install pipelines associated with the granular activated carbon treatment system.

In July 2019, FPUD awarded Filanc Alberici JV a $54,398,232 construction contract for the Santa Margarita River Conjunctive Use Project which will enhance groundwater recharge and recovery capability within the lower Santa Margarita River basin and increase available water supplies for FPUD and U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The Camp Pendleton infrastructure will include piping to deliver the water to the boundary of the Naval Weapons Station and Fallbrook behind the FPUD solar facility site on Alturas Road. Construction of the facilities from the NWS boundary is FPUD’s responsibility. The water will be treated at the Alturas Road plant and delivered into FPUD’s distribution system. FPUD’s infrastructure will include a groundwater treatment plant, a distribution system to the Gheen Zone east of Stage Coach Lane, the Gheen Pump Station and a storage tank with piping and construction management and supervisory control and data acquisition system integration

On Jan. 27, FPUD’s board voted 5-0 to amend its design contract for the Conjunctive Use Project so that the groundwater treatment plant can also remove per and polyfluoroalkyl substances contaminants from the treated water. FPUD staff recommended treating the PFAS contaminants with a combination of granular activated carbon and reverse osmosis. The groundwater treatment plant utilizes greensand filters for iron and manganese removal followed by reverse osmosis and chlorination. Reverse osmosis removes more than 99% of salts which pass through the process, so some flow bypasses the reverse osmosis process to meet the district's overall salt target. The design contract amendment produced design documents for the additional granular activated carbon facilities.

The granular activated carbon treatment system will include three pairs of large vessels with a 12-foot diameter and a height of approximately 20 feet. Those vessels currently require approximately nine months to obtain, so a bid package for procurement of the treatment equipment was prepared to allow the project to remain on schedule.

The original deadline for submission of bids was Oct. 8. Calgon Carbon and AqueoUS Vets bid on the project. The Calgon Carbon bid was for $1,254,578 and the AqueoUS Vets proposal had a bid amount of $1,565,333.99. The contract includes disadvantaged business requirements, and AqueoUS Vets filed a bid protest on the grounds that the Calgon Carbon proposal did not adequately address the disadvantaged business requirements. FPUD reviewed the Calgon Carbon bid and also consulted with the state Department of Water Resources, which is providing a State Revolving Fund loan for the Conjunctive Use Project. The Calgon Carbon bid was deemed non-responsive. Because the only other bid was $310,756 higher, a 5-0 FPUD board vote Oct. 27 rejected both bids and directed district staff to readvertise the procurement of the treatment equipment for bid.

The designation of the previous Calgon Carbon bid as non-responsive did not prevent that company from submitting a new bid meeting the disadvantaged business requirements. The deadline for the new bids was Nov. 30, and once again Calgon Carbon and AqueoUS Vets submitted bids. Calgon Carbon submitted a bid amount of $1,260,493 and the AqueoUS Vets bid was $1,616,518.99.

Approximately 800 feet of 14-inch water line and 110 feet of 10-inch sewer line will be needed to convey water to and from the granular activated carbon treatment vessels. FPUD and Filanc Alberici JV negotiated a change order which will add $559,145.06 to the contract amount. The change order will not affect the construction schedule; the Conjunctive Use Project is expected to be complete in early 2022.

The design and installation costs for the granulated activated carbon treatment system are currently estimated at $3,500,000. The actual cost is expected to be confirmed within the next two months.

In January, the State Water Resources Control Board approved a State Revolving Fund loan of $62,935,885 which includes a contingency of $5,440,000 as well as the construction, design and construction management costs.

A 5-0 FPUD board vote, Sept. 28, added $733,655 to the contract with Infrastructure Engineering Corporation to provide design services for the Conjunctive Use Project. The contract with Calgon Carbon and the change order with Filanc Alberici JV bring the total contingency expenses as of Dec. 7 to $2,493,293.

“It’s looking at this point like we could exceed the contingency amount,” Aaron Cook, senior engineer of FPUD, said.

The final design and installation cost amount will determine whether additional funding will be needed. FPUD could request an amendment with the State Water Resources Control Board to add the uncovered costs to the State Revolving Fund loan.

“There’s no downside to pursuing the amendment,” Jack Bebee, general manager of FPUD, said.

The amendment to the State Revolving Fund loan could take up to six months to finalize. FPUD also has the option of obtaining a separate loan, although that would likely be at a higher interest rate than the State Revolving Fund loan. Because approximately 4,100 feet of the new Conjunctive Use Project pipeline along Palomino Road will replace an existing water main which is more than 60 years old that portion of the cost, which is estimated at $2,400,000, could be funded by the existing capital improvement program budget although that option would require other pipeline replacement projects to be deferred.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].