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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 98-030 RESOLUTION APPROVING WSB & ASSOCIATES, INC. TO PERFORM SUMP PUMP INSPECTIONS SERVICES Meeting Sheet IIIIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIIIIIIIII 103152 , Box: 26 Folder: RES 1998 Document: CC RES 98-030 RESOLUTION APPROVING WSB & ASSOCIATES, INC. TO PERFORM SUMP PUMP INSPECTIONS SERVICES • CITY OF ST. ANTHONY RESOLUTION 98-030 A RESOLUTION APPROVING WSB & ASSOCIATES, INC. TO PERFORM SUMP PUMP INSPECTION SERVICES BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of St. Anthony hereby accepts the Statement of Understanding, submitted by WSB & Associates, Inc., relating to the City's sump pump inspection project; and, approves WSB & Associates, Inc. to perform sump pump inspection services for the City of St. Anthony. Adopted this day of Fe-151ru_2U V , 1998. • Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Reviewed for administration: City eager, B.A.Mirtelsteadt,P.E. A 350 Westwood Lake Office Bret A.Weiss,P.E. S � 8441 Wayzata Boulevard Peter Willenbring,P.E. Minneapolis, MN 55426 Donald W.Sterna,P.E. • Ronald B.Bray,P.E. 612-541-4800 &Associates,Inc. FAX 541-1700 January 26, 1998 Mr. Mike Morrison City of St Anthony 3301 Silver Lake Road St. Anthony, MN 55418-1699 Re: Sump Pump Survey WSB Proposal No. 059.97 Dear Mr. Mornson: In consideration of new information we recently received regarding your proposed sump pump inspection project, please be advised we are in a position to revise our December 1, 1997 submittal as follows: a. We originally assumed 3,000 connections in the city. This has been reduced to 2,300 connections to reflect your recent data. • b. We originally planned on three public information meetings. This has been increased to four meetings/study areas to provide a more manageable number of people in each group. C. We increased the public information areas to include assistance in preparation of Newsletter Articles and assistance in preparing an Educational Video. d. The schedule was extended from the Spring/Summer, 1998 to Spring, 1998 through Spring of 1999 to allow increased public information efforts. We have also made some modifications in the text to reflect the MCES program announcements since the previous submittal. Again,thank you for the opportunity to submit a proposal for this project and if you need any additional information, please let us know. Sincerely, WSB & Associates, Inc. t Peter R. Willenbring Charles R. J ski, P.E. • Vice President Project Engineer Iv F:I WPW/MPROPOSAL 1059.9 X10/169X.mm Infrastructure Engineers Planners EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Statement of Understanding • It is our understanding that the City of St.Anthony has identified clear water(infiltration and inflow) in the collection system as one of the factors in recent backups problems. The City has made efforts to reduce clear water from"public"sources but the private property sources have not been addressed thus far. "Infiltration" and "inflow" are different classifications of clear water in general "engineering" terminology,but for practical purposes and analysis they are generally combined into one term and called infiltration/inflow or I/I for short. I/I has always been a concern in sanitary sewer collection and treatment facilities. 1/1 is relatively clean, runoff or ground water, and it does not require the extensive treatment that is necessary for wastewater. However, once I/1 enters a sanitary sewer system it becomes mixed with the wastewater and it must be processed at a treatment facility before discharging it to a receiving stream. The I/1 uses capacity in the collection system and the treatment facility that could be used by additional service connections from homes or businesses, and results in increase treatment charges to the City. Wastewater from the City of St. Anthony is treated at a Metropolitan Council Environmental Services(MCES)facility,and the City is charged a fee for each gallon that is treated. The MCES has been encouraging communities to reduce I/1 by offering a grant/loan program. Information on the MCES program will be included in the "funding" section of this letter. There are many potential sources of I/1 ranging in size from minor pipe joint leaks, providing less than one gallon per day to catch basins and roof drains, which can contribute hundreds of gallons • per minute. Flow from extremely large I/I sources quickly and regularly exceed the capacity of the available sanitary sewer pipes and,as a result,these sources are generally removed shortly after they are identified. Smaller sources spread throughout the system are more difficult to identify and remove. These sources include leaking manholes, damaged pipe, leaking joints, foundation drain tiles, sump pumps and down spouts from roof gutters. Routine system operation and maintenance procedures provide the opportunity for the City Staff to identify and correct some 1/1 sources in the City or"public"system,but the private property sources are generally overlooked unless specifically targeted. Private property sources include foundation drainage tiles, sump pumps and down spouts from roof gutters. These sources can contribute significant quantities of I/I very quickly , or over a long period of time, depending on the type of construction, the soil conditions, and the precipitation event. Foundation drains are normally difficult to identify and difficult to remove from the system. Sump pumps and down spouts are relatively easy to identify and disconnect. The pump discharge line can be routed outside the basement and discharged on the ground away from the foundation. The water from the sump is basically clean and can be discharged on the ground surface without difficulty in most cases. However, it is important to discharge the water several feet from the foundation to reduce the potential for recirculating it back to the tile and sump pump system. Occasionally problems with surface discharge occur in situations where the pump is required to operate frequently over long periods of time, or during freezing conditions. In these cases special consideration of the discharge method may be necessary. The City of St. Anthony has been working on identifying and removing I/I sources in the public • sewer system and it is necessary to expand the program to the private property area to increase 1/1 reduction. In most communities,sump pumps are the most common "private property" source and Page F IWPW/MPROPOSAL1059 971prop—1 the easiest to identify and remove from the sanitary sewer system. In many cases, removal can be completed by the property owner for minimal cost using readily available materials and tools with • minor instruction and guidance. We would recommend that the City of St. Anthony consider a program that has been used successfully in several area communities to identify and remove sump pump connections to reduce 1/I in the sanitary sewer system. Approach The recommended program includes several steps as follows: 1. Adopting an ordinance requiring inspection and establishing a surcharge for non-compliance. 2. Preparing a public information program to inform residents of the new ordinance requirements and the need to reduce the I/I including: a. Articles in the City Newsletter regarding sump pumps and 1/1. b. Small inserts for mailing with water bills or newsletter articles. C. Preparation of an information video for release on the cable television system. d. A separate directed mailing inviting residents to a public information meeting. • e. Distribution of recommendations for re-routing sump pump discharge lines. 3. Inspection of each sanitary sewer connection in the City. This could be done in groups of about 575 to control the overall operation of the program. The inspection would include: a. Entering every building connected to the sanitary sewer and observing the plumbing piping to determine the presence or lack of a sump pump. b. Completing a three-part inspection form which will establish, at the time of the inspection, whether or not the connection is in compliance with the new ordinance. Homeowners will sign and date the form and keep a copy for their records. C. If the connection does not comply with the ordinance, the inspector will provide a sketch of a recommended connection method and list of plumbers that do work in the city. d. If a connection fails, it will be reinspected in 30 days to verify that the corrections have been made, or if corrections have not been made, to initiate the surcharge provisions of the ordinance. e. If the building has a sump basket but no pump,a sticker will be placed on the basket • cover notifying future users of the inspection requirement prior to installation of the sump pump. Page 2 F IWPW/MPROPOSAL1059.97lpropow! 4. Prepare a data base which includes all of the inspection data for future reference and follow- up inspections to maximize long term compliance. WSB proposes to provide an engineer and inspection group to complete the recommended program for the City. Chuck Janski would be designated as the project engineer. Chuck has over 15 years experience in I/I projects, and would assist in setting up the program, making presentations at the four public information meetings,training and supervision of the inspection personnel assigned other project.Chuck has conducted similar sump pump inspection programs in conjunction with the Cities of Plymouth,Champlin, Waseca,and Zumbrota in the past few years. The inspection group would be made up of WSB construction inspection personnel. An inspector would go door to door to enter each building and determine a pass/fail condition of the building. An additional person in the inspection group would be assigned to take telephone calls and set up appointments for residents that could not be contacted through the initial attempts. This person would also enter the inspection data into the computer data base which would be delivered to the City upon completion of the inspection work. Schedule We understand that the City Council is currently reviewing an ordinance to provide for the private property inspections and surcharge fees for non-compliance. Assuming the ordinance will be in effect during February, 1998, we would recommend initiation of the public information, and sump pump inspection program under the following preliminary schedule: • Submittal of MCES Application February 10, 1998 PP ary MCES Loan Offer March 30, 1998 Meeting with the City Staff and development of program April 6, 1998 Assist City Staff with Preparation of Newsletter Articles April, 1998 June, 1998 Assist City Staff with Preparation of Educational Video July - August, 1998 re: 1/1 Problem Prepare mailing packet - City wide and I" "target" area September, 1998 Distribute individual letters of invitation to first group of September, 1998 575 households for public information meeting Public information meeting Area 1 October, 1998 Initiate inspections in Area 1 November, 1998 Prepare mailing for 2n1 target area January, 1999 Distribute individual letters of invitation to second group January, 1999 • of 575 households for public information meeting Page 3 F IWPWIMPROPOSAD059 97Iprolmwl Public information meeting Area 2 January, 1999 • Initiate inspections in Area 2 February, 1999 Prepare mailing for 311 target area February, 1999 Distribute individual letters of invitation to third group of February, 1999 575 households for public information meeting Public information meeting Area 3 March, 1999 Initiate inspections in Area 3 March, 1999 Prepare mailing for 4`h Target area March, 1999 Distribute individual letters of invitation to fourth group of March, 1999 575 households for public information meeting Public information meeting Area 4 April, 1999 Initiate inspections in Area 4 April, 1999 Inspections 99% complete June, 1999 Inspections of remaining I% (difficult access) Summer, 1999 Prepare computer data base November, 1998 - July, 1999 • Submit completed data base to City July, 1999 Fee With the understanding that the City of St.Anthony provides a listing of resident names,addresses, property identification numbers, and city address maps, WSB proposes to complete the identified program tasks for the following fees,assuming 2,300 connections,230(10%)of which will fail the first inspection and require a second inspection and 30 will refuse to cooperate with the inspection program and will require "extra" effort from both the City Staff and the site inspector. Task Description Proposed Cost 1. Project coordination and management: a. Meeting between WSB Staff and City Staff to define program, establish needs, and mitigate project. $400 b. Coordinate with City Staff throughout project. $800 2. Design and preparation of Public Information documents (not including printing, postage and labels): a. Assistance with Newsletter articles. b. Assistance with Educational video. • C. Insert for water bills. d. Direct mail letters for Public Information Meetings. Page 4 F IWPWIMPROPOSALI059 971propo l e. Sketch of proper sump pump connection. f. Inspection forms. • g. Warning sticker. h. Door knob hangers. $2,500 3. Hold four(4) Public Information meetings at site determined by the City Council. WSB project engineer and inspector to attend. $1,200 4. Conduct initial inspections and prepare data base. a. First Inspection 2270 @ $30/each $68,100 b. Second Inspection 230 @ $45/each $10,350 5. Prepare two (2) interim reports and one (1) final report and present to the City Council. $1,600 6. Follow-up inspections of"difficult" estimated at Hourly at standard I%of connections. billing rates. Total $84,950 Available Funding • In 1998 the MCES has again offered a grant/loan program to assist tributary communities in reducing I/I in their local collection systems. Eligible projects must be completed within 18 months of the grant/loan award. Grant funds up to$10,000 and loan funds up to$40,000 are available for qualifying projects. Both of the funds require dollar for dollar matching with local funds. The grant funds are available for "studies" to define and identify potential I/I sources and reduction potential, and loan funds are available for construction of projects to actually reduce the I/1 in the City system. The proposed "sump pump" identification and removal project, in St. Anthony, would qualify under the "loan" program. The "loan" program is rather unique because there is an opportunity for communities to have their annual loan repayment "forgiven." For a period of five years after the project is completed, the community must annually "certify" the status of the system 1/1 to the MCES. If the work continues to be effective in maintaining the I/I reduction, the City's annual payment is forgiven and the loan effectively becomes a "grant" for that year. Each year that the system is positively "certified", the payment is forgiven. Applications for the 1998 MCES program must be submitted by February 10, 1998. • Page 5 F I WPW/NV'ROPOSAL1059 971propowl Conclusion • The City of St.Anthony can benefit from a program to identify and remove sump pump connections to the sanitary sewer system. WSB personnel have extensive experience in assisting communities with sump pump identification and removal projects and could provide valuable assistance to the City of St. Anthony. Funding assistance maybe available to the City from MCES through a special I/I Reduction Program early in 1998. Infiltration and Inflow have their greatest impact on the sanitary sewer system in the spring during high groundwater and runoff conditions. Initiation of a public information and education effort in the next few months may provide some immediate improvement prior to the anticipated peak conditions during the spring of 1998, and it should improve the performance of the actual house-to-house survey planned for the Fall of 1998 and Spring, 1999. References Mr. Chet Herrboldt • City of Champlin Utilities 612-421-8100 Ms. Julie Linehan City of Waseca 507-835-3840 Mr. Rick Lohmann Public Works Director City of Zumbrota 507-732-7313 • Page 6 F.IWPWIMPROPOSAL1059.971propa l