HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Contract for Ash Pond Slope Stability Study RESOLUTION NO. 15-459
RESOLUTION APPROVING CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR LIME
AND ASH POND SLOPE STABILITY STUDY
FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA
WHEREAS, on December 22, 2008, an ash pond dike at Tennessee Valley Authority's
(TVA)Kingston Power Plant failed, spilling 5.4 million cubic yards of ash material into the Emory
and Clinch Rivers, ultimately requiring seven years and costing TVA $1.2 billion to clean up and
repair the damage; and,
WHEREAS, this failure was the impetus for the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to launch a nation-wide effort to assess the structural integrity of power plant ash
impoundment and landfill dikes; and,
WHEREAS,in August of 2012,an engineering consulting firm,Dewberry Consultants,LLC,
of Fairfax, Virginia, on behalf of EPA, performed an on-site inspection and assessment of the
impoundment dikes at the City's ash and lime pond system; and,
WHEREAS, a final report of the assessment was issued by EPA in April of 2014, which
included recommendations that EPA expected the City to undertake; and,
WHEREAS, the report's recommendations included engineering analyses and studies to
assess specific risks, and physical enhancements to the dikes and embankments to reduce the risk
of failure; and,
WHEREAS, then in April of this year, the EPA published the final rule regarding the
disposal of coal ash from electric utilities,commonly referred to as the Coal Combustion Residuals
(CCR) rule, and certain features of this (CCR) rule closely parallel the recommendations of the
EPA's inspection/assessment report of the lime/ash pond dikes in 2014; and,
WHEREAS, this project is to hire a consulting engineer to furnish labor, materials, and
equipment necessary to accomplish the scope of work to be accomplished; and,
WHEREAS,the City initially requested quotations from three consulting engineering firms
with the geotechnical experience and expertise to perform the work; and,
WHEREAS,two firms were and continue to be very interested in performing the work,and
both firms have personnel with significant credentials and the necessary experience to perform the
work; and,
WHEREAS, although the proposals are very close in price and similar in their approach, it
is staff s recommendation that Wenck Associates,Inc., of Maple Plain,Minnesota,be awarded the
work on the basis that it proposed performing more soil borings to ascertain the sub-surface
conditions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa,
that the scope of work as proposed by Wenck Associates, Inc., of Maple Plain, Minnesota, in the
amount of$62,800 for geotechnical consulting engineering services for the Lime and Ash Ponds is
hereby approved.
ADOPTED THIS 28`h day of July, 2015.
A.
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor
Introduced by: Nelson
Seconded by: Corrieri
Voting aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Goodman,Nelson, Orazem
Voting nay: None Absent: None
Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 28`b day of July, 2015.