Approve $810,000 Contract for Sewer Master Plan Update - YES

I voted yes to bring our Sewer Master Plan into the 21st century, with a long-overdue update that would give staff a greatly enhanced understanding of the state of our underground infrastructure, and allow them to monitor and maintain the sewer system much more accurately and efficiently going forward.

Sewer infrastructure is not a particularly exciting topic, but it's very important; in addition to posing the risk of sewer backups into homes, businesses, and yards, a poorly maintained sewer system poses a major public health risk by leaching untreated waste into groundwater, and can be environmentally catastrophic if wastewater reaches the Bay or other delicate ecosystems. Leaky sewer systems also allow rainwater and groundwater to infiltrate into the system, which results in taxpayers essentially paying more to treat that rainwater when it flows through the system and reaches the sewage treatment plant.

The project was awarded to GHD for $810,608. GHD was the only bidder to respond to our request for proposals on the project; staff determined that their bid was reasonably priced, and that their firm has the requisite experience and expertise to execute the project successfully.