Council invests in long-term maintenance for wastewater recycling

REDLANDS, Calif. – The Redlands City Council has approved a 12-year sole-source agreement with Zenon Environmental Corporation for the preventative maintenance and replacement of membrane bioreactor filters at the city's wastewater treatment plant.

The agreement, valued at $2,634,939, comes with annual payments of $219,578.

Municipal Utilities and Engineering Director John Harris presented the recommendation to the council, emphasizing the importance of establishing an annual preventive maintenance program for the MBR membrane bioreactor filters.

The MBR filter acts like a superfine sieve, ensuring only clean water gets through, making the whole treatment process more effective and efficient. The water is then recycled for customers for use as landscape irrigation water or percolating into the groundwater basin. 

"This program is tailored to our specific wastewater plant," Harris explained. He noted that purchasing MBR filters from another vendor would require a significant investment in additional engineering, construction, and permitting. He recommended the City Council waive typical competitive procurement practices.

This program includes annual inspections, testing, and preventive maintenance practices that will maximize the service life of the $15 million MBR system. It also includes the supply and installation of replacement MBR cassettes near the end of the twelve (12) year program term, as noted in the staff report.

The program has already been accounted for in the city's budget.

City officials emphasize that the investment in preventative maintenance is crucial for maintaining public health and environmental standards. The wastewater treatment plant plays a vital role in processing and treating the city's sewage before it is released back into the environment.

The decision to approve the agreement stems from a near-catastrophic incident in 2017 when the wastewater treatment facility was on the brink of collapse due to the poor condition of the membranes.

Council member Eddie Tejeda stressed the importance of taking proactive steps to prevent a recurrence of the 2017 situation. "It's important for us to reiterate that whenever we're visiting this, so that the community knows that we are taking the steps now and into the future to make sure that we do not have that same situation happen again," he said.

The council's decision to approve the agreement was unanimous.