Discussion and possible action on any and all matters regarding a contract with PACE for the design services to update operations at the East Wastewater Treatment Plant. (Eulogio Vera, Public Works Director)

The City of San Luis continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the State of Arizona.  It is particularly critical that we continue to ensure that the City’s wastewater treatment capability and capacity is adequate for both near- and long-term residential and commercial growth.  Toward this end (and as most recently briefed to the Council on June 3, 2020), the Department of Public Works has contracted with PACE Advance Water Engineering (an approved City on-call engineering consultant) to assess both near- and long-term demands for wastewater treatment and to provide recommended improvements (both quantitative and qualitative) to our wastewater treatment capabilities.

Mr. Mike Krebs of PACE Advance Water Engineering will be providing a presentation to the Council, in which we will be summarizing PACE’s assistance to the City for undertaking a wastewater treatement plant expansion.  Among the most critical improvements that have been recommended in the near-term (that will be foundational to other improvements that we will be proposing to implement over time) are: (1) maximizing our ability to redirect and treat wastewater to our East Wastewater Treatment Plan, and; (2) determining the estimated scope and cost of incremental improvements to the processing capacity of our East Wastewater Treatment Plant.  PACE’s attached May 10, 2021 Professional Design Services Proposal details their proposed strategy and cost ($153,475) for addressing these two critical near term actions.

Regarding improving our ability to redirect and treat wastewater at our East Waste Water Treatment Plant, PACE’s proposal includes the engineering design of improvements to percolation ponds, flow metering, and headworks, enabling the plant to be able to efficiently treat wastewater up to its current rated capacity of 1 million gallons (noting that the plant is presently struggling to treat above .7 to .8 million gallons per day (MGD).  Regarding needed future capacity increases at the East Wastewater Treatment Plant, PACE’s proposal also encompasses providing recommended scope and cost of incremental increases in capacity, up to 2 MGD, 3 MGD, and 4 MGD, respectively

We recommend Council approval of PACE’s May 10, 2021, Professional Design Services Proposal, as allowed under City Code Section 3.05.080 for professional services, at a total cost of $153,475, with the cost to be born from available Bond resources.