Agenda Item Wording:
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Approve a contract amendment with Holloway Environmental Solutions - Approve an amendment to the contract with Holloway Environmental Solutions to increase the not-to-exceed amount from $144,000 to $312,000 to provide disposal services for the 2024 biosolids stockpile generated at the Visalia Water Reclamation Facility.
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Prepared by:
Ben Litwack, Public Works Manager, 559-713-4671, ben.litwack@visalia.gov
Nick Bartsch, Public Works Director, 559-713-4052, nick.bartsch@visalia.gov
Department Recommendation: Staff recommends that Council approve an amendment to the contract with Holloway Environmental Solutions to increase the not-to-exceed amount from $144,000 to $312,000 to provide disposal services for the 2024 biosolids stockpile generated at the Visalia Wate Reclamation Facility.
Summary:
This action amends Contract C26034 with Holloway Environmental Solutions to increase the not-to-exceed amount from $144,000 to $312,000 to provide disposal services for the 2024 biosolids stockpile generated at the Visalia Water Reclamation Facility.
Background Discussion:
On August 18, 2025, City Council approved emergency contract C26034 with Holloway Environmental Services to dispose of 6,000 tons of biosolids for the Visalia Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) after the Tulare County Landfill provided notice that it could only accept 200 tons per month. This emergency action was necessary to avoid prolonged onsite storage and to ensure continued regulatory compliance.
Holloway Environmental Services’ facility in Lost Hills, California was selected because it could immediately accept the required tonnage and met all regulatory requirements. Disposal under this contract is billed at a tipping fee of $24 per ton, which is competitive for a compliant Class B biosolids disposal facility. However, the distance to Lost Hills, combined with increased volumes and moisture content, significantly increased total disposal costs beyond the original estimate.
The 2024 biosolids stockpile was larger than normal due to multiple compounding factors. One of the WRF’s digesters was offline for approximately the first four months of 2024, reducing biological stabilization and increasing the mass and volume of solids requiring disposal. In addition, higher influent flows and increased organic loading from the City’s significant industrial users (SIUs) have continued to increase overall biosolids production.
Disposal was also delayed by the sudden loss of capacity at the Tulare County Landfill and the time required to secure a new disposal facility under an emergency contract. As a result, most disposal activities occurred later in the year than normal. Beginning in October, sporadic rain events and colder temperatures increased the moisture content and weight of the stockpile, further driving up disposal costs. Rain events also periodically paused disposal operations at the request of the facility during major storms.
Because biosolids stockpiles are measured primarily by volume and their final weight is heavily influenced by moisture content, accurately predicting total disposal tonnage is inherently difficult. Each rain event increases the total weight in an unpredictable manner. Additional moisture testing would require specialized consultants and would incur significant costs. As of the writing of this staff report, more than 10,000 tons of biosolids have been disposed of, and staff estimates that approximately 3,000 tons remain.
The requested amendment is necessary to ensure sufficient funding is available to complete disposal of the remaining biosolids under the contract with Holloway Environmental Services. The original NTE was based on preliminary estimates that assumed normal digestion performance, moisture content, and disposal timing. Those assumptions proved inaccurate due to the digester outage, delayed hauling, increased industrial loading, and weather-related increases in moisture.
Looking forward, staff expects disposal costs to decrease as a result of enhanced pretreatment requirements and agreements with major industrial users. The City’s two SIUs have installed onsite treatment systems to reduce organic and solids loading to the WRF. In addition, the WRF’s solids handling improvement project will increase drying bed capacity by approximately 30 percent, allowing biosolids to dry for longer periods, reducing moisture content, weight, and total disposal costs.
Amending the Holloway Environmental Services contract to increase the NTE from $144,000 to $312,000 is necessary to complete disposal in compliance with regulatory requirements and to prevent prolonged onsite storage, which would increase operational and environmental risk.
Fiscal Impact: Staff estimates there are 3,000 tons remaining of the 2024 stockpile. With approximately 10,000 tons disposed of already and an estimated 3,000 tons left to go, this will require a total contract increase of $168,000 to cover the additional 7,000 tons over what was covered in Holloway’s original proposal. Adequate funds are being appropriated in the Wastewater Fund (431) operating budget under 4336-55700 in a separate consent item for hauling services.
Prior Council Action:
8/18/25 - Council approved an emergency contract with Holloway Environmental Solutions, NTE $144,000.
Other: N/A
Alternatives: N/A
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve an amendment to the contract with Holloway Environmental Solutions to increase the not-to-exceed amount from $144,000 to $312,000 to provide disposal services for the 2024 biosolids stockpile generated at the Visalia Wate Reclamation Facility.
Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Deadline for Action: 2/2/2026
Attachments: Contract C26034