David Ernst, Wastewater Superintendent
Approve a Purchase Order with Trojan Technologies
Approve a Purchase Order with Trojan Technologies for the replacement of UV disinfection bulbs in an amount not to exceed $205,304.29 and authorize the Town Manager to execute said Purchase Order and approve any invoices directly related to this UV disinfection system maintenance activity up to the authorized amount on behalf of the Town.
The recommended action supports the goal of Infrastructure. Goal Statement: Through a lens of sustainability and innovation, invest in the Town's infrastructure and public facilities to meet the needs of future generations.
In 2000, the Windsor Water Reclamation Facility (WWRF) transitioned from using gaseous chlorine to ultra-violet (UV) disinfection. UV light has proven to be very effective in disinfection, with the earliest full-scale applications for municipal water treatment dating back to 1910. Additionally, UV disinfection leaves no harmful disinfection byproducts in our recycled water and is much safer to operate for both staff and the adjacent community. In 2024, the WWRF’s UV system was replaced and commissioned with a Trojan UV Signa 2-Row system under the Town’s Capital Improvement Program.
The new UV system uses bulbs (lamps) that combine the energy efficiency of low-pressure lamps, and the higher UV output of medium-pressure lamps. This greatly reduces the number of bulbs required to disinfect our wastewater. For comparison, the old system contained 1,600 lamps, while the new Trojan system can treat the same volume of wastewater with just 160. The lamps used for UV disinfection do however have a finite life and must periodically be replaced, prior to expected failure in order to maintain permit compliance. The current lamps are guaranteed by the manufacturer for 15,000 hours, and after nearly two years of continuous service, approximately half of our bulbs are nearing end of expected life. Going forward, staff anticipate a manageable lamp replacement cycle, which would equate to roughly one-quarter, or 40 lamps per year.
Final commissioning, State Water Resources Control Board acceptance, and other ongoing performance issues with the system have yet to be fully resolved. As such, the Town has not accepted the UV System Replacement project as complete and continues to troubleshoot ongoing performance issues in coordination with the manufacturer (Trojan), contractor, and designer. In order to maintain compliance, staff have had to operate the system at higher UV lamp output levels, which has in part led to an uneven hour distribution across all lamps and UV lamp banks. Staff is currently negotiating a reduced price with Trojan for a full (160) lamp replacement, to be installed by wastewater staff, to offset some of the higher than anticipated lamp run hours.
As our system is currently under the manufacturer’s warranty, and to continue this warranty period, only lamps manufactured for and by Trojan Technologies under US Patents (US8318007, US9155808) are available to us at this time, limiting our ability to compare prices with an alternate supplier. Although authorization up to $205,304.29 is requested, staff is currently negotiating a lower price with Trojan Technologies than the attached quote, which will be reflected in the final Purchase Order with approval.
The total fiscal impact of the proposed Professional Services Agreement will allocate up to $205,304.29 and is supported through sufficient appropriations within Water Reclamation operating budget.
This project is considered repair and maintenance of existing facilities and is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with Guidelines under Section 15301, Class 1 (h).