ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT Memorandum

Transcription

1 ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT Memorandum DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Chair and Members of the Board of Directors Orange County Sanitation James D. Ruth General Manager, Orange County Sanitation September Status Report The following status report is submitted for your review and consideration. 1. New Hydrogen Fuel Station The Hydrogen Vehicle Fueling station is currently in service at Reclamation Plant No. 1. The number of vehicles that are able to use OCSD s hydrogen fueling station is limited because access arrangements are required with the vehicle suppliers; currently only Hyundai and Honda have these agreements in place. There are currently only several hundred fuel cell vehicles in California; this will increase as the technology becomes commercialized during the next several years. The effective fuel cost for hydrogen vehicles will be the same as or less than the cost for a gasoline-fueled vehicle. 2. Sari Line Groundbreaking Ceremony October 11 The County of Orange has scheduled a ground breaking ceremony for the SARI Line Relocation Project for October 11, The Sanitation District Steering Committee members have been invited to attend. Contact Clerk of the Board Maria Ayala (mayala@ocsd.com) if you plan on attending. The relocation project is scheduled for completion in April OCSD Receives NACWA s Peak Performance Gold Award OCSD s Reclamation Plant 1 and Treatment Plant 2 were honored with the Peak Performance Gold Award by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for excellence in wastewater treatment by maintaining 100% permit compliance for a full calendar year. We are very proud of the diligence and hard work of our fine staff

2 Page 2 who operate and maintain our facilities and their commitment to public health and environmental protection. OCSD is one of 95 sanitation agencies in the United States that received this award. NACWA is the wastewater industry s national advocacy organization in Washington D.C. 4. OCSD Receives Grant Funding for ARFVT Program OCSD received a grant for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) administered by the California Employment Training Panel through El Camino College Business Training Center. The grant funds provide workforce training on alternative fuel technologies such as hybrid-electric, electric, and compressed natural gas (CNG) systems and are offered through select local college campuses. OCSD employees in the automotive/heavy equipment, mechanic and technician classifications of Fleet Services (Division 320) will be eligible to participate in the training program. 5. EnerTech Update Thirty-five percent of the biosolids managed by EnerTech went to the Rialto facility, and the rest (65%) went to Yuma, Arizona for land application. Milestones update - Here are the deadlines and updates for the milestones identified as part of the Single Train Technical Plan: 1. Final engineering to be completed no later than August 26, Completed all Engineering (process flow diagrams) on May 17, All engineering is now completed. 2. Procurement of all equipment and materials to be completed no later than September 14, Milestone is now completed as of July. 3. Construction of all improvements described in the Technical Plan to be completed no later than December 12th, Milestone in progress and expected to be completed by due date. 4. Start-up to be completed no later than March 13, 2012, including a 30-day continuous run using SlurryCarb. Start date for Startup scheduled for December 5th, OCSD sent a team of staff experts to EnerTech on September 1, 2011 to evaluate the likelihood that EnerTech will be able to complete the Interim Technical Plan on schedule and meet the March 12, 2012 deadline to commission and operate the facility continuously for 30 consecutive days. The team determined that EnerTech would likely complete construction of the Interim Technical Plan components on schedule; however, we see more risk in successfully commissioning the project by the deadline. Staff will

3 Page 3 monitor EnerTech s progress closely and keep the Board of Directors informed of the status. 6. General Manager s Work Plan and Accomplishments Report I am pleased to include with this update my work plan for FY and a review of our accomplishments during the past year. Working with the Steering Committee, I have identified 15 areas that I will focus on during the next year including strategic planning, labor and budget, operational issues, workforce and organizational development, and transition planning. As you will read, we made significant progress on my work plan for FY through the efforts of our fine staff. I wish to thank the Board of Directors for your continuing support and the strategic leadership you provide in guiding the work of this agency. 7. New Risk Manager An important aspect of the Beyond 2012 plan was the establishment of a new Risk Management Division within the Administrative Services department. Using existing staff, health and safety and insurance resources have been combined to address District risk management issues from a more holistic perspective. After conducting a search of internal and external applicants, I am pleased to announce the selection of Kenneth Hernandez as the District s new Risk Manager to prove direct oversight of the division. Kenneth comes to us from the City of San Bernardino where he currently serves as its Risk Manager. In addition to having 20 years of Risk Management and Human Resources experience, he has a law degree from Chapman University and served in the US Marine Corp. Kenneth will start on Monday, September Operations Committee Tour of Plant 2 Facilities The September 7, 2011 Operations Committee meeting was held at Treatment Plant No. 2 in Huntington Beach. Engineering Supervisor Chris Cervellone led a tour of major projects at the Huntington Beach facility, including the recently completed Trickling Filters, Project No. P2-90 and the Headworks Improvements, Project No. P2-66, which is about 90% complete. The Committee also toured the land section of the 5-mile Ocean Outfall pipe which is scheduled for rehabilitation in Fall Sewer Best Practices Kickoff Meeting in Sacramento OCSD staff is participating in the CA Alliance for Sewer System Excellence (CASSE) and attended the kick-off meeting in Sacramento on September 13. The host site and sponsor was the Sacramento Area Sewer District. This is the largest best practices effort of this type since OCSD participated in the seven agency effort in the mid- 1990s. The

4 Page 4 first meeting was attended by about 40 staff from over 25 cities and sewering agencies throughout the state. The members present in Sacramento prioritized their work in four areas: workforce development/training/certification, pressure systems O&M, root control programs, and improved inspection methods to guide sewer system management. Work products and lessons learned will be shared with OCSD member cities and sewering agencies through our local area WDR Workgroup. 10. SALS Pump Repairs The Steve Anderson Lift Station (SALS) was placed in service in June 2009 and was designed to supplement Plant No.1 with flow that has historically flowed down to Plant No. 2. The additional flow to Plant No.1 provided by SALS increases the amount of effluent flow available to the OCWD for Ground Water Replenishment (GWRS). The station is rated for 50 million gallons per day (mgd) and contains four main sewage pumps each rated at 20 mgd. In June of this year, one of the four main sewage pumps at SALS failed. Then in July and August, two more pumps failed for what appears to be the same reason leaving just one pump in an operable condition. At the end of August, the fourth pump was showing signs of impending failure. Staff reduced the operating load on the pump and the pump is now operating well though at a reduced output. The three pumps that failed have been shipped to the manufacturer in Utah for repairs. One of the pumps has been repaired and returned to OCSD and is now back in service. A second pump is expected to be repaired and returned within the next two to four weeks. The third pump is expected to be returned in six to eight weeks. The cause of the failures has not been determined and is still under investigation. OCSD hired a forensics metallurgist to work with staff, the design consultant, and the pump manufacturer to determine the root cause of the failures. The findings will be documented in a report and corrective action will be taken to avoid future failures based on the findings. To minimize the impact on OCWD s GWRS system, OCSD has been able to capture excess water during high flow periods of the day and then make the water available during low flow periods. The process is labor intensive but it helps assure that as much water as possible is made available for GWRS. Overall, the net impact on GWRS related to the loss of the pumps has been about 3 mgd reduced flow over a 4 week period.

5 Page OCSD COPs AAA This month, both Fitch and Standard and Poors rating agencies reaffirmed the Sanitation District s AAA bond rating. Noted factors in maintaining this rating include: strong financial performance, disciplined rate setting and flexibility, moderate debt burden, manageable borrowing plans, and strong management practices. We appreciate the Board s direction and support resulting in this strong financial rating which will allow the District favorable access to the debt market. JDR:gg H:\dept\gmo\110\110 Admin\RUTH JAMES\GM Status Reports to Board\2011 GM Status Report\ GM Monthly Status Report.docx