News Page Updated: Thursday, March 26, 2009 5:05 AM PDT

Council awards bid for UV filter

The Bandon City Council has awarded a bid for providing an ultraviolet disinfection system for the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

At the council’s March meeting, the bid was awarded to Spectral Innovations Ltd., in the amount of $183,105.

The project involves upgrading the disinfection system at the wastewater treatment plant to comply with the Department of Environmental Quality discharge permit requirements, according to City Manager Matt Winkel.

In June 2007, the city entered into a Mutual Agreement and Order with DEQ, under which the city was to install the UV system by May 2009. The city bid the equipment purchase and received two bids, and awarded the bid to UV Doctor Systems LLC, the low bidder. However, after six months the company could not provide the required bonding, so its bid was rejected, Winkel explained.

The city subsequently re-bid the equipment, and received two bids from Siemens and Aquaionics. However, both bids were determined to be non-responsive, since the city’s existing UV channels are not a standard width (the original provider has since gone out of business), and neither manufacturer was willing to customize its system.

“City staff and the city engineer have been working with Spectral Innovations Ltd., who are willing to make a custom unit, the price of which is less than the previous low bid,” Winkel said.

Since the installation will be done by an electrical contractor, and must be done during low flow periods (August to September), part of the cost for the $268,605 project will be paid this fiscal year, with the remaining funds included in next fiscal year’s budget, Winkel said.

The city has been granted an extension by DEQ, since additional efforts by the wastewater plant crew have resulted in the plant meeting its discharge requirements.