City Council Meeting Date: October 8, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Justin Wagner, Utilities Manager
David Bennett, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Project update for the Water Treatment Plant Project (WATR2023-J34).
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council receives an update on the Water Treatment Plant Project related to plans and specs, funding and project schedule update.
Summary Report:
The City is in the process of designing a drinking water treatment plant to lower levels of manganese above a health-based guidance level that can cause learning and behavior problems in infants under one year old. Currently, infants should not drink tap water in Northfield.
Due to the elevated level of manganese in the drinking water, the City has worked through the design of water treatment plant while seeking outside funding sources to assist in paying for the water treatment plant that is expected to cost around $58,824,135. The City has applied for federal funding over the past three years. In 2022, the City applied for federal funding and was successful in having the project approved as a project. In 2023, the City again applied for federal funding and was successful in obtaining $3,945,000 for the design and construction of the water treatment plant. The City applied again in 2024, for an additional $29,505,000 in federal funding, however, the City was not successful in obtaining the federal funding. Additionally, the City has applied for low interest loans through the Minnesota Drinking Water Revolving Fund. The project costs are listed in the table below.
Now that the City is not receiving additional federal funding, the City is moving forward with the project. The project is being broken out into three separate projects. The first project is for the construction of the water treatment plant and infrastructure within on the water treatment plant site.
The second project is related to the federal funding which will have additional council approvals. This project will be for the procurement and installation of the Reverse Osmosis water treatment process into the water treatment plant. As part of the federal funding (Section 219), the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is required to administer the project. The ACOE will complete the ad for bid and procurement of the reverse osmosis equipment and the City will pay the ACOE its share of the cost.
The third and final portion of the project will be for the construction of the extension of Jefferson Parkway, the construction of the new North/South street on the east side of the property and the installation of new raw watermains from the wellhouse to the water treatment plant site. The reasoning behind splitting the project into three projects was due to the federal funding and potential for additional federal funding.
Water Treatment Plant (First Project)
The water treatment plant project is near completion for design. Staff is providing comments on the 95% plans and intends to bring the project to the City Council on November 12 for approval of plans and specs and order advertisement for bid. The project will be bid in December and be awarded in January 2025.
Reverse Osmosis/Federal Funding (Second Project)
The procurement of the reverse osmosis portion of the project, through the Army Corps of Engineers, continues to move forward. With the 95% plans, City staff and Bolton and Menk, Inc. have put together requirements for the reverse osmosis equipment. The plans and specs will be shared with the Army Corps of Engineers for them to bid the project. Prior to that point, the ACOE is working on drafting a letter of approval for the project and different contractual documents that the City will work with them on. The approvals of these documents will be brought to the City Council for approval and are anticipated to be ready either later 2024 or early 2025.
Extension of Jefferson Parkway and new roadways and raw watermains (Third Project)
City staff and Bolton and Menk continue to work on the design of the new roadways and extension of the raw watermains from the wells to the water treatment plant site. The main item being worked on currently is the sanitary sewer discharge from the facility. The original plan was to have the waste from the treatment process use existing sewer lines, however, the lines would need to be upsized or run on a new line to a trunk line (near Spring Creek) off of Jefferson Parkway to accommodate the water treatment plant’s waste.
Tonight, staff will share an alternative plan to bring a new trunk sanitary sewer line from the north that will serve both the water treatment plant and future development around the water treatment plant. This is the direction the flow was planned on going for the water treatment plant based on the Comprehensive Sewer Plan, however, no development has taken place to the north of the water treatment plant that would have installed the trunk sewer line. Staff will share the new sewer discharge route (Attachment 2) with Council and plans to bring a design amendment to Council on October 15 for approval of the new trunk sewer line. The engineering design costs and construction costs for the new trunk sanitary sewer line are estimated to be $2,459,072.60. If staff doesn’t hear concerns from Council on this, it will be on the consent agenda October 15. Then over the winter months, the sewer line will be designed, utility easements will be brought to City Council for approval, and the plans and specs will be brought in Spring 2025 for approval.
On October 29, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at the Northfield High School Auditorium, a public meeting regarding the water treatment plant will be held. The meeting will be to inform residents of next steps on the water treatment plant and provide a change for question and answers.
Alternative Options:
Not recommended.
Financial Impacts:
N/A
Tentative Timelines:
• October 15, 2024 - Approve Water Treatment Plant Sanitary Sewer Discharge Design Amendment
• October 29, 2024 - Water Treatment Plant Public Informational Meeting
• November 12, 2024 - Water Treatment Plant Approve Plans and Specs, Order Advertisement for Bid
• December 2024 - Water Treatment Plant Bid Opening
• Winter 2024/2025 - Federal Funding Approvals
• January 7, 2025 - Award Water Treatment Plant Construction
• March/April 2025 - Approve Plans and Specs, Order Advertisement for Bid for Roadway Extensions and Raw Watermain
• April/May 2025 - Award Roadway Extensions and Raw Watermain
• 2025 - 2027 - Water Treatment Plant Construction
• 2025 - 2026 - Roadway Extension and Raw Watermain Construction
• 2026 - 2027 - Reverse Osmosis Procurement and Installation