HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - Engineering & Operations Committee - 09/27/2021ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 27, 2021
East Valley Water District was formed in 1954 and provides water and wastewater services to
103,000 residents within the cities of San Bernardino and Highland, and portions of San
Bernardino County.
EVWD operates under the direction of a 5member elected Board.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Ronald L. Coats
Governing Board Member
David E. Smith
Governing Board Member
Engineering & Operations Committee
September 27, 2021 2:30 PM
31111 Greenspot Road, Highland, CA 92346
Via Teleconference
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID19 and in accordance with Governor Newsom’s
Executive Order N2520 and N2920, this meeting is being conducted via teleconference.
There will be no public location for attending this meeting in person. Members of the public
may listen and provide public comment telephonically.
Anyone wishing to join the meeting may do so using the following information:
DIAL: 12094255876 and enter CONFERENCE ID: 862 515 637#
You may also join by clicking HERE to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams.
PLEASE NOTE:
Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Board after distribution of the
agenda packet are available for public inspection in the District’s office located at 31111
Greenspot Rd., Highland, during normal business hours. Also, such documents are available
on the District’s website at eastvalley.org and are subject to staff’s ability to post the
documents before the meeting.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2(a), any request for a disabilityrelated
modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, that is sought in order
to participate in the above agendized public meeting should be directed to the District Clerk
at (909) 8854900 at least 72 hours prior to said meeting.
In order to comply with legal requirements for posting of agenda, only those items filed
with the District Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday prior to the following Wednesday
meeting not requiring departmental investigation, will be considered by the Board of
Directors.
CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL OF BOARD MEMBERS
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Any person wishing to speak to the Board of Directors is asked to complete a Speaker Card
and submit it to the District Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. Each speaker is limited to
three (3) minutes, unless waived by the Chairman of the Board. Under the State of California
Brown Act, the Board of Directors is prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item
not listed on the posted agenda. The matter will automatically be referred to staff for an
appropriate response or action and may appear on the agenda at a future meeting.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS
1.Consider Approval of July 26, 2021 Minutes
2.Managing LongTerm Water Production
3.Engineering Updates for September 2021
ADJOURN
ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS COMMITTEESEPTEMBER 27, 2021East Valley Water District was formed in 1954 and provides water and wastewater services to103,000 residents within the cities of San Bernardino and Highland, and portions of SanBernardino County.EVWD operates under the direction of a 5member elected Board.COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Ronald L. Coats
Governing Board Member
David E. Smith
Governing Board Member
Engineering & Operations Committee
September 27, 2021 2:30 PM
31111 Greenspot Road, Highland, CA 92346
Via Teleconference
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID19 and in accordance with Governor Newsom’s
Executive Order N2520 and N2920, this meeting is being conducted via teleconference.
There will be no public location for attending this meeting in person. Members of the public
may listen and provide public comment telephonically.
Anyone wishing to join the meeting may do so using the following information:
DIAL: 12094255876 and enter CONFERENCE ID: 862 515 637#
You may also join by clicking HERE to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams.
PLEASE NOTE:
Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Board after distribution of the
agenda packet are available for public inspection in the District’s office located at 31111
Greenspot Rd., Highland, during normal business hours. Also, such documents are available
on the District’s website at eastvalley.org and are subject to staff’s ability to post the
documents before the meeting.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2(a), any request for a disabilityrelated
modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, that is sought in order
to participate in the above agendized public meeting should be directed to the District Clerk
at (909) 8854900 at least 72 hours prior to said meeting.
In order to comply with legal requirements for posting of agenda, only those items filed
with the District Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday prior to the following Wednesday
meeting not requiring departmental investigation, will be considered by the Board of
Directors.
CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL OF BOARD MEMBERS
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Any person wishing to speak to the Board of Directors is asked to complete a Speaker Card
and submit it to the District Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. Each speaker is limited to
three (3) minutes, unless waived by the Chairman of the Board. Under the State of California
Brown Act, the Board of Directors is prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item
not listed on the posted agenda. The matter will automatically be referred to staff for an
appropriate response or action and may appear on the agenda at a future meeting.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS
1.Consider Approval of July 26, 2021 Minutes
2.Managing LongTerm Water Production
3.Engineering Updates for September 2021
ADJOURN
ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS COMMITTEESEPTEMBER 27, 2021East Valley Water District was formed in 1954 and provides water and wastewater services to103,000 residents within the cities of San Bernardino and Highland, and portions of SanBernardino County.EVWD operates under the direction of a 5member elected Board.COMMITTEE MEMBERSRonald L. CoatsGoverning Board Member David E. SmithGoverning Board MemberEngineering & Operations CommitteeSeptember 27, 2021 2:30 PM31111 Greenspot Road, Highland, CA 92346Via TeleconferenceIn an effort to prevent the spread of COVID19 and in accordance with Governor Newsom’sExecutive Order N2520 and N2920, this meeting is being conducted via teleconference.There will be no public location for attending this meeting in person. Members of the publicmay listen and provide public comment telephonically.Anyone wishing to join the meeting may do so using the following information:DIAL: 12094255876 and enter CONFERENCE ID: 862 515 637#You may also join by clicking HERE to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams.PLEASE NOTE:Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Board after distribution of theagenda packet are available for public inspection in the District’s office located at 31111Greenspot Rd., Highland, during normal business hours. Also, such documents are availableon the District’s website at eastvalley.org and are subject to staff’s ability to post thedocuments before the meeting.Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2(a), any request for a disabilityrelatedmodification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, that is sought in orderto participate in the above agendized public meeting should be directed to the District Clerkat (909) 8854900 at least 72 hours prior to said meeting.
In order to comply with legal requirements for posting of agenda, only those items filed
with the District Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday prior to the following Wednesday
meeting not requiring departmental investigation, will be considered by the Board of
Directors.
CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL OF BOARD MEMBERS
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Any person wishing to speak to the Board of Directors is asked to complete a Speaker Card
and submit it to the District Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. Each speaker is limited to
three (3) minutes, unless waived by the Chairman of the Board. Under the State of California
Brown Act, the Board of Directors is prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item
not listed on the posted agenda. The matter will automatically be referred to staff for an
appropriate response or action and may appear on the agenda at a future meeting.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS
1.Consider Approval of July 26, 2021 Minutes
2.Managing LongTerm Water Production
3.Engineering Updates for September 2021
ADJOURN
Agenda Item
#1
September 27, 20211
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Meeting Date: September 27, 2021
Agenda Item #1
Discussion Item
Regular Meeting
TO: Committee Members
FROM: Jeff Noelte, Director of Engineering & Operations
SUBJECT: Consider Approval of July 26, 2021 Minutes
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the committee approve the July 26, 2021 minutes as submitted.
AGENCY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
II - Maintain a Commitment To Sustainability, Transparency, and Accountability
A. Practice Transparent and Accountable Fiscal Management
B. Utilize Effective Communication Methods
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This agenda item has been reviewed by the Engineering and Operations departments.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this agenda item.
Recommended by:
________________
Jeff Noelte
Director of Engineering & Operations
ATTACHMENTS
July 26, 2021 Minutes
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Minutes 5/24/2021 bvm
DRAFT
EAST VALLEY WATER DISTRICT July 26, 2021
ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING
VIA TELECONFERENCE
MINUTES
Ms. Van Meter called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. and Director Smith led the flag
salute.
PRESENT: Directors: Smith, Coats
ABSENT: None
STAFF: Jeff Noelte, Director of Engineering and Operations, Patrick Milroy,
Operations Manager; Nathan Carlson, Senior Engineer; Brenda Van
Meter, Administrative Assistant
GUEST(s): None
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There being no written or verbal comments, the public participation section was closed.
APPROVE THE MAY 24, 2021, ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING
MINUTES
The minutes for May 24, 2021, were approved by unanimous roll call vote as submitted.
Operations Update: Plant 34
Mr. Milroy presented an update for Plant 34. The facility is an older plant in the City of San
Bernardino, west of Del Rosa and south of Highland. It is sometimes referred to as the Perris
Hill reservoir. The plant has a 1-million-gallon storage tank and a 6,000-gallon hydro
pneumatic tank with two small boosters. The larger reservoir provides water to the lower
zone and the smaller tank provides water to 14 homes that are located up on a hill. The
chain link fencing was replaced with wrought iron fencing to provide a more secure
perimeter around the plant. The cost for the fencing was $90,000 and the upgraded asphalt
and retaining wall costs were approximately $43,000.
Engineering Update for July 2021
Mr. Noelte presented photos of the Sterling Natural Resources Center. He discussed the
various buildings that were shown and described their purpose. There is a concrete
foundation currently being prepared for the gas conditioning equipment, which serves to
fuel the renewable energy generators once sulfides, moisture, and trace organics are
P a g e | 2
Minutes 5/24/2021 bvm
removed from the gas. Ammonia removal equipment is currently being installed on a
concrete pad, with interconnecting pipes being placed. The excavation of the onsite
emergency storage basin has begun.
The chemical facility that serves the liquid treatment portion of the plant has had the
protective coating applied to the concrete. Bleach and citric acid will be used to keep the
membranes in good working order. This facility will store these chemicals and will have
metering pumps to allow for chemical delivery. Supplemental carbon can also be stored in
this facility in case it is needed to support the nitrogen removal process.
The electrical rooms require air conditioning, which has been installed. The electric service
at the treatment plant was energized by Edison recently, allowing the District to power and
test equipment at its choosing.
Plant 101 Stationary Generator Installation
Mr. Noelte presented an update regarding Plant 101. The District obtained a grant for
stationary generator funding. The allocated amount is up to $300,000, which will cover
engineering, equipment, and construction costs. The installation of the stationary
generator will be done ahead of the rehabilitation of other equipment to meet the schedule
for the grant funding.
Reservoir Seismic Study
Mr. Noelte discussed the grant that allowed for an engineering study of our welded steel
reservoirs to assess the potential need for structural upgrades to reduce the risk of damage
from earthquakes. The District’s consultant has conducted site investigations and is
currently compiling the data.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
David E. Smith Ronald L. Coats
Governing Board Member Governing Board Member
Agenda Item #2 September 27, 20211
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Meeting Date: September 27, 2021
Agenda Item #2
Discussion Item
Regular Meeting
TO: Committee Members
FROM: Patrick Milroy, Operations Manager
SUBJECT: Managing Long-Term Water Production
RECOMMENDATION
This report is provided to the Engineering and Operations Committee for its information
only.
BACKGROUND / ANALYSIS
Groundwater management is challenging but necessary to ensure adequate water
supply for District customers. After completion of Sterling Natural Resources Center, the
facility will deliver approximately 6 million gallons of recycled water per day to the
Weaver Basins. This will be a huge benefit for the long-term health of the Bunker Hill
Basin. However, the proximity and relative location of the Weaver Basins to three of the
District’s wells will require the wells to be taken out of service in accordance with
groundwater recharge regulations. The wells in question are 143, 146 and 147 which
have provided approximately 12% of the District’s overall production for the past five
years.
In preparation for the loss of groundwater production, staff is working to find ways to
increase production at Plants 120, 125 and 134. The District hired Geoscience, a
consultant to validate our strategies and make recommendations for new wells.
The Production team recently worked with a pump contractor to rehabilitate well 125
with the goal to increase production as much as possible without jeopardizing basin
health. The efforts were successful, increasing the well capacity from 1300 gallons per
minute (gpm) to 2200 gpm.
Staff has been working closely with Geoscience which specializes in groundwater
modeling and basin management. We are in the process of analyzing Plant 120, which
is a well site that has been out of service for about 10 years. The well site once
produced sand and the decision was made to turn it off and leave it out of service. The
goal is to take a closer look at the sand problem and bring it back to life. A test pump
was installed and ran at different flow rates to measure the sand production. It was
found that the well produces sand in the water at flow rates around 1500 gpm, but no
sand was found when the flow is reduced to 800 gpm. Plant 120 requires a new
Agenda Item #2 September 27, 20212
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Meeting Date: September 27, 2021
Agenda Item #2
Discussion Item
50,000-gallon tank, some electrical, and SCADA improvements to return it to full
operation again. The investment would yield a huge win, providing a water production
gain of 800 gpm, and mitigating the impact of recharging recycled water at the Weaver
Basins.
Under current hydraulic conditions, Treatment Plant 134 can produce a maximum of 6.5
million gallons per day (mgd), instead of the design capacity of 8 mgd. Staff believes
there is a choke point at the strainers, which are screens installed just upstream of the
membranes to capture debris like leaves, twigs, and pieces of algae. Staff worked
closely with the strainer manufacturer and determined the strainer screen size can be
increased without damaging the membranes. Staff plans to replace the internal
components of the strainers with hopes to increase maximum production to 8 mgd after
the new strainers are installed, which is scheduled for early 2022. In addition to
improving the hydraulic capacity, the installation of the Plant 134 GAC system will
ensure the overall treatment capacity is close to 8 mgd by providing the ability to
remove organic carbon which in turn controls TTHM formation. Prior to Weaver Basins
becoming the recharge site for recycled water, the completion of the GAC system was
scheduled for early 2023. Now this schedule has been accelerated to a May 2022
completion to accommodate the loss in groundwater production.
Staff will continue to work with the consultant to help us overcome the loss of wells
once Sterling Natural Resources Center recharge efforts occur, but we believe we have
already made progress to ensure adequate water supply for East Valley customers.
AGENCY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
IV - Promote Planning, Maintenance and Preservation of District Resources
A. Develop Projects and Programs to Ensure Safe and Reliable Services
C. Dedicate Efforts Toward System Maintenance and Modernization
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This agenda item has been reviewed by engineering and the executive management
team.
FISCAL IMPACT
This project was funded in the operating budget. The consulting fees are $100,000.
Agenda Item #2 September 27, 20213
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Meeting Date: September 27, 2021
Agenda Item #2
Discussion Item
Respectfully submitted:
________________
Patrick Milroy
Operations Manager
ATTACHMENTS
Map
Predicted Travel Distance (1 Year after 2022)
Loss of Production GPM Replacement Production GPM
Well 143 800 Well 125 900
Well 146A 900 Well 120 800
Well 147 1,900 Treatment Plant 134 1,100
Total 3,600 2,800
EVWD Plant No. 125
Agenda Item
#3
September 27, 20211
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Meeting Date: September 27, 2021
Agenda Item #3
Discussion Item
Regular Meeting
TO: Committee Members
FROM: Jeff Noelte, Director of Engineering & Operations
SUBJECT: Engineering Updates for September 2021
RECOMMENDATION
This agenda item is for informational purposes only, no action required.
BACKGROUND / ANALYSIS
Updates are provided below for three items that Engineering staff are working on.
Sterling Natural Resource Center:
The biogas conditioning vessels have been installed.
The bridge crane structure has been installed over the MBR tanks.
The thickened waste activated sludge (WAS) storage silo has been installed on
the south side of the Biosolids Building.
The ponds on the Administration Center side have been lined.
The curbs associated with the Administration Center parking area have been
constructed.
Installation of the precast pipe trench has been completed for the chemical feed
piping for the MBR and aeration basins.
Roll-up doors have been installed in the truck load-out bays of the Biosolids
Building.
Design and permitting work for the new discharge location, Weaver Basins, is
ongoing.
Construction progress photos are shown in Exhibit 1.
Plant 134 GAC Project:
Staff continues to manage the design-build effort with has progressed to the 80%
design level. Exhibit 2 shows the anticipated configuration of the 6 GAC vessels at
Plant 134, and a photo of a typical pair of GAC vessels.
Agenda Item
#3
September 27, 20212
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Meeting Date: September 27, 2021
Agenda Item #3
Discussion Item
Tesla Battery Energy Storage Systems:
The construction of the concrete pad for the batteries at District HQ was recently
completed, along with some conduit work. The concrete equipment pad at Plant
140 will be constructed next, and the design of the system for Plant 134 is being
finalized.
AGENCY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
I - Implement Effective Solutions Through Visionary Leadership
A. Identify Opportunities to Optimize Natural Resources
IV - Promote Planning, Maintenance and Preservation of District Resources
A. Develop Projects and Programs to Ensure Safe and Reliable Services
C. Dedicate Efforts Toward System Maintenance and Modernization
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This agenda item has been reviewed by the Executive Management Team.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this agenda item.
Respectfully submitted:
________________
Jeff Noelte
Director of Engineering and Operations
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibits
AGENDA DATE: September 27, 2021
SUBJECT: ENGINEERING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2021
Page | 3
Exhibit 1: SNRC Construction Photos
Biogas conditioning vessels (sulfide and VOC removal)
MBR bridge crane structure
AGENDA DATE: September 27, 2021
SUBJECT: ENGINEERING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2021
Page | 4
Exhibit 1 continued
Thickened WAS storage on south side of Biosolids Building
Lining of pond on Administration Center side
AGENDA DATE: September 27, 2021
SUBJECT: ENGINEERING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2021
Page | 5
Exhibit 1 continued
Curb construction for Administration Center
Precast pipe trench for chemical feed piping
AGENDA DATE: September 27, 2021
SUBJECT: ENGINEERING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2021
Page | 6
Exhibit 1 continued
Roll-up door installation at Biosolids Building
AGENDA DATE: September 27, 2021
SUBJECT: ENGINEERING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2021
Page | 7
Exhibit 2: Plant 134 GAC Vessels
Configuration of 6 GAC vessels in former filter room at Plant 134
Typical GAC vessel pair