AgdaPkt 2005-05-23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6./F-/ REPORT To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the City Manager May 23,2005 Subject Approval of Agreement - Toilet Replacement Program Recommendation By Motion, authorize the City Manager to execute the professional services agreement with San Jose Water Conservation Corp. of Temecula, California in the amount of $2,200,000 for the implementation of the City's Direct-Install Toilet Replacement Program. Background The City of Redwood City is 100% reliant on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Hetch Hetchy regional water distribution system for all potable water used by nearly 24,000 customer accounts. The City-owned water system is currently exceeding its contractual supply assurance of an average 10.93 million gallons per day (MGD) of potable water from the SFPUC. In the event of the next drought or other supply shortage, the distribution of water to Redwood City residents and businesses could be reduced. In the event of a natural disaster, the entire region could face water outages of up to 60 days. For the past several years the Public Works Services Department has been working on several fronts to address these potential water supply problems, under the policy guidance of the City Council's Utilities Committee. In July 2003, the City Council approved the implementation of an "active" or aggressive Water Conservation Program as part of the adoption of an Urban Water Management Plan amendment, and identified a toilet replacement program with the goal of replacing 12,248 toilets at an estimated cost of $2,799,487, which would produce an estimated water savings of 311 acre feet per year. Staff proceeded to develop the budget and rate adjustments necessary to implement the conservation activities delineated in the Plan. In January 2004, the City retained an independent professional engineering firm specializing in toilet replacement program design and implementation to guide a program design team of City staff in the formation of the City's program. A draft program design plan was presented to the Council Utilities Committee in April 2004, and the final Toilet Replacement Program Plan was approved in June 2004 by the program design team. In October, 2005, as the first step in the implementation ofthe toilet replacement program, the Public Works Services Department distributed 1,350 ultra low-flow toilets through a "T oilet Give-Away" program, by purchasing directly from the manufacturer and making the toilet fixtures available free of charge to Redwood City residents. The next step was the implementation of a 3-year full-service "direct-installation" program, which would offer Redwood City residents free high efficiency toilets and free installations by a professional licensed plumbing contractor. In February, 2005, the Public Works Services Department contacted 46 professional plumbing companies in the area and