FPUD to add capacity to Water Reclamation Plant

The Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) will be adding capacity to its Water Reclamation Plant to accommodate the expansion of its recycled water pipeline infrastructure.

A 5-0 FPUD board vote Dec. 12 awarded a $96,400 contract to Cortech Engineering, Inc., for the procurement of a vertical lineshaft pump and variable frequency drive which will increase the delivery system capacity at FPUD's treatment plant.

"In the past year, year and a half, we've extended the recycled water system," said FPUD general manager Brian Brady. "Now we need larger pumping capacity to deliver that."

In May 2015 FPUD awarded a $1,724,618 contract to construct approximately 2 1/2 new miles of recycled water pipeline. The extension is expected to add 642 acre-feet per year of recycled water use, which would reduce potable water demand by that amount while also reducing FPUD's treated water discharge.

Although FPUD currently produces approximately 2,000 acre-feet of recycled water each year, the piping system has limited sales to only 600 to 700 acre-feet of that while offering only 25 customers, mostly large nurseries, the opportunity to purchase recycled water. The additional pipeline was completed in 2016, so additional pumping capacity and backup pumping reliability will be needed to meet anticipated peak demands.

FPUD staff prepared specifications for the vertical lineshaft pump and variable frequency drive and solicited bids. Cortech Engineering, Inc., which is headquartered in Yorba Linda, had the low bid of $96,400. Gierlich-Mitchell, Inc., which is based in Cypress, submitted a bid of $99,613.

FPUD assistant general manager Jack Bebee expects the vertical lineshaft pump and variable frequency drive to be installed during the summer.

"It will probably take them four to six months to deliver it, so I suspect it will be seven or eight months from now," said Bebee.