That the Utility Authority:
A.  Approve to waive formal bid requirements per La Habra Municipal Code, Section 4.20.080 (B), when a service firm has established such a successful past history of work with the City that it is clearly in the public interest not to negotiate with any other source; and,

B.  Approve and authorize the Executive Director to execute an agreement with Hazen and Sawyer in an amount not to exceed $36,564.26 to conduct a water quality treatment pilot study at the City's Idaho water well location.

As reported by staff in previous water quality evaluations, it has been determined that the water produced by the City from its Idaho Well site has elevated concentrations of naturally occurring ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and total dissolved solids. These naturally occurring substances are mitigated by disinfecting water produced by the Idaho Well through a well established treatment procedure that yields water that is safe for consumption. The City obtains approximately 65% of its annual water supply from the California Domestic Water Company (CDWC), which produces that water from wells in the Main San Gabriel Basin.  The CDWC treats their water with chlorine as part of their disinfection process.  To ensure compatibility between water from CDWC and water produced by the City at the Idaho Well site, the Authority also chlorinates its water. 

The Authority closely monitors La Habra's water distribution system to ensure that disinfection by-products (DBPs) are kept within acceptable State and EPA guidelines.  For example, if elevated levels of DBPs are found in the water distribution system, production from the Idaho Well is curtailed. While this method of maintaining water quality has been successful, staff has evaluated additional water treatment systems, including filtration through a granular activated carbon (GAC) systems, which have proven to be an effective mitigation technique in other jurisdictions.  The use of a GAC system may provide the Authority with another viable treatment tool that can be used to reduce the potential for DBPs occurring in the City's water system.

Staff recommends conducting a pilot study utilizing a GAC system to determine its effectiveness in reducing DBP precursors within the water supplied by the Idaho Well. Staff further recommends using the services of Hazen and Sawyer to facilitate and conduct this pilot study based upon their extensive knowledge of the complex water quality conditions existing within the Authority's sources of supply.

The agreement will have no fiscal impact on the City's General Fund.  There is sufficient funding within the adopted Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Utility Authority Operating Budget to fund the $36,564.26 for the professional services agreement.