The Council is asked to award a professional engineering services contract in the amount of $4,591,900.00 to HDR Engineering, Inc. to design and bid the City of Billings Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Nutrient Upgrade and Expansion and Improvements Project.  HDR was selected for this project based on City staff review of project proposals submitted by prequalified firms.  Trotter and Associates, Inc. was the other firm considered for the project.

The City of Billings will be required to comply with a new Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MPDES) wastewater discharge permit within the next year.  Under the new permit, the WWTP will need to meet more stringent discharge standards for total nitrogen, phosphorus and ammonia.  HDR recently completed the Wastewater Treatment Facility Plan (WWTFP) which developed the strategy to meet the anticipated new discharge requirements, while looking long-term at the proposed Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Numeric Nutrient Standards.  WWTP design criteria were developed with respect to discharge limits and flow rates.  WWTP processes were evaluated and those needing to be modified were selected for design.  The WWTFP also evaluated the existing plant condition and included recommendations to repair, upgrade, or replace various facilities around the plant.

The project scope for W.O. 14-11 generally includes the following work items:

• Design for nutrient removal upgrades.  Secondary treatment facilities will be designed in two trains that can be operated separately.  Work includes a new splitter box, bioreactors, effluent launder, blowers, secondary clarifiers, piping, pumping stations, and a chemical building.
• Design for ammonia criteria.  Work includes centrate equalization, swing zones and DO control.
• Design upgrades for existing facilities. Major new facilities include corrosion and odor control facilities, a sludge holding tank, pump station, and a grease handling facility.  Work also includes improvements recommended in the Electrical Master Plan Update.
• Design for improvements that are related to bringing certain existing facility features up to code and also improvements that are lower priority and cosmetic in nature.
• Provide facilities required to meet peak flows such as larger and additional piping, a new screen, vortex grit unit, pumps, UV trains and an expanded outfall to the river.
• Provide site grading and paving improvements.
• Provide further evaluation of resource recovery options and layouts for future facilities.
• Provide architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical design services as well as instrumentation and controls support.
• Include existing administration building modifications and landscaping.
• Assist in development of application and submittal materials to obtain permits.
• Provide bidding services.

The Council may:

• Award the engineering contract to HDR Engineering; or
• Do not award the contract to HDR Engineering.  If this project is not completed, the City will be unable to meet the requirements of the new wastewater discharge permit to be issued by MDEQ and will not have the capacity to treat increased flows to the WWTP expected in the years to come.

The funding for the project was budgeted in FY2014 and the source is wastewater funds. 

Staff recommends that Council award a professional engineering services contract to HDR Engineering in the amount of $4,591,900.00.