HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/17/2002 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 139, 2002, APPROPRI AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 23
DATE: September 17, 2002
FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL Michael B. Smith
STAFF: Brian Janonis
SUBJECT:
First Reading of Ordinance No. 139, 2002, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Water Fund
to Construct Backwash Water Reuse Facilities.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The projected cost to recycle backwash water is $t,544,000. These funds would come from
water fund reserves. By recycling the water, the City could increase the City's annual water
supply by about 1,500 acre-feet. The cost of this new supply is $1,000 an acre-foot. Colorado-
Big Thompson ("CBT") water is selling for about $10,000 per unit, with a high quota of one
acre-foot per unit or $10,000 an acre-foot. With next year's quota set between 0.30 and 0.50
acre-feet per unit, CBT water would sell for between $20,000 and $33,333 per acre-foot.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This Ordinance authorizes a $1,544,000 appropriation of prior year reserves in the Water Fund
for a capital project to construct backwash water reuse facilities at the Water Treatment Plant.
Once constructed, the recycling process would conserve approximately 1,500 acre-feet of water
annually.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the water treatment process, filters must be cleaned periodically (typically once per
day). The filters are cleaned by reversing flow through the filters, and the "backwash" water is
discharged to the ponds immediately north of the Fort Collins Water Treatment Facility. The
EPA and State of Colorado allow either recycle or discharge of the spent backwash water.
The Fort Collins Water Treatment Facility discharges filter backwash water to either the Pleasant
Valley Lake and Canal or Claymore Lake. The decision to take this approach was made
primarily due to the concerns regarding adverse effects on the treatment efficiency of the
original Treatment Trains I and 2 and concentration of pathogens. The Ordinance would allow
the Utility to proceed to modify this system to recycle rather than discharge the backwash water,
in view of the following new considerations:
DATE: September 17, 2002 2 ITEM NUMBER: 23
With the completion of the Master Plan facilities, Treatment Trains 1 and 2 have been
abandoned, and replaced with more efficient and reliable treatment processes that can
appropriately treat the recycle flow stream
• New treatment systems can now be used to treat backwash water and effectively kill the
pathogens.
• On-going drought conditions necessitate that Fort Collins Utilities examine every option
to increase its water supply. As directed by City Council, staff is looking at demand
management options. Backwash water recycling could significantly reduce treatment
process consumption of raw water in a timely fashion, with minimal impact to customers.
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Approximately 90 percent of the washwater can be recycled. During the last two years,
approximately 1,800 acre-feet of washwater was annually discharged. Based on the expected
increase in demand and production, this volume could increase to more than 2,100 acre-feet per
year by 2040.
Because of its simplicity, low cost, and outstanding capability for pathogen disinfection, UV
disinfection is recommended for treatment of the washwater. There are a number of
manufacturers of UV units on the market. Based on performance on other projects, as well as
cost, and physical size, a medium pressure UV chamber should be considered for this
application. The project work needed to add such a chamber to the system would consist of new
piping to divert the washwater decanted from the existing washwater lagoons, a variable speed
pump station, pipeline, and medium pressure UV chamber, flow meter, and power supply. The
system should be sized to recycle and treat flows up to 4 mgd. This would allow capture of at
least 90 percent of the wastewater flow that is currently discharged to the Pleasant Valley Lake
and Canal system.
Staff estimates the new recycling system will be operational by next summer.
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ORDINANCE NO. 139, 2002
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE WATER FUND
TO CONSTRUCT BACKWASH WATER REUSE FACILITIES
WHEREAS, as part of the water treatment process, filters must be cleaned periodically by
reversing flow through the filters and the"backwash"water is discharged to the ponds immediately
north of the Fort Collins Water Treatment Facility; and
WHEREAS,the EPA and the State of Colorado allow for the spent backwash water to either
be recycled or discharged; and
WHEREAS, rather than discharge the backwash water, recycling is now being considered
as the better option because there are now more efficient and reliable treatment processes that can
appropriately treat the recycle flow stream; and
WHEREAS, approximately 1,500 acre-feet per year of water would be saved if the water
utilized for the periodic cleaning of the filters used in water treatment were recycled through
construction of new backwash water reuse facilities; and
WHEREAS,the projected cost to construct the backwash water reuse facilities is$1,544,000;
and
WHEREAS, the cost of this project equates to $1,000 an acre-foot compared to the current
cost of Colorado-Big Thompson Project water,of between$20,000 and$33,333 per acre-foot based
on the projected quota for 2003; and
WHEREAS,Article V,Section 9,of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins permits the City
Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure
as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves
were not previously appropriated; and
WHEREAS, City staff has determined that the appropriation from prior year reserves to
construct the backwash water reuse facilities, as described herein, will not cause the total amount
appropriated in the Water Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to
be received during the fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Council to appropriate the sum of$1,544,000 from prior
year reserves in the Water Fund to construct the backwash water reuse facilities.
NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS that the sum of ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND
DOLLARS ($1,544,000) is hereby appropriated in the Water Fund from prior year reserves to
construct backwash water reuse facilities.
•
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 17th day of
September, A.D. 2002, and to be presented for final passage on the 1st day of October, A.D. 2002.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading this 1st day of October, A.D. 2002.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk