COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council
FROM: J. Greg Froslie, P.E. Community Investment Department
SUBJECT:Title
Award Agreement for Engineering Services for Landfill Support to CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc.
Body
FUNDING SOURCE:
Refuse Fund
PURPOSE:
Award Agreement for Engineering Services for Landfill Support in accordance with City Code Section 3.10.040.2
BACKGROUND:
The Lake Havasu City Landfill began operations in 1971 on land leased from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The landfill was originally operated by Mohave County. In August of 1982, the lease was transferred to the City and the operation was contracted to Joe Turner on March 29, 1982. Laidlaw Waste Systems assumed Joe Turner’s contract and became the landfill operator on February 1, 1990. Republic Services acquired Laidlaw Waste Systems and is now the current operator of the landfill.
The landfill originally submitted a Solid Waste Facility Plan in 1997 and has had several modifications to incorporate alternative daily covers, storm water control improvements, modification to the landfill disposal footprint and final fill grades, update site hydrology/groundwater quality information, and address financial assurance requirements. The modification requests were submitted to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality in March 2013 and approved in May 2013. Based on the approval, the landfill currently operates under Master Facility Plan Approval No. 02615900.03 (MFPA) and in compliance with Federal Subtitle D regulations.
Closure and postclosure requirements were outlined in the MFPA and at a minimum are to be included in the closure and postclosure costs. According to our current Operator, the western portion of the landfill has an estimated 1.5 to 2 years of service life remaining to achieve final waste elevations. After this portion is complete, the operators will move operations to the southern portion and fill in the central portion to the final waste elevations. Total remaining site life of the landfill is believed to be approximately 8 years.
With the landfill approaching the end of its useful life, it is prudent for the City to perform its own analyses of the landfill to confirm the assumed remaining life span as well as ensuring closure and postclosure costs are accurate. Staff has negotiated a Scope of Work and Fee totaling $118,010.00 with CH2M to perform a detailed review of all historical data, evaluations and assumptions. They will complete a capacity analyses to determine the remaining site capacity and remaining useful life of the landfill, and update the closure and postclosure costs, which the City is responsible for. Additionally, CH2M will define potential and reasonable options for solid waste disposal in the future once the current landfill is closed, which may include identifying a site for a new landfill.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
It is in the City’s best interest to be proactive with landfill planning. Closure and postclosure costs, as well as the potential for a new landfill, will have a significant financial impact on the City. It is important to understand the lifespan of our landfill so that staff can apply efficient and effective management and make fiscally responsible decisions as we move towards closure of the landfill.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding will come from available resources (fund balance) in the Refuse Fund and we will reallocate the budget appropriation from the IDD Fund. The IDD Fund was selected because it is also an enterprise utility fund and is projected to have ample budget savings in operations, CIP and unused contingency.
ATTACHMENTS:
Scope of Services
Fees
SUGGESTED MOTION:Recommended Action
I move to award the Agreement for Engineering Services for Landfill Support to CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc.