TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2013
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order and enter into an agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for a Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Model for the Chicago Area Waterway System, in an amount not to exceed $640,248.00, Account 201-52000-601170, Requisition 1356183
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), according to the terms and conditions of the Master Agreement, to continue the development of a three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic and water quality model for the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) and link the completed 3D model to the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) system models currently being developed by UIUC as part of another ongoing project. This project will be administered by the Environmental Monitoring and Research Division of the Monitoring and Research Department at the Lue-Hing R&D Complex. The Purchase Order will expire on December 31, 2015.
The principal investigator for this project will be Marcelo Garcia, Ph.D., who is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Garcia is a reputable scientific investigator and researcher in his field.
Thus far, Dr. Garcia's team at UIUC has completed 3D modeling for the Main Stem Chicago River, South Branch Chicago River, Bubbly Creek, and portions of the North Branch Chicago River, the North Shore Channel, and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The 3D model is capable of capturing the mixing of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) with river water and evaluating the effects of changing cross sections, confluences, and bifurcations on water quality.
Completion of the 3D CAWS model is essential to better understand changes in water quality in the CAWS, especially during extreme wet-weather events. The completed and linked 3D hydrodynamic and water quality models for the CAWS and TARP systems will be a useful tool for the following:
· Support the Bubbly Creek water quality and major pump station discharge mitigation project.
· Estimate the frequency and magnitude of CSOs into the CAWS and/or flow reversals into Lake Michigan as well as the effectiveness of the TARP System in reducing CSOs during extreme hydrologic events.
· Analyze the mixing of CSOs with river water and the impact on water quality.
· Assess the effect of disinfection by tracking the transport and mixing of treated effluents as well as the impact of sediment re-suspension on water quality.
· Evaluate potential scenarios of ecologic and hydrologic separation between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes Basins.
This work will be done as a three-year project and will consist of the following tasks:
Task 1: Complete the 3D hydrodynamic and water quality model of the CAWS, including calibration with existing data from the District's dissolved oxygen monitoring network and Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Program, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) flow and stage gauging stations, incorporation of boundary condition algorithms at Chicago River Control Works and Lockport. Start implementing the graphic-user-interface (GUI).
Task 2: Link the 3D CAWS hydro-environmental model to the TARP System Model, currently being developed by the UIUC to estimate the magnitude and frequency of CSOs into the CAWS and flow reversals into Lake Michigan, as well as the effectiveness of the TARP System in reducing CSOs during extreme wet-weather events.
Task 3: Validate the linked 3D CAWS and TARP System Models with existing hydrodynamic and water quality observations previously made by the District and USGS along Bubbly Creek and the South Branch of the Chicago River for different CSOs from Racine Avenue Pumping Station and other locations.
Task 4: Apply the validated 3D CAWS-TARP models with the GUI to simulate scenarios regarding the flow and mixing of CSOs into the CAWS and impact on water quality of the CAWS.
Dr. Garcia's team at UIUC has extensive knowledge of the CAWS because his team has worked with the District on several projects since 2001, including hydrologic and hydraulic models of TARP, and modeling sediment oxygen demand and resuspension of sediments in Bubbly Creek.
UIUC, the expert provider to conduct a 3D modeling of the North Shore Channel Water levels, has submitted pricing for the services required. Inasmuch as UIUC, is the expert provider for the services required, nothing would be gained by advertising for bids (Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act).
UIUC is a non-profit educational institution and is therefore not required to register with the State of Illinois.
The Multi-Project Labor Agreement is not applicable due to the specialized nature of the services required.
In view of the foregoing, it is recommended that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with UIUC, in an amount not to exceed $640,248.00.
Funds for the 2013 expenditure, in the amount of $205,381.00, are available in Account 201-52000-601170. The estimated expenditure for 2014 is $213,310.00, and 2015 is $221,557.00. Funds for the 2014 and 2015 expenditures are contingent on the Board of Commissioners' approval of the District's budget for those years.
Requested, Thomas C. Granato, Director of Monitoring and Research, TCG:MPC:KB:as Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for February 21, 2013