FPUD approves change order for CUP

The Fallbrook Public Utility District board approved a change order to the contract with Filanc Alberici JV to construct the Santa Margarita Conjunctive Use Project.

A 5-0 FPUD board vote Feb. 22 approved a change order which will add $3,389,801 to the price of the contract. Although most of the cost of that change order is for the granulated activated carbon treatment system, $324,928 of that extra amount addresses changes to the pipeline design and installation required by field conditions and utility conflicts.

"The installation of granular activated carbon at the new Santa Margarita groundwater treatment plant will give us a high-quality water supply and a facility that can meet any future water quality concerns," said FPUD general manager Jack Bebee.

The Santa Margarita River Conjunctive Use Project will enhance groundwater recharge and recovery capability within the lower Santa Margarita River basin and increase available water supplies for FPUD and 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 integration.

In July 2019, the FPUD board awarded Filanc Alberici JV a $54,398,232 construction contract for the Conjunctive Use Project. A January 2020 board action amended the design contract with Infrastructure Engineering Corporation so that the groundwater treatment plant can also remove per and polyfluoroalkyl substances contaminants with a combination of granular activated carbon and reverse osmosis.

The December 2020 FPUD board meeting included approving a contract with Calgon Carbon to provide granular activated carbon treatment system equipment and approving a change order to the contract with Filanc Alberici JV to install pipelines associated with the granular activated carbon treatment system.

The change order with Filanc Alberici addressed only the pipelines and not the installation and startup of the granular activated carbon treatment system. "We've finalized negotiations with the contractor to have them install it," said FPUD senior engineer Aaron Cook.

FPUD and Filanc Alberici negotiated a change order covering the installation and startup. "We think it's fair," Cook said.

"It wasn't unanticipated and it's right in line with the budget," said FPUD board member Dave Baxter, who chairs the district's Engineering and Operations Committee. "There are no surprises here."

The change order brings the total Filanc Alberici contract amount to $58,347,178. The completion date was changed from September 13, 2021, to February 14, 2022.

Although no delays are expected, the installation of the granulated activated carbon treatment system cannot occur until FPUD receives the system from Calgon Carbon. "If it does go longer there's a potential that we'll have to cover some additional overhead costs," Cook said.