Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Approve contract for proprietary sole source purchase of T-Floc B-41 coagulant from Thatcher Company of Arizona in an amount not to exceed $250,000 annually.
 

1. Approve the proprietary sole source purchase of T-Floc B-41 coagulant for water treatment from Thatcher Company of Arizona, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $250,000 annually.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents.

Chemicals represent a large investment or cost in the effective operation of the city's water treatment plants.  Chemical coagulants are used to remove naturally occurring impurities in raw surface water from Upper Lake Mary in the production of potable drinking water.  These chemicals are critical to the treatment of water in order to comply with water quality regulations and ensure the public's safety and health.  In 2016, the Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant conducted a study to determine the best surface water treatment strategy with various coagulants from multiple vendors and T-Floc B-41 was selected and has been in use ever since.  The use of the proprietary coagulant T-Floc B-41 from Thatcher has allowed the maximization of surface water production when it is available.  

This chemical purchase is budgeted annually in the Water Services Fund in account 202-08-301-1011-0-4362, with a total FY26 budget of $433,200 for all water treatment chemicals.

Yes, Council approved previous purchasing contracts of T-Floc B-41 with Thatcher Company of Arizona, Inc. on November 15, 2016; September 18th, 2018; and October 6th, 2020.

1.  Approve the proprietary sole source purchase of T-Floc B-41 from Thatcher Company of Arizona, Inc.; or
2.  Do not approve the proprietary sole source purchase and require the Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant to re-evaluate the treatment process and chemicals used.

Chemicals represent a large investment or cost in the effective operation of water treatment plants.  The Water Production Section uses the following chemicals for the associated purposes:

1. Chlorine dioxide is used for disinfection and oxidation of raw/untreated surface water while minimizing disinfection by-product formation.
2. Chlorine is used for disinfection of both treated surface water and groundwater and for maintaining residual disinfection levels in the distribution system.
3. Coagulants such as aluminum sulfate (used alongside cationic polymer) or T-Floc B-41 (proprietary aluminum chlorohydrate) are used for removal of suspended impurities in raw surface water.
4. Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) is used to raise the pH of treated surface water to be slightly alkaline rather than acidic to protect distribution pipes.

The treatment chemical coagulant T-Floc B-41 is used in place of aluminum sulfate and cationic polymer.  Over the last decade, the use of poly-aluminum chlorohydrates such as T-Floc B-41 has been found to work more effectively in low alkalinity and often cooler waters as is found in Upper Lake Mary (ULM) and require less pH adjustment (caustic soda use) for both raw and treated surface water.

In 2016, Thatcher Company of Arizona was one of four companies selected to submit chemical coagulants to treat raw surface water from ULM in addition to the traditionally used aluminum sulfate and cationic polymer.  Thatcher's T-Floc B-41 was selected as the best performing chemical coagulant with the best/lowest overall treatment strategy cost.  Since 2016, the use of Thatchers T-Floc B-41 has been an approved proprietary/sole source procurement by the City of Flagstaff Purchasing Section.  In 2023, T-Floc B-41 was again compared to another proprietary coagulant and was shown to have superior water treatment characteristics at lower dosages or with less chemical usage.  The use of T-Floc B-41 as a coagulant along with chlorine dioxide as a raw water oxidant has allowed the water production section to make great use of abundant surface water in ULM, when available, such as in 2020 and 2023.  Surface water production has significantly less electrical cost compared to groundwater pumping, which is the Water Production Section's largest expense.  Maximizing surface water production, when available, also preserves our aquifers for years when it is unavailable.

• Safe & Healthy Community:  Foster a safe, secure and healthy community.
• Sustainable, Innovative Infrastructure:  Deliver outstanding services to residents through a healthy, well-maintained infrastructure system.

• Goal WR.1:  Maintain a sustainable water budget incorporating regional hydrology, ecosystem needs, and social and economic well-being.
• Goal WR.2:  Manage a coordinated system of water, wastewater, and reclaimed water utility service facilities and resources at the City level and identify funding to pay for new resources.
  • Policy WR2.1:  Develop and adopt an integrated water master plan that addresses water resources, water production and its distribution, wastewater collection and its treatment, and reclaimed water treatment and its distribution.
  • Policy WR2.2:  Maintain and develop facilities to provide reliable, safe and cost effective water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services.
• Goal WR.3:  Satisfy current and future human water demands and the needs of the natural environment through sustainable and renewable water resources and strategic conservation measures.
• Goal WR.6:  Protect, preserve, and improve the quality of surface water, groundwater, and reclaimed water in the region.

Community Resilience, CR-2:  Strengthen existing community systems to create resilience to both short-term shocks and long-term change.

Create 5:  Explore regulatory efficiency and cost-saving practices.  

Objective 6:  Ensure adequate water resources and plan for climate change.
Objective 7:  Maintain excellent water quality.
Objective 8:  Improve compliance with environmental standards and protections