City Council
MEETING DATE: 1/24/2018
TITLE:
Title
Contract with CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. for Support Services Related to the Annual NPDES Inspections.
End
FROM:
John A. Corella, P.E. - City Engineer
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff is requesting that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter a contract for a not to exceed amount of $20,000 with CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. (CASC) for support services to assist in completing annual NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) inspections as required in our MS4 Permit with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board).
Body
BACKGROUND:
Under the current (2013) MS4 Permit (municipal separate stormwater and sewer system) with the Regional Board, the City is required to complete annual Compliance/Assistance Program (CAP) inspections and provide annual reporting. The reporting is submitted to the Regional Board annually every March.
The CAP is an inspection and reporting program under the Commercial and Industrial Facilities Program section of the Permit that allows each City (County) to complete surveys of such facilities to make sure these facilities are in compliance with the Permittee’s Storm Water Ordinance. These inspections also provide commercial and industrial businesses with education on Best Management Practices (BMP’s) and ‘housekeeping’ for compliance with the City's current Permit.
These inspections were originally paid for through our annual payment to the Regional Board, who in turn, contracted with the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health (County) to administer the CAP on behalf of the Permittees (Cities).
In 2015, the County was no longer able to administer the CAP for the Permittees and the CAP responsibilities were then placed on the individual Permittees to perform. Each Permittee was, and is now, required, under the MS4 Permit, to submit the number of total inspections conducted each year as part of their annual report.
DISCUSSION:
Now Permittees in the Whitewater River Region have to rely on their own Staff or Consultants to complete the inspections and administer the Program. This unfunded mandate by the Regional Board stretches City Staff resources. Discussions with other Coachella Valley Permittees revealed how other Coachella Valley Cities are managing the MS4 Permit requirement. For instance, the City of La Quinta has contracted CASC to conduct these inspections, manage their inspection database, and provide City Staff with a monthly report of their progress. The City of Palm Springs has also contracted CASC Engineering to, not only perform the same tasks but, also manage the City’s Storm Water Program.
The City's Engineering Department is tasked with completing these inspections. City Engineering Inspection Staff is limited, and with the current high volume of Engineering Permits being issued, few CAP inspections have been completed. City Staff cannot dedicate the amount of time required to perform this task and meet the required submittal date in March 2018, and therefore is requesting to use support services provided by a qualified Consultant.
Staff researched and solicited quotes from firms that provide such services. Based on the quotes received by the City, food facility inspections cost (on average) $150 per CAP inspection and $200 for each hazardous facility CAP inspection. (The frequency for these inspections vary annually, e.g. facilities with underground storage tanks (UST) are required to be conducted each year, hazardous facilities without UST are required to be inspected every three years, and food facilities are required to be inspected every permit term, which is five years. Thus, the physical number of annual CAP inspections fluctuates from year-to-year because of the type of business. Openings and closings of businesses add to the matrix). The City’s immediate need is approximately thirty (30) hazardous facility inspections and sixty (60) food facility inspections.
CASC provided a proposal to the City that presented the lowest cost per inspection. Based on the number of inspections currently needed, the cost for inspections is $14,640 ($5,940 for hazardous facilities and $8,700 for food facilities). Included in this proposal is a unit cost for updating the City’s inspection database, based on an hourly rate of $110 per hour not to exceed thirty-two (32) hours (totaling $3,520).
Staff solicited proposals from an alternate firm and as the work is specialized, CASC is the only firm that provided a responsive proposal and understood the required task. Further, CASC has an office in Palm Desert and is doing similar work in other Coachella Valley Cities and can complete the work in the time required.
Staff is requesting that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter a contract with CASC for support services to assist in completing annual NPDES inspections for a not to exceed amount of $20,000.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This is an unfunded mandate and in order to complete the required inspections Engineering Staff is requesting that a $20,000 budget amendment be added to the Engineering Professional and Technical Services Fund 100-156-8601 to cover the cost of services that CASC will provide.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. Proposal
2. CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. Agreement