TO: Indian River County Board of County Commissioners
THROUGH: John A. Titkanich, Jr, County Administrator
Sean C. Lieske, Director of Utility Services
FROM: Howard G. Richards, PE, Manager - Capital Projects
DATE: August 27, 2025
SUBJECT: Amendment 1 to Agreement RFQ 2024039 Integrated Water Master Plan with HDR Engineering, Inc. for Wabasso Causeway Bridge Reuse Main Condition Assessment & Repair Design Services,
IRCDUS Project ID: 31.24.509
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BACKGROUND
To address anticipated increasing growth within Indian River County (IRC), the Department of Utility Services (IRCDUS) is undertaking the development of an Integrated Water Master Plan (IWMP) to help ensure continued availability of water, wastewater, and reuse services to its customers. The IWMP involves comprehensive analyses and assessments of current conditions and future demand for services to define short- and long-range Capital Improvement Plans (CIP) for IRCDUS. HDR Engineering, Inc. (HDR) was contracted to perform the IWMP project (IRCDUS Project ID: 00.23.547) for a total approved budget of $3,218,590.00.
HDR’s IWMP scope includes conducting condition assessments of horizontal (linear) assets to “develop estimates of remaining useful life (RUL), likelihood of failure (LOF), consequence of failure (COF), and overall risk using desktop data”. The IRCDUS horizontal asset base includes two (2) 12-inch diameter reuse water mains that are suspended along the Wabasso Causeway Bridge over the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), an environmentally sensitive estuary, and Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) that serve customers on the barrier island. Constructed in 1995, one of the mains was previously utilized for potable water and the other for sewer transmission before converting to reuse in 2003. Both mains are considered critical, in that failure can result in negative consequences for the County.
For optimal management of assets to minimize total cost of ownership (TOC) at acceptable levels of risks, condition assessments (CA) of critical assets (i.e., assets with high consequence of failure) are performed routinely to evaluate the modes by which the assets may fail. With each CA cycle, it is recommended that all likely modes of failure are evaluated due to the fact that the mode by which an asset could fail can change over time.
A CA of the pipeline bridge-mounted aerial crossings along the Wabasso Causeway Bridge, was conducted in January and February 2016 to evaluate the conditions of the pipe walls, coatings, hangers, and linings. The approximately 3,400 linear feet (LF) of pipeline was separated into the main bridge sections: Bridge 1 (west low bridge), Bridge 2 (center low bridge), Bridge 3 (eastward low bridge), and Bridge 4 (high bridge over the ICW). The study concluded there was a range of deterioration, including wall thickness losses, severely weathered coatings, minimal internal corrosion, and that the hangers were in good condition overall. The report did not recommend any major intervention and instead recommended a reevaluation in 10 years (by 2026). Subsequently, a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) bridge profile inspection report completed on November 11, 2022, indicated and recommended cleaning and painting or replacement (if necessary) of the utility hangers in several locations. A photograph of one hanger showed section loss of material.
Based on the previous reports and staff’s concerns, the current IRCDUS CIP includes a project to replace the Wabasso Causeway Bridge reuse mains (IRCDUS Project ID: 31.24.509). However, the optimal timing for such a major project needs to be determined.
ANALYSIS
Conducting the reevaluation of the Wabasso Causeway Bridge reuse mains is required to determine the remaining useful life of the asset and informing the timing for intervention. The timing is critical for the completion of the IWMP to refine and update the Department’s CIP. Based on discussions with HDR’s consultants, a consensus was reached to immediately move forward with the reevaluation of Wabasso Causeway Bridge reuse mains. Upon staff request, HDR provided the attached Scope of Services (SoS) as Amendment 1 to Agreement RFQ 2024039 Integrated Water Master for Wabasso Causeway Bridge Reuse Main Condition Assessment.
The HDR proposed services aimed to determine pipe class and original wall thickness, measure remaining wall thickness, identify near-term repairs to stabilize the mains, and recommend longer-term renewal. HDR’s proposed compensation is on a time and materials basis for not-to-exceed (NTE) amount of $409,077.72. To ensure seamless integration of the course of action for the Wabasso Causeway Bridge reuse mains with the IWMP CIP development, IRCDUS proposes that the BCC approve the proposed Amendment 1 to HDR. Upon approval of Amendment 1, the total approved budget for Agreement RFQ 2024039 will increase to $3,627,667.72.
BUDGETARY IMPACT
Funds, in the amount of $409,077.72, for this project are derived from the Utilities Fund/General & Engineering/Other Professional Services/Wabasso Bridge Reuse Main Renewal account, number 47123536-033190-24509, in the Utilities operating fund. The Utilities operating fund budget is derived from water and sewer revenues.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTIONS
The following are previous board actions related to Agreement RFQ 2024039 Integrated Water Master Plan with HDR (IRCDUS Project ID: 00.23.547):
- On June 18, 2024, the BCC approved Final Ranking of Firms and Selection of HDR Engineering, Inc. for RFQ 2024039 Integrated Water Master Plan for the Department of Utility Services.
- On September 24, 2024, the BCC approved Award of Request for Qualifications 2024039 Integrated Water Master Plan to HDR Engineering, Inc.
- On May 6, 2025, a six-month update of the IWMP was presented to the BCC. No action was required.
- On September 9, 2025, a quarterly update of the IWMP was presented to the BCC. No action was required
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
- Environment: Advancing responsible environmental stewardship by protecting, conserving, and managing natural resources and by fostering environmental awareness.
- Infrastructure: Planning, constructing, managing, and maintaining critical public infrastructure in response to our current needs, future demands, and the expectations of our community; embracing innovation, technology, and resiliency.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners approve Amendment 1 to Agreement RFQ 2024039 Integrated Water Master Plan with HDR Engineering, Inc. for Wabasso Causeway Bridge Reuse Main Visual Assessment, IRCDUS Project ID: 31.24.509 for an additional budget not-to-exceed $409,077.72 and authorize the Chair to execute it after review and approval by the County Attorney as to form and legal sufficiency. So long as there are no changes in the dollar amount under the agreement and upon adequate completion of the services set forth in the agreement, staff is directed to make final payment to HDR Engineering, Inc.