FPUD land outfall leak detection contract awarded to Pure Technologies

Pure Technologies has been awarded a contract to provide leak detection services for the Fallbrook Public Utility District's (FPUD's) land outfall.

A 5-0 FPUD board vote April 27 approved the contract for up to $245,000. Pure Technologies will identify air pockets as well as leaks along the 18-mile outfall which runs from FPUD's water reclamation plant to the Oceanside ocean outfall.

"The Fallbrook to Oceanside outfall line is a critical part of our reclaimed water and reclamation program," said FPUD general manager Brian Brady. "It's imperative that we maintain the outfall in good operating condition."

The Fallbrook Land Outfall was constructed in 1981 after the Regional Water Quality Control Board required the Fallbrook Sanitary District, which merged with FPUD in 1994, to stop discharging wastewater into Fallbrook Creek. Because of the outfall's location and depth and because it must remain in service to dispose of unused recycled water, the outfall has never been inspected for structural deterioration.

The early detection of leaks and air pockets can identify areas of corrosion before significant structural damage occurs. FPUD prepared a request for proposals (RFP) to complete leak detection of the pipeline and sent the RFP to four firms with expertise in water treatment and supply. Proposals were received from Pure Technologies and from Utility Services Associates.

The proposals were reviewed, and after further discussions with Utility Services Associates the Seattle company determined that their approach was unlikely to be successful due to the specifics of the project including the pipeline's depth and the lack of appurtenances. Utility Service Associates, which has a contract with FPUD for main line leak survey services, recommended that the district use the Smart Ball technology Pure Technologies proposed for the project.

Pure Technologies' Smart Ball technology is used inside the pipe while Utility Services Associates utilizes an external acoustic approach. The external acoustic approach works better with a higher number of appurtenances such as meters and valves to attach listening devices. The Smart Ball technology is more effective to detect leaks and air pockets in deeper pipelines with limited appurtenances.

FPUD staff worked with Pure Technologies to refine the scope of the project and the contract charges before bringing the proposed contract to the board for approval.

The board approval did not include a timeline. "How long it will take will likely depend on some of the permits we have to get from Camp Pendleton and the Naval Weapons Station," said FPUD assistant general manager Jack Bebee.

Bebee expects that the permitting and planning phases will take approximately two months and that the leak detection survey will take approximately one week. "The actual work won't take very long," he said.