FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager
Originator: Lan C. Wiborg, Director of Environmental Services
SUBJECT:
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PURCHASE OF AN IMAGING FLOWCYTOBOT (IFCB)
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
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RECOMMENDATION:
Approve a sole source purchase order to McLane Research Laboratories, Inc. for an Imaging FlowCytobot for an amount not to exceed $148,939 including estimated tax and shipping.
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BACKGROUND
The Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) is needed for real-time sampling and analysis of plankton, including harmful algal species, for our core and regional ocean monitoring studies as required by our ocean discharge permit administered by the California Regional water Quality Control Board and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This request is for the purchase of new equipment to enhance our understanding of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in our ocean discharge area and to integrate it into a larger statewide sampling effort.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
* Ensure the public's money is wisely spent
* Comply with environmental permit requirements
* Maintain a culture of improving efficiency to reduce the cost to provide the current service level or standard
* Cultivate a highly qualified, well-trained, and diverse workforce
PROBLEM
The Orange County Sanitation District (Sanitation District) discharge of nutrients "shall not cause objectionable aquatic growths" as defined in the California Ocean Plan. Previous studies have shown that nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous in wastewater effluents can promote and support the growth of phytoplankton that may cause harmful algal blooms, or HABs. The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) recently initiated a 5-year project to develop a statewide, real-time HAB monitoring program that utilizes IFCB technology to sample and analyze marine phytoplankton.
Currently, the Sanitation District's ocean monitoring program does not routinely sample for phytoplankton. There is a notable ga...
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