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P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 1 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com Belgrade WRF Lagoon Rehabilitation I Project Status Update Belgrade Work Order: WO-22-04 AE2S Project No.: P10052-2022-004 To: City of Belgrade, Montana From: Brian Viall, PE – Project Manager Re: Project Status Report No. 12 Report Date: August 8, 2024 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Through previous high-level feasibility assessments summarized in Project Status Reports 8 & 10, the City of Belgrade envisions a Lagoon Rehabilitation Project that includes addition of the following treatment processes: 1. A mechanical solids management facility I dewatering with chemical sludge stabilization. 2. Liquid treatment capacity expansion through Pond 1 Rehabilitation 3. WAS Holding capacity from Pond 2 Rehabilitation. 4. Completion of required Pond 3 maintenance & rehabilitation through sludge removal. Construction sequencing is vital to a successful implementation schedule since the vision for these facilities assumes constructing upgrades within existing lagoon footprints. Decommissioning and construction activity must be coordinated to accommodate the following project constraints: • Maintenance of ongoing operations, unit treatment processes, and solids storage needs. • Cost effective solutions to fit in with the City’s utility budget. • Future effluent quality limits regulated by Belgrade’s Groundwater Discharge Permit. o Current Discharge Permit Expired on September 30, 2023. • Formal Engineering analysis in Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) format. o Uniform Application for Montana Public Facility Projects (Uniform Application) o Required to approve funds for process not studied in prior PERs • Timeline of Treatment Capacity Needs projected by Belgrade’s Development Plan. • Funding obligation deadlines dictated by current Agency agreements o Amendments to delay obligation deadlines possible subject to bylaws/approval. This status report identifies the major work efforts required to implement these goals in a logical sequence of work to prioritize and accommodate these physical and engineering constraints (See Appendix A – Belgrade WRF Improvements Program Schedule). We recommend accomplishing these objectives by delivering these upgrades as a program of projects, managed in a coordinated manner for additional project controls and flexibility, enhanced risk management, resource allocation optimization, and budget control. ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 2 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com BACKGROUND: To date, AE2S has completed high-level feasibility assessments of various project approaches that achieve the objective of lagoon rehabilitation while minimizing both project cost and long term O&M costs, while also supplying treatment capacity (both liquid and solids) for a rapidly growing community. Out of those preliminary feasibility studies, the leading alternative includes addition of the following treatment processes: 1. A mechanical solids management facility I dewatering with chemical sludge stabilization. 2. Added liquids treatment capacity upgrades in footprint of decommissioned Pond 1. 3. Additional WAS Holding capacity from Pond 2 Rehabilitation. 4. Completion of required Pond 3 maintenance & rehabilitation through sludge removal. During Q3 and Q4 of the City’s Fiscal Year 2024 (January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024), the City of Belgrade has been focusing on budgeting and adjusting its utility rates and rate structure to help finance costs of these and other identified upgrades based on preliminary Engineer’s Opinions of Probable Construction Costs (EOPCC’s) presented in the preliminary feasibility studies and SWOT analyses previously delivered for this project. During that same period, DEQ, DNRC, and USDA-RD (Agencies), along with the City of Belgrade have inquired about the sequencing of these improvements to develop a more detailed project financing plan and to manage remaining grant funds from both USDA-RD and ARPA. Those remaining funds are understood to be eligible for expenditure towards these overall improvements – however additional Preliminary Engineering Reporting may be required. The Belgrade City Council’s approval of Resolution No. 2024-10 – Resolution of the City of Belgrade, Montana Approving the Modification of Rates and Charges for Users of the Municipal Water and Sewere Systems – on June 17, 2024, marks one major milestone to overcome a significant hurdle for the projects implementation schedule. PROJECT CONSTRAINTS: Beyond the financial plan, the sequencing of these improvements must also consider physical, operational, and regulatory constraints GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE PERMIT RENEWAL: The City of Belgrade has been operating under Administrative Extension of its current groundwater discharge permit – which expired on September 30, 2023. The City submitted a renewal application for in Summer 2023 in anticipation of this expiration date. Along with the application for permit renewal, the City of Belgrade Submitted the Source Specific Mixing Zone Report for Belgrade Water Reclamation Facility (Western Groundwater Services, LLC, 2023). This report outlines plans for expanding the footprint and depth of the City’s 10 groundwater monitoring wells and prescribes increased sampling frequency to for data collection. A more robust data-set will then be used to support future modeling efforts that may be required for future liquids treatment capacity upgrades and associated permit modifications. The Program Implementation schedule includes a Groundwater Monitoring Well Expansion program in its early phases and recommends performing updates to the groundwater model after at least 1 year of data collection. PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT AMENDMENTS: The unit process improvements envisioned in the program rely on new processes, treatment technologies, and alternatives not addressed in the PER completed for Phase I Improvements ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 3 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com (TD&H / AE2S, March 2019). The Agencies will require a full analysis of these process improvements and upgrades be completed in a format consistent with Uniform Application for Montana Public Facility Projects (13th Edition, March 2022) (Uniform Application) – this document is better known as the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER). The PER format is required before Agencies can approve the release of remaining funding to finance the improvements. Though much of the cost estimating from our preliminary feasibility work can be duplicated in an updated PER, the Uniform Application requires identification and documentation of more robust environmental, permitting, and design parameters to confirm alternative selection through typical engineering decision making frameworks. For purposes of this project, the Agencies may accept a PER Amendment – which would limit the scope of this work to alternative analysis and life-cycle cost evaluations. TREATMENT CAPACITY EXPANSION NEEDS: The City of Belgrade has already allocated close to 100% of the treatment capacity constructed during the original WRF Improvements and continues to receive Development Applications demanding even more capacity. With the City of Belgrade receiving approval of its Water Resource Recovery Facility Development Plan (City of Belgrade, November 2023) the City of Belgrade anticipates needing to Bid and Award a construction contract for added treatment capacity by March 2028 with Substantial Completion of those Improvements on or before May 2030. PROJECT DELIVERY METHOD: Due to the given volume and diversity of construction expected, the Schedule – presented graphically in Appendix A, with more project detail outlined in the foregoing sections – is presented as a program of individual projects. Through a Program Management delivery method, the City of Belgrade will have more control over the individual projects, be better suited to handle the complexity, realize enhanced risk management, optimize resources, and achieve its strategic objectives with enhanced flexibility over that of a single, massive project. Most notably, a Program of projects will allow the City to make progress on earlier Phases of the Project less reliant upon future Engineering work while Engineer’s progress on design of subsequent phases on a parallel path schedule. This will help ensure that additional liquid treatment capacity can be commissioned in time to comply with Belgrade’s Development Plan. And finally, due to the number of specialty contractor’s required solids removal, concrete construction, earthwork, and well-drillers) and the long duration of the implementation schedule, Contracting directly with these Contractor’s with Bids solicited closer to the time of their required performance of the work reduces the uncertainty of these Contractor’s costs to perform work years in the future. That uncertainty will likely translate into higher costs if bid as a single project, not to mention a General Contractor’s profit mark-up on these specialty sub-contractor’s costs. PROJECT SCHEDULE: At present, bidding construction improvements for capacity upgrades by March 2028 creates the illusion that the City has time to spare. However, the approximated Project Milestones in the Program Project Schedule already create conflicts. The Program must begin to progress rapidly and smoothly to meet the City’s own Bidding Schedule for Capacity Improvements in 2028. ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 4 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com BELGRADE WRF IMPROVEMENTS – PRELIMINARY PROGRAM SCHEDULE: PHASE I – POND 2 DECOMMISSIONING & POND 3 REHABILITATION ABSTRACT: Hire a dewatering contractor to remove all solids from both ponds 2 & 3 and partially dredge Pond 1. By dewatering Pond 2 prior to Contractor mobilization, much of the operational complexity of treating a sudden increase in flow can be minimized. Partially dredging Pond 1 will help regain operational volume needed for aerated WAS holding until a new dewatering facility can be designed, built, and commissioned. MILESTONES: • Advertisement for Bids: Q4-2024 • Bid Opening Q4-2024 • Award: Q1-2025 • Notice to Proceed (NTP): Q1-2025 • Substantial Completion: Q2-2025 OWNER OPERATIONS: • Dewater Pond 2 by pumping water cap through the WRF for treatment and disposal of surplus water at rates that do not greatly disrupt operations in the activated sludge process. • Maintain Pond 3 at minimal operating levels to reduce disposal volumes for dewatering contractors prior to solids removal. ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 5 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com PHASE II – GROUNDWATER MONITORING WELL EXPANSION ABSTRACT: This project will put together design, bidding, and construction documents to implement the improvements and expansion of the City’s groundwater monitoring well network per the plan outlined in the Source Specific Mixing Zone Report for Belgrade Water Reclamation Facility (Western Groundwater Services, LLC, 2023). Once completed, the City will implement an increased sampling frequency at each of the 10 wells in the proposed monitoring plan. The sampling frequency extended to all wells is a significant increase in monitoring and will provide a more defensible data set of the chloride:nitrate mass ratio found in the groundwater. An increasing chloride:nitrate mass ratio is evidence of denitrification in the aquifer, signaling the acquifer’s ability to provide additional natural treatment for further nitrogen mass reduction. Liquids treatment capacity upgrades (anticipated in Phase VIII) will trigger revisions to the City’s groundwater discharge permit. Collecting data that helps uphold the City’s current mass loading limits (or even potentially expands those limits with additional credit for denitrification) is vital to ensure the City has the disposal capacity it requires for the planning period prior to the investment in treatment expansion. MILESTONES: • Advertisement for Bids: Q4-2024 • Bid Opening Q1-2025 • Award: Q1-2025 • Notice to Proceed (NTP): Q1-2025 • Substantial Completion: Late Q2 / Early Q3-2025 PHASE III – PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT AMENDMENT ABSTRACT: Complete a PER Amendment consistent with the requirements of the Uniform Application to compare the following alternatives for solids management and liquids treatment capacity upgrades, respectively. DEQ may also require comparison of other alternatives contingent upon preliminary Program review. • SOLIDS MANAGEMENT: o Aerobic Digestion o Dewatering and Disposal without Stabilization o Sludge Drying, Pyrolysis, and Biochar Facility o Chemical Disinfection & Mechanical Dewatering • LIQUID TREATMENT CAPACITY UPGRADES: O Oxidation Ditch Expansion O BioLac® Lagoon Treatment O Jaeger-Aeration OxyProcess MILESTONES: • PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT: Q2-2025 ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 6 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com PHASE IV – POND 2 DECOMMISSIONING & WHB CONSTRUCTION ABSTRACT: Contingent upon recommendation of the PER: Phase IV expects construction of WAS Holding Basins (WHB). WHBs will be helpful to the WRFs Solids Management Operation. With sufficient holding / equalization ability, sludge treatment operations can be scheduled to occur during just a few days per week. Without sufficient holding ability, operators would otherwise have to coordinate dewatering operations over weekends and holidays. It is assumed that an aerated lagoon built in the footprint of existing Pond 2 will be more economical than a concrete holding tank. The WHB may offer the ability to accept WAS flow from the existing oxidation ditch until the biosolids management facility is constructed in Phase V. MILESTONES: • Advertisement for Bids: Q1-2025 • Bid Opening Q2-2025 • Award: Q2-2025 • NTP: Q2-2025 • Substantial Completion: Q4-2025 PHASE V – BIOSOLIDS DEWATERING FACILITY ABSTRACT: Contingent upon recommendation of the PER: Phase V expects the construction of a mechanical biosolids management facility, tentatively assumed to rely on chemical disinfection and mechanical sludge dewatering. Along with the construction of the Bio-Solids Dewatering Facility, all the Cast-In- Place Concrete for the BioLac® treatment system could be included in Phase V for the sake of efficiency since concrete sub-contractors will be expected to mobilize for Phase V construction activity anyway. MILESTONES: • Advertisement for Bids: Q3-2025 • Bid Opening: Q4-2025 • Award: Q4-2025 • NTP: Q4-2025 • Substantial Completion: Late Q4-2026 to Q2-2027 ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 7 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com PHASE VI – POND 1 LAGOON DECOMISSIONING ABSTRACT: Contingent upon recommendation of the PER: Once the Biosolids dewatering facility is commissioned, WAS from the secondary clarifiers can be sent straight to either the WHB’s or the Biosolids Facility itself, allowing Pond 1 to be removed from service. Either another dry-in-place operation or solids removal contract can be awarded to remove and dispose of all solids from Pond 1 for decommissioning and demolition of all liners and aeration equipment to prepare for construction of the additional lagoon treatment system in Phase VII. MILESTONES: • Advertisement for Bids: Q2-2026 • Bid Opening Q3-2026 • Award: Q3-2026 • Effective Date of Contract: Q3-2026 • NTP: Q1-2027 • Substantial Completion: Q3-2027 PHASE VII – SSMZ GROUNDWATER MODELING & DISCHARGE PERMIT REVISIONS ABSTRACT: This project will update the Source Specific Mixing Zone Report with data from the improved groundwater monitoring network collected with a heightened frequency during the data collection period. Results will be used to defend the City’s current daily mass loading limits in its current groundwater discharge permit and may even support additional mass loading capacity for additional groundwater disposal during the planning period. A Permit Renewal Application will be submitted to reflect the additional liquids treatment process upgrades recommended in the PER Amendment (completed during Phase III). MILESTONES: • Source Specific Mixing Zone Report Q4-2026 • Groundwater Discharge Permit Revision Application Q4-2026 ---PAGE BREAK--- P10052-2022-004 I Project Status Report 11 Page 8 of 8 Think Big. Go Beyond. www.ae2s.com PHASE VIII – WRF LIQUIDS TREATMENT CAPACITY EXPANSION ABSTRACT: Contingent upon recommendation of the PER and results of the Updated Source Specific Mixing Zone Report and Groundwater Discharge Permit Revision Application, design phase services can commence for the liquids treatment capacity expansion. The current plan anticipates designing these within the footprint of existing Ponds 1 & 2 – requiring completion of previous phases to sequence solids management operations and other construction to clear the way for Phase VIII construction activities. Design will aim to accommodate a further future expansion within the same footprint of Pond 1 & 2, if possible. MILESTONES: • Advertisement for Bids: Q4-2027 • Bid Opening Q4-2027 • Award: Late Q4-2027 or Early Q1-2028 • NTP – Equipment Submittals: Q1-2028 • NTP – Construction Activity: Q1-2028 • Substantial Completion: Q3-2029 to Q4-2029 ---PAGE BREAK--- Belgrade WRF Improvements Program Program Implementation Schedule Appendix A 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Phase I Pond 2 Decommissioning and Pond 3 Rehabilitation Phase II Groundwater Monitoring Well Expansion Phase III Preliminary Engineering Report Amendment Phase IV Pond 2 Decommissioning and WHB Construction Phase V Biosolids Dewatering Facility Phase VI Pond 1 Lagoon Decommissioning Phase VII SSMZ and Nondegradation Groundwater Modeling I Discharge Permit Revisions Application Phase VIII Liquid Treatment Capacity Expansion 2 3 1 5 6 7 Competing priorities in early program scheduling creates challenges to overall program implementation. Feasibility of investment in future expansions at current WRF location highly contingent upon hydraulic and assimilative capacity of groundwater aquifer for projected disposal needs. Scope of subsequent phases presumes PER will confirm the currently assumed best alternatives for secondary treatment and biosolids management processes. Data Collection Period: City of Belgrade to collect an analyze effluent and groundwater samples per monitoring plan. Overlapping phases represents ongoing engineering design services for subsequent phases during construction activities of present phase. Ongoing monitoring of remaining capacity in existing Secondary Treatment / Oxidation Basins will inform deadline for substantial completion and commissioning of treatment capacity expansions in Phase V. Scope of Phase VIII could be added to the scope of any construction contract of an earlier phase if City desires to shorten program. duration. Notes: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4