Agenda Item Wording:
title
Appropriate $100,000 from the Wastewater Fund (431) for the disposal of biosolids produced at the Visalia Water Reclamation Facility.
body
Deadline for Action: 10/16/2023
Submitting Department: Public Works
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Nick Bartsch, Public Works Director, nick.bartsch@visalia.city, (559) 713-4052
Department Recommendation:
Appropriate an additional $100,000 from the Wastewater Fund (431) for the disposal of biosolids produced at the Visalia Water Reclamation Facility.
Background Discussion:
The City of Visalia Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) produces biosolids as a bi-product of the treatment of wastewater that enters the facility. The State permit requires that this material be removed from the WRF site within 2 years. Historically, the City has contracted with a vendor to load, haul, and dispose of this material. This service was performed at a unit price, based on the tonnage of material disposed. The contract price in 2022 (for disposal of 2021 material) was $72 per ton. The final costs to dispose of the 2021 material totaled $296,979.68. The contract for this disposal service has since expired.
As an alternative to contracting out this turn-key service, Staff has identified another option that reduces cost, while maintaining compliance with the City's State permit. There is no requirement in the City's permit that dictates method of disposal, and therefore, through coordination with the County Landfill, they have confirmed their ability to accept this material at the current rate of $12 per ton. The City has procured transport services to haul this material from the WRF to the County Landfill for $160 per hour, equating to an estimated equivalent rate of $14 per ton. Therefore, through this coordination, this material can be hauled and disposed of for a fraction of the cost to contract out the entire operation.
However, the volume of biosolids has dramatically increased over recent years due ...
Click here for full text