Agenda - Council - 05/14/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Based on Engineering Staff's current and projected workloads, the scope of work required to amend Part 2 of the WHPP, and the minimal amount of time available to complete this work, Staff recommends enlisting an engineering consultant to complete the work. The cities of Andover and Anoka, who are also members of the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO), enlisted the services of BARR Engineering to complete the Part 2 amendments for their respective WHPP's. It is important to note that BARR Engineering is the LRRWMO's Engineer, and that the LRRWMO reviews and comments on all WHPP Part 2 amendments. Anoka and Andover used the same project manager from BARR, Mr. John Greer, and both cities highly recommended him. Staff met with Mr. Greer on Monday, April 8, 2019, to discuss his availability to assist the City of Ramsey with our WHPP Part 2 amendments. Mr. Greer indicated he could assist the City with our Part 2 amendments, and noted that while the timelines are tight he felt that if data requests are addressed in a timely manner the City should be able to meet the MDH deadline of October 6, 2019. Staff therefore requested that BARR submit a proposal for assisting the City of Ramsey with its WHPP Part 2 amendments, including a not -to -exceed fee. Staff originally estimated costs for hiring a consultant to assist with the Part 2 amendments to be in the range of $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the scope of work identified in the MDH Scoping 2 Decision Notice. On April 10, 2019, BARR submitted their proposal to amend Part 2 of the City of Ramsey's WHPP, which includes a not -to -exceed fee of $25,100. A copy of BARR's proposal is attached. Timeframe: Staff estimates 15 minutes will be sufficient to present this case and respond to questions. Observations/Alternatives: As noted in the Scoping 2 Decision Notice, increased concentrations of tritium were recently observed in City wells indicating the wells are capturing post-1953 recharge waters. Tritium, which is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope of hydrogen and is also generated in very small amounts by nuclear power plants, is found in trace amounts in groundwater across the world. However, tritium was generated in large concentrations in the early 1950's during nuclear tests. This finding will also need to be explored by BARR Engineering during the Part 2 amendments. The current Wellhead Protection Plan is not attached to this case due to the large file size (over 50 MB). Funding Source: All costs for amending Parts 1 and 2 of the City's WHPP will be funded through the City of Ramsey's water enterprise funds, including BARR Engineering's work, which will be paid through the professional services budget. Recommendation: Staff has reviewed BARR's proposed not -to -exceed fee and feels it is reasonable based on the required scope of work. Action: No action is required at this time. Staff will provide regular updates to the Public Works Committee moving forward, and will request a Committee recommendation for the City Council to approve the amended WHPP upon completion. Attachments MDH WHPP Pt1 Appr Ltr LUG WHPP Pt' Amendments Ltr wAtt MDH Scoping 2 Notice wAtt