FROM: Robert Thompson, General Manager
Originator: Riaz Moinuddin, Director of Operations & Maintenance
SUBJECT:
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PLANT NO. 2 TRICKLING FILTER A, B, & C FILAMENT-WOUND BUSHINGS
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Recommend to the Board of Directors to:
A. Approve a Sole Source Purchase Order to Ovivo USA, LLC for four filament-wound bushing conversions for Plant No. 2, for an amount not to exceed $370,940, plus applicable sales tax; and
B. Approve a contingency of $37,094 (10%).
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BACKGROUND
The Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) trickling filter at Plant No. 2 consists of three 150-foot-diameter rotating assemblies. This trickling filter process provides secondary treatment at an average capacity of 60 MGD during dry weather and approximately 182 MGD during peak wet weather. The trickling filters are engineered to remove organic content from wastewater, using microorganisms living on the filter media. Each trickling filter is equipped with a motor-operated rotary distributor assembly to uniformly distribute the primary treated flow over the media.
Stabilizer bushings are critical components of the trickling filter rotary distributor. The existing bronze bushings require manual grease injections every two weeks. Replacing the existing bronze bushings with filament-wound bushings will eliminate the need for routine lubrication, reduce confined-space entry requirements, and help maintain optimal equipment performance.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
• Maintain a proactive asset management program.
• Meet volume and water quality needs for the GWRS
PROBLEM
The Plant No. 2 trickling filter rotary distributors have experienced repeated equipment failures due to inadequate lubrication of the stabilizer bushing assemblies and harsh working environments. A more reliable stabilizer bushing assembly is needed to reduce maintenance requirements, eliminate the need for frequent routine lubrications, and improve the long-term reliability of the trickling filter rotary distributors.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Replace the current bronze stabilizer bushing assemblies on three trickling filters at Plant No. 2 with four new filament-wound stabilizer bushing conversions from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Ovivo USA, LLC.
TIMING CONCERNS
The trickling filters at Plant No. 2 are critical assets that support secondary treatment requirements. Due to the high-frequency lubrication schedule and operating environment, there is a risk of failing to meet the required plant process needs at Plant No. 2. Additionally, this trickling filter provides all secondary treatment for the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) at Plant No. 2.
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION
If no action is taken, the risk of equipment failure increases, which would render the plant unable to meet process needs for supplying the required secondary treatment at Plant No. 2 and would impact the ability to provide water to the GWRS.
PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS
February 2018 - Approved Ovivo (Ovivo USA, LLC) as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Sole Source provider for trickling filter parts.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The fourth bushing conversion will be used as a spare asset per OC San’s proactive asset management program.
CEQA
N/A
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The request complies with the authority levels of OC San’s Purchasing Ordinance. This item has been budgeted (Budget FY 2026-27 and 2027-28, Section 6, Page 128, Repairs & Maintenance) and the budget is sufficient for the recommended action.
|
Date of Approval |
Contract Amount |
Contingency |
|
09/23/2026 |
$370,940 |
$37,094 (10%) |
ATTACHMENT
The following attachment(s) may be viewed on-line at the OC San website (www.ocsan.gov) with the complete agenda package:
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