SBSA’s CIP Now Totals $527 Million

The SBSA Commission has adopted a resolution approving and updating the SBSA’s 10-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). 

            The November 2013 update has significant changes driven by needs identified through the facility capacity study, along with updates to the Flow Equalization Facility needs, effluent pipeline needs, and updates to the replacement of the pump stations.

            It also addresses inflationary cost increases and the recent increase in construction costs driven by improvement in the local construction economy. Due to these items, the estimated cost of the overall CIP has increased from $420.5 million to $527.3 million, an increase of $106.8 million or 25.4%. This is the single largest increase in the CIP since its inception. The original CIP cost estimate in 2008 was $339.3 million. The total cost increase since 2008, most of which is due to additional work required to maintain the ability of the treatment and conveyance systems to meet the needs of the community, is $188 million or 64.3%. The other part of the cost increase is as previously noted – inflation (approximately 16%) and construction market price increases.

            “The CIP has evolved from the original concept of one, ten year project, to an evolutionary process that will continue throughout the time needed to serve the community,” SBSA Manager Dan Child told Commissioners.  “A current and comprehensive CIP is a common and invaluable tool for public agencies. The SBSA CIP allows methodical planning for capital improvements to ensure that facilities necessary for treatment of the community’s wastewater are provided. It is also necessary for a public agency to adequately protect the capital assets of its primary function.”

            Child added, “There are many ancillary uses of a long range CIP. For example, it allows an agency to make informed decisions about funding it will need to collect from the citizens it serves to ensure the rates are adequate to meet the required expenditures when they occur. It is also a valuable vehicle to comply with environmental documentation necessary for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance.”

Key projects underway or in design:

·        Preliminary design (up to 30 percent) for all pump station improvements, including support for environmental requirements and a State Revolving Fund loan application.

·        Flow Equalization Facility (FEF) improvements. Evaluation on the long-term location and use of the FEF for current and future needs is underway, including ongoing discussion with West Bay Sanitary District regarding the need and associated cost to use the existing site. 

·        48-inch Force Main Improvement Project replaces the entire length of this force main from the Redwood City Pump Station on Maple Street to the San Carlos Pump Station on Monte Vista.

·        The construction and installation of two cogeneration engines, a new gas conditioning system, and associated piping and electrical support systems. Significant coordination with PG&E continues by the project team to meet self-generation requirements. The firm performing system integration work on this project, has begun the programming work to build the capability to monitor and control the engines, the hot water system, and the gas conditioning system.

·        Install mechanical and instrumentation improvements to the primary, gravity thickening, digestion, and dewatering processes for automation of these systems.

·                    Gravity Thickener Rehabilitation.  Two of SBSA’s thickeners suffered damage during a recent power outage and staff has located a rental gravity belt thickener to facilitate the thickening process during the winter months.  Concurrently, alternatives for rehabilitating the thickeners are being investigated.

·         Plant electrical system upgrade which includes energy reduction, production, reliability, and redundancy improvements.

·        Replace galvanized piping throughout the SBSA plant used for compressed air delivery.

·        Multiple year projects to replace old and corroded electrical cabling throughout the SBSA plant.

·        Information Management System (IMS) and SCADA to be tied together for asset management and maintenance scheduling is an ongoing process. As plant operations become automated, the integration with IMS occurs.

·        Plant-wide painting including pumps, piping, equipment and structures is necessary to prevent corrosion and improve longevity of the facility’s assets.

·        Final effluent pumping (FEP), dechlorination, tertiary filter feed, and chlorination control systems upgrade automation. The listed systems are well past their useful lives and pose significant maintenance requirements.

·        Updating and improving the operation of the sludge drying beds.

·        Levee repair behind the warehouse because the levee leaks when the stormwater retention basis fills to a certain level. This project repairs the levee.

·        Replace boilers due to age and undersized for future use. This includes replacement of piping.

·        Provide a wet lab receiving area for source control to prepare samples prior to analysis and also storage of equipment.

·        Add primary and secondary pumping to connect new cogeneration engines to the facility’s hot water loop.

·        Plant trees on border of sludge drying beds for screening and odor control.