FROM: Robert Thompson, General Manager
Originator: Jennifer Cabral, Director of Communications
SUBJECT:
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BIOSOLIDS DEEP WELL INJECTION COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT, SPECIFICATION NO. CS-2026-716BD
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Recommend to the Board of Directors to:
A. Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement to S. Groner Associates, Inc. (SGA) as a strategic communications consultant for the Biosolids Deep Well Injection Project, Specification No. CS-2026-716BD for a total amount not to exceed $903,421 for a three (3) year Agreement with two (2) one-year renewal options; and
B. Approve a contingency of $90,342 (10%).
C. Approve an optional one time add on of $61,436 for the STEM-Integrated Schools Outreach Program.
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BACKGROUND
The Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) is proposing the Biosolids Deep Well Injection (DWI) Project, a proposed approach to managing biosolids generated through the wastewater treatment process. The proposed project would be located at OC San's Plant No. 1 in Fountain Valley, CA and would inject biosolids approximately 5,000 feet underground into a confined geologic formation separated from the Orange County Groundwater Basin by multiple impermeable rock layers, including a protective caprock.
Due to the project's technical nature, and anticipated public interest regarding groundwater protection, environmental impacts, and emerging contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics, OC San requires a comprehensive, multi-year public education and stakeholder engagement program.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
* Use all practical and effective means for resource recovery
* Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders
* Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities
PROBLEM
The DWI Project involves highly technical scientif...
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